If what they say about good things taking time is true, then Virginia basketball fans have reason to believe things may be looking up.
After a coaching search that took over a month to complete, Athletic Director Craig Littlepage hired DePaul's Dave Leitao to replace Pete Gillen. Then, once Leitao had assumed head coaching responsibilities, he took over two months before finalizing his staffof assistant coaches Gene Cross, Rob Lanier, and Steve Seymour and director of basketball operations Drew Diener.
This, of course, is not necessarily a bad thing. Other than the fact that the new Virginia staff may be slightly behind in the recruiting process, there is nothing wrong with Leitao taking his time and making sure that he hires the best staff he can. Just as there was nothing wrong with waiting almost five weeks before bringing in Leitao, as long as he proves to be the right man for the job. The staff seems to be off to a good start, considering that rising high school senior Derrick Caracter -- a player who has been compared to LeBron James in terms of talent -- is seriously thinking about playing at Virginia.
As far as the upcoming season goes, however, patience will be a valuable commodity for anyone close to the Virginia men's basketball program, which experienced a last place finish in the ACC, a coaching change and a mediocre recruiting year. Putting together a team that will be competitive in the uber-conference that is the ACC won't likely happen overnight.
With that in mind, here are the top five questions (in no particular order) surrounding the Cavaliers coming into the last seasonat University Hall a full four months before the season is set to begin. After all, if Littlepage and Leitao are going to come up with some good answers, it will probably take them a while...
1. How much weight will Sean Singletary be able to carry on his shoulders?
It's pretty clear that ACC All-Freshmen team selection Singletary is the most talented starter returning to the program. He showed heart and poise under pressure playing the point guard position last season.
Obviously Singletary will not be able to do everything, but he will have to take his play to the next level if Virginia is going to have a fighting chance at respectability this season. We all know how much of a talent he is, but it is unclear how far the young player will be able to take this team in the upcoming season.
2. Who will play the four?
Between Singletary, T.J. Bannister, J.R. Reynolds, Adrian Joseph and Gary Forbes, the Cavaliers have plenty of talented guards. The weak spot, however, is the post positions. Just considering size and skill set, it seems like starting Jason Cain at the four spot and putting Tunji Soroye at center is the option that makes the most sense. And if Donte Minter can become a significant contributor, the Cavaliers would have even more flexibility in the paint.
In an ideal world, the starting five would be the five most talented players on the team. But even though Gary Forbes has had success playing the small forward position despite the fact that his preferred position is two-guard, it doesn't seem like he has the size to bang around in the paint.
3. Will any of the freshman be able to make an immediate contribution?
A far cry from the years earlier this decade when Pete Gillen could lure McDonald's All-Americans and national AAU champions to Charlottesville, this year's class is seriously lacking star power. Rivals.com gives Mamadi Diane, Laurynas Mikalauskas and Sam Warren only three stars each out of a possible five.
All three may develop into strong players, but it will likely be an uphill battle. This holds true even for the 6'8" Mikalauskas, despite the fact that Virginia is so desperate for front-court talent. If the Cavaliers are going to improve, at least one of these three will have to exceed expectations.
4. Will the players respond well to Leitao?
The new Virginia coach has been described as a no-nonsense disciplinarian, quite a departure from his predecessor. Leitao has had a fair amount of success in his career, but all of the players on the 2005-06 team came to play for Pete Gillen, not Dave Leitao, so there will certainly be an adjustment to be made there.
5. Will this year's team be affected by an Elton Brown-like cancer?
The brooding center who seemed to always crack under pressure brought down the entire team last season with his me-first attitude. In several games during the season when the Cavaliers were doing well with Brown sitting on the bench, the senior complained about his lack of playing time instead of supporting his teammates who were doing well. If this year's team wants to improve upon its 4-12 ACC record, there can't be anyone like Brown bringing the squad down.
There are plenty of question marks, but if the pieces fall into the right places the Cavaliers may be able to make a return trip to the postseason in 2005-06, even if that means fans will have to settle for berth in the NIT.
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