It didn't take him very long.
In less than three months on the job, new men's basketball coach Dave Leitao -- the man in charge of making Virginia hoops matter again -- has already begun to rekindle the imagination of a demoralized fan base, as well as create a national buzz around his program. That's what happens when Derrick Caracter, a highly skilled, widely hyped 6'9", 300-pound forward from New Jersey, names Virginia -- yes, lastplace in the ACC, can't even make the NIT Virginia -- as one of the final four schools he is considering in his college search, along with Villanova, Memphis, and Louisville.
"Virginia's inclusion on that list was a big surprise to many," said Jay Hodgkins, who covers Cavalier basketball recruiting for the Virginia rivals network site TheWagonOnline.com."It showed that the new coaching staff has made a quick and significant impact."
Why is Caracter's recruitment such a big deal? The polished behemoth is so good that he was once considered the No. 1 prospect in his high school class. Before his freshman year, ESPN.com asked if he was the next Lebron James.Some have compared him to a young Moses Malone, while Kevin Boyle, his high school coach at St. Patrick's High School in Elizabeth, NJ, says he's a taller version of Charles Barkley. Everyone who watches him says that he has the skills -- and especially the size -- to dominate the college game and eventually the NBA.
"Caracter's game is really sound," said Dave Telep, the national recruiting director for Scout.com. "He's a terrific passer at his size and a fine finisher around the rim. He's not overly athletic but he uses his body to get him places and he's crafty. He'll face you and stick mid-range jumpers with ease. Caracter is a terrific prospect, especially when he's in good shape, like he is heading into the summer."
Caracter's problem, however, according to some in the recruiting circles, is that he is not always in good shape, both physically and mentally. Ever since he gained national fame for becoming the first eighth grader to participate in the prestigious Nike All-America camp in 2002, critics have accused him of being too complacent, claiming that he lacks the work ethic and the maturity necessary to become a great player. They point out that he missed 13 games due to academic suspension during his freshman year; that he left St. Patrick's for a year after that season because of disciplinary problems and that he has had trouble controlling his weight. The fact that Caracter is now the No. 35 ranked prospect in the country, according to Rivals.com, speaks volumes for how much his stock has fallen over the last several months.
Caracter, who is currently preparing for Reebok ABCD Camp, an exclusive prospect showcase in Teaneck, NJ, could not be reached for comment. Boyle, however -- a celebrity in the coaching ranks who has won several state titles and sent numerous players to Division I programs, as well as Al Harrington (of the Atlanta Hawks) and Samuel Dalembert (of the Philadelphia 76ers) to the NBA -- defended his big man and said that Caracter has been given an unfair rap.
"I think his work ethic is much improved, especially since he came back [to St. Patrick's] from public school after his sophomore year. People get on him about his weight when he wears his baggy shirts, but if you touch his stomach, it's like a wall."
Boyle also explained Caracter's perceived complacency, arguing thathis immense skill, not a lack of desire, engenders this criticism.
"His ability to shoot the ball and the pass the ball sometimes hurts him in high school, against lesser competition, because he can do it with such ease," Boyle said. "But it will help him at a higher level. He possesses the whole package of skills, and they will start shining even more once he starts playing against the best of the best. For Derrick not to be at the top of his class is ridiculous. He will be drafted very high [in the NBA] one day."
The fact that Caracter outplayed the current No. 1 prospect in his class, Greg Oden, a 7'0" center from Indiana, at the 2004 ABCD Camp; and that he was named the Junior of the Year in New Jersey by the Newark Star Ledger after leading St. Pat's to the ultra-competitive Tournament of Champions final, support Boyle's claim that reports of his big man's demise are greatly exaggerated.
If nothing else, Caracter would fill a huge hole on a Cavalier team in desperate need of some frontcourt help.
"We need a young man to help our frontline," assistant coach Rob Lanier said.
Leitao, out of the country conducting a basketball camp in Italy, could not be reached for comment, but one has to believe that his disciplinarian ways, as well as his reputation for instilling toughness in players, are just what Caracter needs to live up to his tremendous potential.
So what are the chances that Caracter is in the starting lineup, running the pick and roll with Sean Singletary, when Virginia plays its first game at the brand new John Paul Jones Arena in the 2006?
"U.Va. can be considered the hot school right now with Caracter, but overcoming the head start that great recruiters like Rick Pitino from Louisville and John Calipari at Memphis have will be difficult," Hodgkins said. "The fact that Caracter didn't commit to either of those schools on his recent trips is encouraging, though. The longer the Virginia staff has to work on Caracter before he makes his decision, the more likely he will end up as a Hoo."
Though NCAA rules prohibit coaches from commenting on specific players, Lanier -- who joined Leitao's staff after four years as the head coach at Siena and who made his name as a recruiter by wooing superstar guard T.J. Ford to Texas -- outlined the selling points he and his fellow coaches will pitch to the best of the best in the upcoming months.
"The opportunity to play, to be a cornerstone, is going to be here," Lanier said. "We have a great new coach, we play in the best conference, and we are the number one public institution in the country."
Derrick Caracter has all the talent to be one of the cornerstones for a program with nowhere to go but up. He would be a force in the ACC, maybe Leitao's first All-American. If he came here, he has all the tools to become the best Cavalier big man since that guy named Sampson was roaming around the Lawn. Perhaps Caracter could silence his critics once and for all, end decades worth of basketball frustration at U.Va., and lead Virginia back to the Final Four.
"We'd be happy if Derrick Caracter went to U.Va. to play for Dave Leitao," Boyle said.
Most Virginia fans would probably agree.
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