A good time to court Leitao?
Coaching speculation continues as Littlepage will be in Chicago
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
March 24, 2005

Virginia Athletics Director Craig Littlepage is in Chicago this weekend for the NCAA Regionals as part of his duties as a member of the NCAA men’s basketball committee.

Might Littlepage try to contact DePaul coach Dave Leitao about the UVa vacancy while in Chicago?

If that’s his plan, he has not acted on that as of Wednesday.

DePaul Athletics Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto told The Daily Progress on Wednesday afternoon that she has “not been contacted by anyone from UVa.”

Leitao, 44, is in his third season at DePaul and has compiled a 58-34 record there. He guided the Blue Demons to the second round of the NCAA last season and to the second round of the NIT this season. DePaul completed its 2004-05 season with a 20-11 record after a loss to Texas A&M last Saturday.

Leitao, a former assistant coach to Jim Calhoun at Connecticut, is a coach that Virginia has certain interest in, according to a source. His relative youth and ties to a successful program like Connecticut have Virginia officials intrigued, the source said.

As for any possible ties between Leitao and Virginia, UVa President John T. Casteen III was the president of the University of Connecticut when Calhoun was hired there. Leitao, who played for Calhoun at Northeastern, was on Calhoun’s original coaching staff at UConn from 1986-94. Leitao had a brief two-year head coaching stint at Northeastern and then returned to UConn as the associate head coach for six seasons before departing for DePaul in 2002.

If Leitao was to surface as Virginia’s target, there could be some financial complications.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported last week that Leitao signed a six-year contract extension last fall and the buyout of that package could be around $3 million. Leitao signed that extension after being courted by St. John’s last spring.

There remain strong indications that Virginia still has it sights set on Kentucky coach Tubby Smith.

Smith’s Wildcats, the No. 2 seed in the NCAA’s Austin Region, face Utah on Friday in the regional semifinals.

Littlepage has maintained that he will not attempt to officially contact a school before their team’s season is complete.

Phoenix Suns assistant coach Marc Iavaroni, a possible candidate gaining some support in certain UVa circles, made a short comment about his name being mentioned with the vacancy after the Suns’ game in Atlanta against the Hawks on Tuesday night.

“I’m focused on us [the Suns] peaking at the right time. I’m always interested in Virginia basketball,” said Iavaroni, a 1978 UVa graduate.

The athletics directors of two other possible candidates, George Washington’s Karl Hobbs and Marquette’s Tom Crean, did not return messages Wednesday.

UVa coaching search: Readers offer advice
We asked: What are the key attributes UVa athletic director Craig Littlepage needs to look for when hiring the school's new basketball coach?
The Roanoke Times

Hugh Keogh l Richmond

1. Presence. Pete Gillen didn't intimidate anybody. 2. Recruiting competency. There is simply not enough talent in the program to compete in the ACC . Gillen had one good class in seven.

3. Defense. Terry Holland and Jeff Jones did it. Gillen did not.

4. Tactical adaptability. Try to remember a time when Gillen did something that turned a game, early or late, in UVa's favor.

5. Toughness.

That's all it would take. Surely there's someone out there with those qualities pining to come to the John Paul Jones Arena.

Tim Luck l Roanoke

I am a Virginia Tech fan, but would much rather see the Cavaliers win the ACC than the "tobacco roads schools." UVa needs to look for a young coach that is known nationally. I have heard several names mentioned and other than Rick Carlisle, none of the other coaches would be an improvement over Pete Gillen.

The prefect fit would be former UCLA coach Steve Lavin. He is a class person, nationally known, a proven winner and only in his early 40s. UVa would be an immediate top 10 team and contend for a national championship on a regular basis.

Foster Brooks l Indianapolis

I believe the next coach needs to be a firm person that can teach as well as coach. Pete Gillen never struck me as a firm teacher that the players respected; he reminded me of the teacher whose class you took because it was easy. The new coach also needs to be in control, but not so much that it stifles the creativity or the spirit of the players.

Stewart Eads l

Mount Pleasant, S.C.

Short of a "home run" hire like Tubby Smith of Kentucky, I think that current NBA assistant coach Marc Iavaroni (Suns) fits the bill for UVa.

He has an excellent reputation as a coach (especially of defensive play, which has been lacking at UVa lately). His NBA connections should help recruiting and his status as a "favorite son" of the university should help to jump start fund-raising for the John Paul Jones Arena. Oh, and one more thing ... the fact that he was able to make Dean Smith madder than a wet hen doesn't hurt either!

Derek Smythe l Alexandria

I believe that Craig Littlepage should not look for just a slam dunk name but for someone that is very qualified for this position.

I believe the next coach needs to have the characteristics of being a successful head Division I coach for a long time. This coach needs to have proven that he has won before and also has won recently.

In this day and age of college coaches having various scandals, I firmly believe in promoting a coach from a mid-major level rather than bringing someone in from a higher level where you just are not sure how they did things at their university.

I believe a lot of mid-major coaches would not cheat, let alone know how too, and that is something Littlepage needs to keep in mind.

We need to make a good hire but we need to make sure to keep the program clean. We do not need just any big name college coach..

A good start might be taking a close look at this year's NCAA tournament pool of candidates.Tom Aub l Lynchburg

I think Virginia need a young, aggressive coach like Matt Dougherty. Dougherty can certainly recruit. He is very aggressive and I think he has learned to be a better player coach than he was at North Carolina (I think he was a scapegoat to get Roy-boy Williams] there). He is affordable and will prove to UNC that they made a mistake by taking UVa to the Sweet 16 in about three years!

S. Maynard Turk l

Greenville, Del.

UVa should seek a coach that is nationally known and he should be tied to a short term contract with a chance to increase his earnings based on performance.

For example, he should earn an extra $100,000 for an NCAA entry, and another $100,000 for a second win and $300,000 for the Final Four and $600,000 for a national championship.

This is a lot of money, but if the program is to be brought up to first rate quickly, thinking outside the box is critical.

Leo Halloran l

Greensboro, N.C.

I would like the new coach to have the credibility to hire a super staff of assistants to make the players much better during their four years at Virginia.

Let's face it, to develop Jason Cain to be the player that I think he could be will take special coaches who can develop the talent that exists. Then the blue chip prospects will want to come to Virginia.

A trend existed that players did not get better, they got worse and all the athletes will be watching this with a wait-and-see attitude.

Pete Duffy l King George

UVa should get my favorite coach, Bobby Knight, to leave Texas Tech.

Before hiring Coach Knight, Indiana had a 7-17 record. His first year Indiana went 17-7.

At Texas Tech in 2001, Coach Knight inherited six players from a 9-19 team. He has had seasons of 23-9, 22-13, 23-11, and this year he is 22-10 and has made it to the Sweet 16.

More importantly, his teams have high graduation rates and he does not violate NCAA regulations.

Doug Wright l Roanoke

Craig Littlepage as Athletic Director at The University of Virginia has an opportunity to re-energize the basketball program. Obviously a lot lies with the selection of the next coach. By bringing in a known commodity with/without UVa ties, the next coach should have a proven track record, surround himself with proven ,successful, assistant coaches that can prepare these young men for the next level. Recruiting is paramount. Recruit the student athletes that excel not only on the playing court, but the classroom as well. Prepare them for that next level of life, not just a shot in the NBA.

Kelly Coleman l Buena Vista

I think Craig Littlepage should look at these keys for hiring a new basketball coach at UVa.

1. At least five years experience as a head coach.

2. What he has done against the top 20.

3. Is his graduation rate good with his past players?

4. Maybe look at a coach like Bobby Cremins to come in and get the program turned back in the right direction.

Gary Bowyer l Nokomis, Fla.

I feel the new coach needs to be able to recruit successfully from the tidewater area and Washington-Baltimore area. With Virginia Tech in the ACC, UVa will need to be the leader in recruiting in Virginia.

Mixing business with business?
Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage will be in Chicago for the NCAA. But two names believed to be on his short list are close by.
BY DAVE JOHNSON
247-4649
Published March 23, 2005

Facing the biggest decision of his professional career, Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage boarded a plane for Chicago on Tuesday afternoon. A member of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee, he will be an on-site representative for the NCAA tournament's Chicago Regional.

Might there be other matters on his plate?

According to sources familiar with the Cavaliers' search for a men's basketball coach, two names on Littlepage's short list are DePaul coach Dave Leitao and Marquette coach Tom Crean. DePaul is located in Chicago; Marquette is in Milwaukee, a 90-minute drive from the Windy City.

The logistics are workable, thanks in large part to the committee changing Littlepage's original assignment from Syracuse to Chicago. But it could not be determined whether he plans to meet with either coach this week.

If Littlepage wants to interview Leitao, he'll have a call to make first. DePaul athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto said Littlepage has not contacted her seeking permission to speak with Leitao. Marquette AD Bill Cords did not return several messages left with his office.

Before leaving Tuesday afternoon, Littlepage said he would not answer questions regarding the search.

Leitao, 44, just concluded his third season at DePaul, which finished 20-11 and lost in the second round of the NIT. He is 58-34 with the Blue Demons and last season took them to their first NCAA tournament since 2000.

Crean, 39, is 121-65 in six seasons at Marquette. He took the Warriors to the Final Four in 2003 but the last two seasons have resulted in back-to-back NIT appearances.

Both have big names in their corner. Leitao was Jim Calhoun's associate head coach for six seasons at Connecticut. Crean spent four seasons under Tom Izzo at Michigan State, the final two as associate head coach.

Sources said Kentucky's Tubby Smith remains the "home run" Littlepage is hoping to hit. It will be costly: Smith's contract runs through the 2010-11 season, by which point his annual salary will be at least $2.4 million. But U.Va. sources have said money is not expected to be an issue.

Smith, whose Wildcats are still playing in the NCAA tournament, has had little to say regarding speculation linking him to Virginia.

"I'm very happy where I am," he said last week. "I'm sure Virginia is a very good job for someone."

Two names originally believed to be on Littlepage's A-list apparently have slipped a few spots. According to sources, U.Va. administrators are luke-warm over Texas coach Rick Barnes. A key reason: Fifteen years ago, he turned down the same offer one day after initially accepting it. There also appears to be fading interest in Notre Dame's Mike Brey.

Littlepage's committee responsibilities are expected to keep him on the road for 10 of the next 13 days. But he said he does not expect the travel to hinder his search.

"I think if anything, being away is helpful in that it allows me to be in a confined area with little or no distractions," he said. "It allows me to focus on the time needed to do all the necessary things to complete the search."

Syracuse, Princeton desperately seeking success after poor starts
By Gary Lambrecht
Sun Staff
Originally published March 24, 2005
 

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. Syracuse and Princeton, a pair that has dominated collegiate men's lacrosse over the past 15 years, look stunningly ordinary as the regular season heads into its second month.

When they meet Saturday at Princeton, both will be desperately in need of a victory. They own a combined record of 1-6.

What in the name of blue- bloods is going on? Dating to 1990, Syracuse and Princeton have won a combined 12 NCAA championships - and four of the past five titles - and have made a combined 25 appearances in the NCAA tournament's final four. Syracuse has not missed the semifinals since 1982.

The No. 8 Orange, off to its first 1-3 start in 30 years, has lost two straight at the Carrier Dome after blowing a six-goal lead against top-ranked Johns Hopkins on Friday. Princeton, which slid to No. 12 after its 9-8 loss to then-unranked Hofstra on Saturday, is trying to avoid its first 0-4 start ever under 18-year coach Bill Tierney.

Suddenly, neither team looks like a lock to make the NCAA tournament, let alone a run at another title.

Princeton can still win another Ivy League crown and earn an automatic bid. Syracuse, an independent, had better start reeling off quality victories. The Orange might have to run the table against such top 20 opponents as Hobart, Cornell, Rutgers and Massachusetts.

"I'd by lying to you if I didn't say that loss [to Hofstra] can bring out the worst in initial thoughts. What are we doing wrong? Why am I doing this? Poor me," said Tierney, whose team, like Syracuse, also has lost to Hopkins and No. 2 Virginia.

"I know our kids are OK. They are trying too hard to be perfect. Lacrosse comes down to winning face-offs, making saves and putting the ball in the back of the net. Right now, we're not doing any of those things very well."

Inconsistent, unbalanced offense has been a problem for both teams, each of which is young in those areas. Syracuse is leaning heavily on freshman attackman Mike Leveille and sophomore midfielder Steven Brooks and is extremely young in its second-line midfield. The Orange is shooting just 23.6 percent and averaging 9.5 goals - ho-hum by Syracuse standards.

Princeton, which no longer has attackman Ryan Boyle - the Tigers' equivalent of departed Syracuse superstar Mike Powell - has averaged only seven goals so far and has gotten nearly nothing out of its midfield.

Sophomore Whitney Hayes, sophomore Mike Gaudio and junior Jim O'Brien have combined for six goals, one less than sophomore attackman Scott Sowanick, who leads the team in scoring with eight points. On top of that, senior attackman Jason Doneger, who is drawing the most attention from opposing defenses, has had only three goals.

Hopkins' streak on the line

Johns Hopkins will try to extend its home winning streak to 30 - one shy of the school record - Saturday against Virginia, the last team to win at Homewood Field. The Cavaliers (6-0), off to their best start since 1999, beat the Blue Jays, 9-8, in quadruple overtime, on March 24, 2001.

That was coach Dave Pietramala's first year at Hopkins. He is 1-4 against Virginia since returning to coach at his alma mater, including a loss in the 2003 title game.

The Blue Jays, who got a breakout game from freshman midfielder Paul Rabil (four goals) at the Carrier Dome, could get even stronger at midfield this week. Senior Matt Rewkowski, who had knee surgery six months ago, has been practicing on a limited basis. Pietramala said Rewkowski might have run with the extra-man unit at Syracuse, had the Orange been assessed a penalty.

All teams created equal?

If you don't think the slippage at Syracuse and Princeton signals an increase of parity in the game, look at Dartmouth's 7-6 upset of No. 4 Maryland on Tuesday. For the second straight week, an unranked team has beaten a top-five opponent. Bucknell did it to then No. 3 Navy a week earlier.

The Capel solution
On the Front Row
Chris Graham
chris@augustafreepress.com

The focus of Virginia men's basketball fans has been on the possibility, remote as it might seem right now, that the university is going to make a full-court press for Kentucky coach Tubby Smith to take over the reins of what has been in recent years a moribund program.

Could it be that they're overlooking a gem of a coach a few miles down the road in Richmond who could very well be the solution to all that has been ailing them as of late?

Virginia Commonwealth University coach Jeff Capel has the pedigree (the son of a college coach, a four-year contributor at Duke) and the record of success (a 60-31 record in his three seasons in the state capital). What he doesn't have is the age (he turned 30 in February) and the cachet (which is to say, he's not Tubby, or Texas' Rick Barnes, or the Indiana Pacers' Rick Carlisle).

But should the lack of a even middling Q rating be enough to keep Capel from being considered one of the frontrunners for the job?

"Virginia needs to be careful in this respect. One of the thoughts about hiring Pete Gillen was that it was believed that he was old enough to not want to use the Virginia job as a steppingstone to something else," CBS Sports college-basketball analyst and University of Virginia alum Dan Bonner said.

"They need to eliminate that idea and be willing to consider somebody who might be thought of as using Virginia as a steppingstone to something down the line, if only because if they are looking to use Virginia in that way, that means they are planning to be successful," Bonner said.

With all the focus on Smith, it is hard to tell what UVa. officials are thinking with respect to Capel. VCU sports-information director Phil Stanton told The Augusta Free Press that he did not know whether officials from UVa. had contacted the school to ask for permission to talk to the coach.

At least one subset of the population - readers of The Times-Dispatch - are taking up Capel's cause. The paper has been running an on-line poll to gauge the thoughts of fans as to who the next Virginia men's hoops coach should be. Capel is running second among the seven coaches listed as possibilities, with 19 percent of the nearly 2,200 votes cast.

Smith is the choice of 38 percent of those who have participated in the survey to date.

This in spite of his rather pointed denials that he is at all interested in the job.

"I've got a job, and I'm very happy with my job," Smith said last week after his Kentucky team had dispatched Eastern Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

"I'm not looking for another job. If I put out a statement every time my name came up with another job, I'd have to put out a statement every day. That's just the way it is this time of year," said Smith, who dismissed reports in The Daily Progress and The Times-Dispatch, among other Virginia newspapers, that he was going to give the UVa. post a look-see as being "purely media speculation."

Barnes, Carlisle and Golden State Warriors coach Mike Montgomery have all issued similarly worded statements about their current employment situations.

Whoever ends up getting the job will have a tough task on their hands - on the court and off.

"You have to get somebody who is willing and able to be involved in the university community and the community at large. As much as the folks at the University of Virginia want to think of themselves as being something different, they are a state university in a small town in Central Virginia," Bonner told the AFP.

"They need to get somebody in that job who can relate to people at the university and in the Central Virginia community to build the relatonships that will be necessary to generate the fan support that is necessary to support the kind of program that they want to put in place. Pete Gillen never seemed to fit that mold.

"You also need to have somebody who is capable of developing players," Bonner said. "I don't know that the Virginia basketball program is at a point where it can expect to attract the top players in the country. But it can get good players who can improve under a coach who knows how to develop talent."

Tubby Smith could be that man. Rick Barnes could be that man.

Rick Carlisle, Mike Montgomery, Mike Brey, they could be that man.

And don't forget about Jeff Capel.

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Mar 24, 2005

ON THE RADAR: John Beilein's accomplishments as the University of Richmond's basketball coach were duly noted in Charlottesville. The magic he's worked at West Virginia hasn't escaped the notice of University of Virginia officials, either.

Kentucky coach Tubby Smith remains Virginia's No. 1 choice to succeed Pete Gillen, who officially stepped down March 14. If the bid for Smith fails, however, U.Va. may well attempt to lure Beilein away from Morgantown, a source told The Times-Dispatch. WVU faces Texas Tech tonight in the NCAA tournament's third round.

A potential stumbling block if Virginia were to pursue Beilein: His eldest son, Patrick, is a junior guard for the Mountaineers.

Beilein went 100-53 in five seasons at UR, which moved from the Colonial Athletic Association to the Atlantic 10 during his tenure. He's posted winning records coaching in high school, in Division III, in Division II, at a junior college and at three Division I schools: Canisius, Richmond and WVU.

CLASH OF THE TITANS: In 1999, the Virginia men's lacrosse team lost 16-15 at Johns Hopkins in the regular season. In that season's NCAA tournament, however, U.Va. whipped the Blue Jays en route to its first national championship under coach Dom Starsia.

In 2003, the Cavaliers lost 8-7 at Hopkins in the regular season. Two months later, U.Va. beat Hopkins in the NCAA title game.

All of which means that if Virginia loses Saturday at storied Homewood Field in Baltimore, Starsia won't be distraught.

"The worst thing that happens here is you lose a game," he said yesterday. "Obviously, it's not going to kill either of these teams in terms of their postseason aspirations."

Top-ranked Hopkins (4-0) will play host to No. 2 U.Va. (6-0) at 1 p.m. A capacity crowd is expected at Homewood, which seats 8,500. If necessary, 1,500 standing-room-only tickets will be sold.

"I think it's a great experience for the kids on both sides, to be playing in a game like this," Starsia said. "The excitement of Homewood, of the crowd, of the atmosphere, is something they should cherish."

U.Va. is trying to improve to 7-0 for the first time since 1973. A year ago in Charlottesville, the Cavs edged the Blue Jays 9-8 in overtime.

MINDING THE STORE: Before leaving for the NCAA tournament regional in Chicago, Athletic Director Craig Littlepage met this week with Gillen's assistants: Walt Fuller, Alexis Sherard, John Fitzpatrick and Mark Byington.

Littlepage declined to say who would perform what roles, but some of the assistants have been retained to oversee the program and U.Va.'s returning players until a new coach is hired.

"Not all will be needed in the office," Littlepage said. "We'll have some office coverage to handle some day-to-day needs. All [the] assistant coaches will have a chance to speak with our new coach if they don't land somewhere else in the interim."

Littlepage said he plans to meet with U.Va.'s returning players next week "to talk to them about their responsibilities."

ON THE ROAD: By month's end, Littlepage will have spent much of March away from Charlottesville, a result of his duties as a member of the NCAA basketball committee. That's not necessarily a bad thing, he said Monday night on the Cavalier Call-in radio show.

His committee responsibilities, Littlepage said, allow "me to focus on the search in some situations, because I am in an isolated environment with all the resources I need in terms of a telephone, in terms of computer access and access to resources that can help me understand what may be to our advantage as a basketball program."

Littlepage yesterday declined to answer questions about the search and which candidates U.Va. is pursuing, other than to say that "no interviews would take place without permission from a candidate's current institution."

TIME OUT? Gillen recently withdrew from consideration for the opening at Siena, and friends and associates are advising him to take the 2005-06 season off. Gillen, to whom U.Va. will pay a buyout of approximately $2 million, had some health problems this season.

TOGETHER AGAIN: Devin Smith won't be U.Va.'s only representative at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, April 6-9 at Churchland High School. Classmate Elton Brown also has committed to play at the PIT, where college seniors audition for scouts from pro leagues, including the NBA.

Smith, a 6-5 forward from New Castle, Del., led the Cavaliers in scoring and was second in rebounding this season. Brown, a 6-9 center from Newport News, was first in rebounding and second in scoring. For more information about the PIT, visit www.portsmouthinvitational.com or call (757) 393-5327. - Jeff White