No. 3 Cavs tame Tigers
By Jerry Miller / Daily Progress staff writer
March 13, 2005

After a convincing 11-7 victory over No. 8 Princeton at frigid Klockner Stadium on Saturday night, the No. 3 Virginia men’s lacrosse team, paced by another multi-goal performance by Matt Ward, hit the .500 mark against the Tigers by deadlocking the overall series at 10 games apiece.

The series, which began in 1948 with a 13-8 Princeton victory, started in regularity in 1992 and has continued with the Tigers enjoying a 9-8 record over UVa since a 15-13 Princeton victory in the ’92 season.

“We had a chip on our shoulder tonight after hearing some of the things Princeton said during the week,” said electric senior attackman John Christmas, who closed with one goal and two assists on the night. “We read some things that Princeton was saying in the newspapers. They were saying that they were going to have the chip on their shoulder after the Johns Hopkins loss.”

Princeton (0-2) opened its season with a 9-6 home loss to Johns Hopkins and looked for redemption against Virginia, which entered Saturday’s matchup with a 3-0 record following a 12-11 road victory over defending National Champion Syracuse.

“Tonight we got a good win,” said Dom Starsia, whose team improved to 4-0 on the year. “For us to play a two-game set at the dome [’Cuse’s Carrier Dome] and then against Princeton at home, you might take a split with those games. So you gotta be pleased with two wins.”

The Cavaliers have now outscored opponents 57-27 in four games this season with Ward, a powerful attackman, netting 12 of the 57 (21 percent) total scores. The junior has a streak of nine games, dating back to last year, with at least two or more goals per game.

“We decided before the game to attack with the midfield,” Ward said. “The midfield played great. When [the midfield] attacked, Princeton only had four poles on the field. They couldn’t defend six free poles.”

One of the game’s pivotal sequences came late in the third quarter with Virginia nursing a 6-3 lead with less than 2:00 left in the period.

Princeton’s Scott Sowanick, who entered with a team-high four goals on the year, rattled the cage with 1:26 left in the third to snip Virginia’s lead to 6-4. The goal appeared to build much-needed Tiger scoring momentum heading into the fourth quarter.

However, Virginia’s Matt Poskay (2 goals) slammed home a Kyle Dixon (1 goal, 1 assist) assist, whipping the pass by Tiger goalie Dave Law with 0:12 left in the third to increase the lead to 7-4 and extinguish any possible comeback hopes.

“No question that goal is critical,” Starsia said. “Give credit to Coach Van Arsdale. Half of the time I don’t even know what’s going on with the offense but that goal was very critical.”

Virginia sophomore goalie Kip Turner made five saves in limited action against Princeton. The Severna, Maryland native made 18 saves and allowed 11 goals against Syracuse, the fewest goals the Orange has scored at home against Virginia in the last 10 years.

“The defense is a young group that’s coming together as one,” said Ward, one of four team captains. “They’re learning together and playing great. Kip made 18 saves in the Carrier Dome. That’ll let you sleep well at night.”

With season over, where do Cavs go?
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
March 13, 2005

WASHINGTON
Mark down Monday or Tuesday as the official end of the Pete Gillen era at Virginia. That’s when the coach is expected to meet with director of athletics Craig Littlepage to settle the issue.
Unlike last year when Gillen was left twisting in the wind until Final Four weekend, this decision should come swiftly. But don’t expect the hiring process to follow suit. Instead, that could be a long process, which is sure to spawn a jillion rumors.
The real question is where does Virginia go from there?

Timing is everything
In one respect, the likely dismissal of Gillen is bad timing, coinciding with Littlepage’s involvement as a member of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Selection Committee. He is obligated to appear at regional tournaments through the Final Four in St. Louis. In another respect, it is an advantage because he will be among basketball brethren during March Madness, getting unique introspect on potential candidates for the Virginia job.
There is perhaps more at stake in this one hire than any other in UVa athletics history.
Consider that Virginia basketball is at a crossroads. The program has been one of the ACC’s weakest for most of the last 10 years and unless the right hire is made, the scenario isn’t likely to change dramatically.
Also consider the giant structure rising over Charlottesville’s skyline as UVa’s basketball fortunes have sagged. The new John Paul Jones Arena will double the capacity of seating for Wahoo hoops fans. When it opens for play in November of 2006, it can handle 15,000 spectators.
In turn, the university will be requiring a considerable financial commitment for at least half of those fans to sit in the lower bowl of that arena.

Casteen’s involvement
Two questions remain concerning the building. It is quite obvious that fundraising for the $129 million facility has hit a stalemate. There has been little enthusiasm surrounding UVa basketball for the past two years and UVa president John T. Casteen III realizes what is on the line.
For that reason alone, it would be reasonable to assume that Casteen will play a larger role than usual in bringing aboard the next coach of the Cavaliers. Last time out, then-AD Terry Holland narrowed the field to three: Gillen, Mike Jarvis and Oliver Purnell before recommending Gillen to Casteen.
All the prez had to do then was give a thumbs up or thumbs down. This time around, expect Casteen to be much more involved.
The right hire should solve both arena issue problems. The right guy will rekindle the fundraising effort, spurring those reluctant to open their pocketbook as long as Gillen was coach. Also, the right guy
could generate enough enthusiasm among the Wahoo faithful to put more fannies in the seats.
While the rumor mill grinds, there’s very little that anyone outside the process truly knows what is going on as Virginia embarks on its coaching search.
Standard procedure tells us that any AD worth his salt has an “A List” in his pocket. And just in case, he’s got a “B List” in his hip pocket.
When Holland decided to retire from coaching, the Cavaliers got their man. Well, sort of. Then-AD Jim Copeland could have had Dave Odom, an assistant to Holland, but chose to open up the search and Odom took the Wake Forest vacancy.
Copeland had Stanford’s Mike Montgomery on the string while at the same time courting Rick Barnes at Providence. In the end, he lost them both and ended up hiring assistant Jeff Jones.
When Jones was fired seven years ago, Holland got his man, Gillen.
How this one goes is anybody’s guess.
It would be logical to think Virginia will take a strong shot at the guys who comprise it’s
A List, whether it be Kentucky’s Tubby Smith (Hey, as unrealistic as it seems, you can’t blame a school for trying), Barnes, or whoever.
Smith has been the subject of most of the rumors, but he is signed at Kentucky through 2011 and reportedly has a contract that will pay him an average of $2.5 million over the length of the deal if he stays put.
Then there’s the B List that surely contains a lot of the names we’ve been hearing as whispers over recent weeks: Notre Dame’s Mike Brey, George Washington’s Karl Hobbs, DePaul’s Dave Leitao, ODU’s Blaine Taylor (a former Montgomery assistant at Stanford) and perhaps several more.
Unless Casteen and Littlepage knock it out of the park early by shocking the basketball world with a eye-popping hire, expect this search to last awhile simply because you would anticipate most of the coaches on the list to be a little busy for the next couple of weeks at the least.
Hopefully fans will show as much patience as Virginia’s search committee and allow the process to work its way out.

Distractions were plentiful for Cavaliers
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
March 13, 2005

WASHINGTON - After his team ended Virginia’s season on Friday night, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski tried to articulate what went wrong for Pete Gillen and the Cavaliers.

“This year we have been injured a lot but I’ve been here a lot longer and it turned out a little better. Them losing Jason Clark was big. Them losing Devin Smith for awhile was tough. You don’t understand the magnitude of injuries,” Krzyzewski said. “You have that team together for the whole year and they are what, 14-15 now? Obviously if they had that together for the whole season they would win close to 20 games and be in the NCAAs and the point is moot.”

Krzyzewski makes some valid points on Virginia’s season or was just trying to protect another member of the coaching fraternity. Either way, it’s fairly clear that Virginia’s season took a route that went awry. In so doing, it likely took Gillen’s job with it.

The Cavaliers began the season 8-1 and were once ranked as high as No. 19 in the nation. That start included an 18-point thumping of Arizona and on that November night, after freshman point guard Sean Singletary had a scintillating coming out party, who would have imagined that would be the high-water mark of the season?

Even before Jason Clark was dismissed from the team for academics in January and before the rash of injuries that, according to Gillen, reached nearly every member of the team, Virginia had already lost its step.

They never again found that team that looked so impressive against Arizona.

“I think early in the season we took losses almost too hard. We shouldn’t have taken them as hard and I really think that beat us up mentally,” Singletary said. “We started out so well and I think those losses took too hard a toll on us.”

The injuries, academic suspensions and the constant discussion of Gillen’s job status no doubt took a mental toll on the team but there is one thing that escapes the quick-glance summation of Virginia’s season: scheduling.

In early December when the Cavaliers were playing well, they went through a 24-day stretch in which they played just one game. Some of that was because of exams and some was because dates with other teams could not be worked out. Nevertheless, the Cavaliers were simply never the same team after that period. That had already lost their stride and then the injuries and suspensions hastened the slide into the abyss.

The Virginia players had deflected questions about their coach’s future all season. Some, like Singletary, were vocal in defending Gillen. For the most part, however, the common response is to say that they paid no attention to it and had not control of the situation.

On Friday when the season ended, a few players broke that “silence” just a little. The responses ranged from a “No comment” from Elton Brown to several strong defenses of Gillen.

“Now, that it’s over I have to say that it was a real tough situation to deal with during the season. … I felt we as players could do something to have him be here next year,” Singletary said. “He [Gillen] really cares about his players and I really appreciate that. … I can’t look into the future and know if a change for us would be positive or negative.”

Moments later, Singletary was asked if a coaching change would make him think about transferring and Singletary affirmed his commitment to Virginia regardless while also showing support for his beleaguered coach.

“Yes, I would definitely stay because I love the school. I would still have to talk it over with my parents and can’t make any decisions yet. I committed to Virginia and Coach Gillen and I would still hope his [commitment] is there,” Singletary said.

J.R. Reynolds, the soft-spoken sophomore guard, perhaps put it best.

“I just try not to pay attention to it. I just try and focus on playing the game. But still the attention it got on the outside made it tough to ignore. We heard it everywhere we went,” Reynolds said. “You couldn’t really avoid it. We tried to ignore it, but that was tough.”

Gillen's future on hold over the weekend
The UVa coach and his players will sit in limbo until AD Craig Littlepage announces his decision.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

WASHINGTON - Pete Gillen never thought it would end like this.

When the horn sounded following Duke's 76-64 victory over Virginia in the ACC Tournament, Gillen still had one timeout. Gillen, whose penchant for timeouts became one of his most identifiable characteristics, had vowed that he wasn't going to be like Dean Smith and end his career with 4,000 uncalled timeouts.

On second thought, Smith, the winningest coach in Division I men's basketball, wouldn't have been a bad guy to emulate. Virginia is expected to announce as early as Monday that Gillen will not be retained after a 14-15 season - the Cavaliers' fourth straight without an NCAA Tournament bid.

"I don't want to talk about that; let's talk about the game," Gillen said Friday night. "I'll just say this: The University of Virginia deserves better than the 14-15 we gave them this year and I take the blame for that.

"I don't want to address anything else about myself. Let's talk about the team, the players, the tournament, OK? But, it will be addressed this week."

Gillen was joined on the MCI Center interview podium by Sean Singletary, a 6-foot freshman who had a team-high 16 points Friday night. Singletary also led the Cavaliers in rebounds with seven, part of the problem on a night when Duke outrebounded Virginia 57-33.

Singletary, who has emerged as Gillen's most outspoken supporter among the players, said he felt sadness over the loss, the end of the season and the likelihood that his coach will be leaving.

"I kind of took a liking to him," Singletary said. "He was my first [college] coach. He just cares a lot about his players and I really appreciated that. I committed to Virginia to play for coach Gillen and the coaches who are here right now. A change, I think, would just deflate us somewhat."

Singletary indicated he would stay at Virginia "because I committed to the school," he said, "but I can't make any decisions yet. I've got to talk it over with my family. I can't tell the future. I don't know whether a change would be positive or negative."

Gillen and Singletary appeared to be holding back their emotions, but, apparently, there was no discussion of the coaching situation when players and coaches had their normal postgame meeting.

"I just wish they'd tell us one way or another," sophomore guard J.R. Reynolds said. "You can't really tell anything by [Gillen's] actions, but when people are on him all the time, it's got to be tough on him.

"Whatever we've heard, it's all come from the outside, but nobody has said anything on the inside. I'm not sure we'll know till it's all said and done. Right now, he's still the coach."

T.J. Bannister, another sophomore, said he would be praying for Gillen.

"Everybody tries to blame it on the coaches and blame it on everybody else instead of looking within themselves," Bannister said. "Maybe players need to go look in the mirror and find out what they're doing wrong."

Bannister said it is his impression that no players have been consulted about a possible change.

"I'd love for them to ask the players," Bannister said. "They'd find out how much we love coach Gillen and really want him back. If it doesn't happen, I'll try and make it happen."

It may be too late. Even Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, whose Blue Devils eliminated Virginia from the ACC Tournament for the third year in a row and fourth time in seven seasons, was referring to Gillen in the past tense.

Krzyzewski pointed to the academic suspension of Jason Clark and an injury that sidelined Devin Smith for three weeks and "if you'd had that team together all year, they're probably going to win 20 games and be in the NCAAs," he said.

"At that point, it's moot. It's [the firing's] not going to happen, but he's handled it very, very well. Godspeed to him and it's been an honor to be his friend and colleague."

Questions surround Gillen's tenure
If a couple of breaks had gone Cavs' way, would the coach be in this situation?
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Mar 13, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- What if Majestic Mapp had not torn up his knee playing in a summer pickup game?

What if Virginia had received a more favorable draw in the 2001 NCAA basketball tournament?

What if Jason Clark had stayed aca- demically eligible throughout his college career?

If those things, and others, had happened, would U.Va. fans be content with Pete Gillen and his coaching? Or would Gillen have reached this point no matter what route he followed?

We'll never know for sure, of course. Eventually, it stands to reason, Gillen's flaws as a coach - all too apparent in a league that includes such heavyweights as Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams and Gary Williams - would have been exposed, and U.Va. officials would have concluded that a change was needed. But, on the eve of the 2005 NCAA tournament, the school might not be poised to start seeking a replacement for Gillen, who's expected to be fired in the coming week.

The Cavaliers' seventh season under Gillen ended late Friday night. Third-seeded Duke ousted No. 11 seed U.Va. in the quarterfinals at MCI Center. Virginia finished 14-15, its first losing season since 1998-99, when Gillen had six healthy scholarship players.

Gillen, who has six seasons left on a contract that pays him about $900,000 annually, is 118-93 at U.Va. The buzz that once surrounded his program faded long ago. Since improving to 9-0 with a rout of Grambling on Dec. 30, 2001, the Cavaliers have posted a 56-56 record, including a 23-41 mark in ACC regular-season games. They've been to the NCAA tournament once under Gillen, and that was in 2001.

The Gillen era at U.Va. included numerous pivotal events, many of which went against him. Had some or all broken in his favor, Gillen might have written a different ending to his Charlottesville tale.

To wit:

* Majestic Mapp's injury: The charismatic McDonald's All-American from New York City ranked second on the team in assists and averaged 5.3 points as a freshman in 1999-2000. Mapp was projected to play a leading role as a sophomore, but he tore his right ACL on Aug. 2, 2000.

College athletes routinely bounce back from such injuries, but Mapp didn't play again until January 2003. By then, after five operations, he'd lost much of his quickness, and he never became a standout Division I player. The Cavaliers never fully recovered, either.

Gillen, after missing on more highly regarded prospects, landed point guard Keith Jenifer, figuring the quick but poor-shooting Baltimore native would serve as Mapp's understudy. But with Mapp hobbled, Jenifer was thrust into a prominent role, to the program's detriment. Gillen, forced to improvise, played Roger Mason Jr. at the point in 2001-02 and Todd Billet there in '02-03 and '03-04, but both were natural shooting guards.

Not until Sean Singletary enrolled at U.Va. this school year did Gillen have a true point guard able to compete with the ACC's elite at that position.

* The 2000 ACC tournament: As coach at Xavier and then Providence, Gillen became known for his postseason success, particularly in conference tournaments. At U.Va., he didn't collect his first win in the ACC tourney until 2004, and that came in the play-in game.

Never did Virginia have a more promising opportunity than in the 2000 ACC tourney, when it was seeded third. The Cavs failed to capitalize, however, losing to No. 6 seed N.C. State 76-65 in the quarterfinals.

Had the Cavaliers beaten the Wolfpack, they almost certainly would have received an invitation to the NCAA tourney. Instead, they went to the NIT, where they lost in the first round, falling at home in triple-overtime to Georgetown. Moreover, an extended stay in the ACC tourney would have helped Gillen build goodwill among U.Va. fans, many of whom turned on him when the program's decline began.

* The 2001 NCAA tournament: The selection committee made U.Va. the No. 5 seed in the South Region. The Cavaliers' reward? A first-round meeting with giant-killer Gonzaga, a No. 12 seed that probably should have been a No. 7 or No. 8.

At The Pyramid in Memphis, Tenn., Virginia fell behind by 13 in the second half before rallying to take an 85-84 lead on a 3-pointer by Mason. The score hadn't changed when U.Va. freshman J.C. Mathis missed the front end of a one-and-one with 21.4 seconds left. Gonzaga went ahead on a stick-back with 9 seconds left, and then Mason missed an off-balance runner on the game's final play.

As lost opportunities go, that was enormous. In the second round, the Cavaliers would have faced No. 13 seed Indiana State, which upset fourth-seeded Oklahoma in overtime. U.Va. would have been favored to beat the Sycamores, as Gonzaga ultimately did, and a victory would have meant a trip the Sweet Sixteen - at least - in Gillen's third season. Instead, the perception that his U.Va. teams underachieved in postseason continued to grow.

* The collapse against Maryland: On Jan. 31, 2002, the Cavaliers, ranked eighth nationally, led No. 3 Maryland by nine with 3:22 left at University Hall. Somehow they lost, 91-87, and staggered off the court. Virginia finished the season 17-12 and unranked after losing to South Carolina in the NIT's first round.

The loss to Maryland "was devastating," Gillen told Washington Post columnist John Feinstein last month. "It almost seems like we haven't recovered since that night."

* DeSagana Diop's decision: U.Va.'s seemingly never-ending quest for a premier big man almost ended in a huge coup for Gillen. The Class of 2001 at Oak Hill Academy in Southwest Virginia included Diop, a 7-0, 310-pound center from Senegal. After narrowing his choices to U.Va. and North Carolina, Diop chose to skip college and enter the NBA draft. The Cleveland Cavaliers selected him early in the first round.

Had Diop opted for college, "I think he was leaning to Virginia," Oak Hill coach Steve Smith said recently.

Diop has yet to distinguish himself in the NBA, and even if he'd matriculated, he might have left college after one season. Still, Smith believes Diop might have stayed for at least three seasons and become a force inside for the Cavaliers.

"They need a guy like that," he said.

* Roger Mason Jr.'s departure: A second-team all-ACC pick as a junior, Mason would have been the conference's top returning scorer in 2002-03. But the 6-5 guard passed up his final season of eligibility to enter the NBA draft, and Chicago picked him early in the second round. Mason failed to stick in the NBA and now plays in Europe.

Neither Mason nor Billet, who'd sat out 2001-02 after transferring from Rutgers, was a natural point guard. Both shot well, however, and they probably would have formed a formidable backcourt, with neither having to bear a huge ballhandling burden. Without Mason, the Cavaliers went 16-16 in 2002-03.

* Jason Clark's inability to remain eligible: The 6-8, 240-pound Clark, Virginia's strongest and most athletically gifted post player, never came close to reaching his potential in college. But he was a three-year starter and talented shot-blocker who complemented Elton Brown well inside.

Unfortunately for Virginia, Clark missed the first 12 games of his junior season for academic reasons, then was declared ineligible again two months ago. That ended his college career and left the Cavaliers woefully outmanned in the paint.

Without Clark, a team captain, Virginia lost 10 of its final 15 games this season. In the finale Friday night, Duke outrebounded the Cavaliers 54-30.

Gillen figures to spend countless hours wondering what might have been at Virginia. It's not hard to see why.

 

Sunny forecast, then stormy skies
BOB LIPPER
POINT OF VIEW
Mar 13, 2005
Bob Lipper
Contact Bob Lipper at (804) 649-6555 or e-mail blipper @timesdispatch.com

It all seemed so sunny and hopeful seven years ago when Pete Gillen was introduced as Virginia's basketball coach and praised as "a proven winner" -- Gillen's Sweet 16 runs at Xavier and Providence the neon signs (and veneer) that advertised him as the genuine article.

There was good cheer and optimism to spare in the room that day. Gillen himself showed up with a pinstriped suit and a rat-a-tat delivery that oozed energy.

He promised an uptempo motif, quoted Robert Frost, tossed off one-liners like a comedy-club headliner.

"My contract is the shortest contract in the history of intercollegiate athletics," he said. "'Just win, baby.'"

He didn't. Fact is, he lost big. Overall, his U.Va. record exceeded break-even status, a byproduct of weak nonconference scheduling (his choice). Within the ACC, where it counts, he was a beaten-down 47-74. That translates to a winning percentage of .388. Only four other coaches in the league's history -- Virginia's Bill Gibson and the Clemson threesome of Cliff Ellis, Bill Foster and Bobby Roberts lasted as long with poorer worksheets.

U.Va. was patient with Gillen, in other words. The marriage just didn't work out.

His swan song -- the official announcement is expected shortly -- was a 76-64 loss to Duke in Friday's ACC quarterfinals that held to form from tipoff through the postgame press conference.

U.Va. competed gamely. So did its coach. Once, when the Cavs trimmed their deficit to two points early in the second half and a timeout was signaled, Gillen strode onto the court and waved his arms in an effort to pump up the crowd. Duke's lead soon ballooned again to double figures, and resignation took hold along Virginia's bench. By the buzzer, all the spunk was gone.

Afterward, Gillen trotted out his shopworn excuse that playing the previous day had sapped his squad's energy. He also cited the early-season loss of academic casualty Jason Clark as a major reason for this squad's 14-15 finish. Gillen called the modestly-gifted Clark "a tremendous player." Well, he once made Keith Jenifer sound like the second coming of Isiah Thomas, too.

In some ways, the man was a victim of his agent's negotiating skills and U.Va.'s willingness to grossly over-invest in faith. You maybe give Mike Krzyzewski a 10-year deal after he's taken you to a Final Four or two. You don't give Pete Gillen a 10-year deal when all he's accomplished is a reasonable (but momentary) dent in the ACC and zip for the postseason. That contract prompted expectations Pete Gillen couldn't honor. Frankly, it might've been hard for anyone.

The bottom line is he's maybe a decent guy but not a very good basketball coach. Gillen made his reputation at Xavier, where his frazzleball style ruled a lower-echelon league. During his 11 years at Providence and Virginia, on the other hand, he's posted double-digit losses nine times.

At U.Va., his disheveled sideline persona translated to rickety game management and unstable rosters and coaching staffs. His defenses were porous, his offenses a shifting hodgepodge. You never got the impression he had a blueprint. For sure, he didn't nurture talent. Players never improved under his watch. For $900,000 per annum, an employer should expect better.

Gillen said Friday he'd take the blame for this 14-15 debacle, which was refreshing. Too often during his tenure, he fingered his players for botching an inbounds play here or a defensive rotation there. "A couple of guys didn't show up," he blurted after an ACC loss this season. But Pete Gillen was the constant. For seven years and 238 games, he showed up every day.

You truly needed a filter to digest his pronouncements. Before the 2002-03 campaign, for instance, Gillen said seldom-used Jason Rogers "will be a factor" -- then allowed him to become one only on senior day. By then, everyone had learned. On March 28, 1998, who knew?

"I think we can compete with the best," Gillen said that day. "We want to reach for the stars."

Instead, he found only meteors.

They crash.

 

No excuse for Gillen's performance
Published March 13 2005
David Teel

WASHINGTON -- The hour late, the strain obvious, Pete Gillen confronted the issue boldly.

The University of Virginia basketball program, he said, deserves better than this season's 14-15 record, and he was responsible.

If only Gillen had stopped there. If only he'd allowed his final postgame news conference as the Cavaliers' head coach to conclude with that classy soundbite.

But Gillen couldn't help himself. As was his wont throughout his seven seasons at Virginia, he recited a litany of excuses that rang hollow and undermined his credibility.

This scene unfolded late Friday evening after the Cavaliers dropped a 76-64 decision to Duke in an ACC tournament quarterfinal. Seven years, zero ACC semifinal appearances. Seven years, one NCAA tournament bid.

The ax will fall, quickly, and Gillen, the tension etched into his forehead, knows it. Still, he had to rehash tired excuses.

First was the loss of starting power forward Jason Clark. Ruled academically ineligible in mid-January, he missed the final 15 games.

To hear Gillen tell it, Clark, a senior, was some combination of Kevin Garnett and Karl Malone. Truth is he was serviceable, averaging 26 minutes, 6.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

In Clark's final three games, all Virginia defeats, he contributed a combined eight points and nine rebounds. The Cavaliers were 0-4 in the ACC when Clark, often hampered by a sore Achilles' tendon, departed. They finished 4-12.

Was Clark's absence significant? Absolutely. Did it expose Virginia's roster as too thin? You bet. But consider: Of the ACC's five probable NCAA tournament teams, four - North Carolina, North Carolina State, Duke and Georgia Tech - overcame personnel losses due to injury and illness. Only Wake Forest was unscathed.

So let's not pin Virginia's failings on Clark. And let's not buy into the argument of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who while graciously praising Gillen on Friday said that Virginia would have won 20 games and made the NCAAs with Clark.

(By the way, the last time Krzyzewski's Blue Devils fell short of the NCAA regional semifinals was 1997, when they lost to Gillen-coached Providence.)

Gillen's second plea was fatigue. After defeating Miami in the opening round Thursday, Virginia had no "gas in the tank," he said J.R. Reynolds was dehydrated and needed intravenous fluids; Devin Smith "couldn't move."

Spare us. Conference tournaments force teams to play two, three, sometimes four, games in as many days. Prepare for it. Deal with it. Condition your team, physically and mentally, for the inevitable grind.

To the credit of Gillen and his lead recruiter, Walt Fuller, Virginia's next coach (Tubby Smith? Anna Nicole Smith? Rick Barnes? Ranger Rick? All a story for another day.) will inherit some intriguing talent: Freshman point guard Sean Singletary could become the program's first All-ACC first-team selection since Bryant Stith in 1992; wing guard J.R. Reynolds (32 points against Miami on Thursday) and forward Gary Forbes (61 points in three consecutive mid-February ACC games), both sophomores, are capable of averaging 15 points apiece.

Also: Sophomore T.J. Bannister, the team's best passer, is only a decent jump shot away from becoming a quality backup to Singletary; freshman Tunji Soroye (five blocked shots and six rebounds in 21 minutes Friday) should develop into a formidable defender in the post, and if he learns to catch the ball, well, all the better; sophomore Jason Cain, like Soroye a rail-thin post player, has shown decent instincts on offense.

It's not an ACC championship squad, but an infusion of new leadership often inspires teams to unimagined heights. Sprinkle in a little player development, never Gillen's long suit, a little luck and some realistic scheduling, and Virginia next season could at least post a winning record and qualify for the National Invitation Tournament.

If the Cavaliers fall short, let's hope the new man, or woman, on the job doesn't confuse the issue with excuses.

At a loss, Virginia can't even NIT pick
The offseason officially here, Virginia looks ahead to an uncertain future and a critical point for the program.
BY DAVE JOHNSON
247-4649
Published March 13, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Either way you look at it, Virginia's basketball program is at a crossroads. Friday night's 76-64 loss to Duke in the ACC quarterfinals capped a 14-15 season, the program's worst finish in six years. And here's the ultimate humiliation: The Cavaliers aren't even good enough for the NIT.

The timing could not be worse. The school is in the final stages of raising funds for a $130 million arena, in which the Cavaliers are set to begin play in the fall of 2006. At a stage when enthusiasm should be at an all-time high, there couldn't be more grumbling from the fan base.

Which is why Pete Gillen, who just completed his seventh season as the Cavaliers' head coach, is on his way out. The official announcement, which has been a foregone conclusion since mid-January, could come as early as Monday.

In truth, Gillen has very little support within the boosters' circle. But his players, at least those who were asked Friday night, had a different view.

"Maybe players need to look themselves in the mirror and find out what they're doing wrong," sophomore point guard T.J. Bannister said. "It's not about the coaches. It's about (us) playing the game. Everybody's trying to blame it on the coaches instead of looking within themselves.

"We know how good of a coach he is. Like I've said, he can't go out and play the game for us. He can't go out there and shoot free throws, rebound and play defense for us. He can't do any of that. We're the ones who have to go out and play hard."

Few would dispute that this team didn't do that on a regular basis. The Cavaliers showed up for the ACC tournament, no question about that. On Thursday night, they rallied from nine-point deficit to beat Miami. Twenty-four hours later, they trailed third-seeded Duke by two at the game's 14-minute mark before losing.

Yet Virginia went through the motions so many times, even in games that would have made a huge difference in where it is now. In a four-week span, the Cavs lost four games by at least 19 points. Seniors Elton Brown and Devin Smith played their worst ball down the stretch. Only point guard Sean Singletary, a freshman, could be counted on every night.

Gillen will tell you the absence of power forward Jason Clark, who was suspended for academic reasons Jan. 19, was "devastating." And yes, the Cavaliers went 5-10 in his absence. But with Clark in the lineup, Virginia had started 0-4 in the conference.

In terms of wins and losses, the program has come full circle in Gillen's seven seasons. The Cavaliers' 4-12 ACC record is their worst since the 1998-99 season, Gillen's first in Charlottesville in which he fielded a team with six scholarship players. It also was the program's first overall losing record since that season.

Gillen knows better than anybody how unacceptable that is.

"The University of Virginia deserves better than 14-15," he said Friday night. "And I take the blame for that, OK? Not the players."

Though Gillen might not be a part of the future of U.Va. basketball, his players will be. Barring attrition, eight players with a combined 131 career starts will be back next season. Gillen signed three players in the fall, one of whom - shooting guard Mamadi Diane from Hyattsville, Md. - is likely to make an immediate impact.

It's not the kind of talent that can match North Carolina, Wake Forest and Duke. Or, for that matter, Georgia Tech. But it's something.

"I know we have a bright future with all these young players," Singletary said. "I know we have a lot to learn, and I know we learned a lot this year by losing. We have good talent coming back, and if we just stick together we can do real well next year. But starting all over, that might be tough."