Before the search for a new Virginia basketball coach began, athletic director Craig Littlepage said it would take four to six weeks. The timeframe proved to be right on the money, as 34 days after the official announcement of Pete Gillen's departure, Littlepage introduced Dave Leitao as Virginia's new men's basketball coach. The length of the process, however, may have been the only thing predictable about the coaching search.
First, there were reports about South Carolina coach Dave Odom accepting the position. Then there were rumors that the Cavaliers were willing to "open the vault" to bring their alleged number one candidate, Kentucky coach Tubby Smith. But after the dust had settled, there was Leitao, sitting in Bryant Hall with a relieved Littlepage, who seemed to both glad that the process was done with and excited about the man he had decided to hire.
Seventeen days into the coaching search, the Virginia athletic director agreed to talk to the Cavalier Daily about the process, with the understanding that his comments would not be published until after the search was complete. Two and a half weeks in, the search had already taken a mental and physical toll on Littlepage, who was nonetheless optimistic about the process.
"I'm weary but not worried," Littlepage said. "When it's finally done, I'll be comfortable. I'm pleased with what I've seen so far. There are so many things I see that are attractive, which is why this is something that is not seen as an 11th hour decision or something in which I will yield to public pressure as far as when it is to be done."
Although he originally estimated that the search would take four to six weeks, Littlepage insisted that he would take his time with the hiring process and only conclude the search once he felt completely comfortable he had found the right man.
"We want to make sure we know who we're looking for," Littlepage said. "If it takes four weeks, that's fine. If it takes six weeks, that's fine. If it takes longer, that's fine too."
Littlepage, who was calling from St. Louis in the days before the Final Four, also emphasized that some of the best candidates for the job would still be busy playing basketball.
"I anticipated that some of the people we might have an interest in would be competing at least three weeks [into the search]," Littlepage said. "Some of the people we would be interviewing might be involved into the Final Four, head coaches and assistant coaches. This is just the realities of the calendar. That's the kind of program in which we want to select a coach, someone playing deep into the postseason."
The Virginia AD was not likely referring to Leitao, whose Depaul team suffered a second round exit in the NIT this season. Both Odom and Smith, however, had teams playing deep into the postseason. Odom's Gamecocks won the NIT while Smith's Wildcats fell in double overtime in an NCAA tournament regional final game.
Indeed, only a few days after the Cavalier Daily spoke with Littlepage, it seemed like Odom was going to be Virginia's next basketball coach. The Washington Post reported April 4th that Virginia had offered Odom the job, and WVIR-TV Charlottesville, citing the South Carolina Radio Network, reported the next day that it was a "done deal," and Odom would be the next coach at Virginia.
Odom denied that he had been offered the position, and the rumors quickly died down. Reports later in the week focused on Virginia's pursuit of Smith, but on Tuesday April 12, the Charlottesville Daily Progress reported that the Kentucky coach told Littlepage he would stay at Kentucky, despite Virginia's willingness to offer him "a lucractive, almost mind-blowing financial package." It was at that point, it seems, that Littlepage focused his energies on Leitao.
Both Littlepage and U.Va. President John T. Casteen, III have ties to the new coach. When Leitao was an assistant under Jim Calhoun at Connecticut, he competed against Littlepage, who was the head coach of fellow Big East member Rutgers and worked for Casteen, who was serving as president of UConn during his time there.
With the John Paul Jones arena opening in the 2006-07 season with almost twice as many seats as University Hall, Leitao has the unenviable task of finding a way of filling up those stands with a basketball team that finished under .500 for the season and 11th place in the ACC. The 44-year-old Massachusetts native says he is ready for the challenge.
"I think it will be a great honor to not only be a basketball coach but be a torchbearer for the future in such a critical time in this athletic department's history," Leitao said.
Leitao recognizes the responsibility he has, coming in as what might be the most important coaching hire in the school's history. Although he won't have big shoes to fill, Virginia fans will be looking for someone who can not only carry the torch but light the way on the road to a championship.
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