With the Virginia search currently quite inscrutable, here are a couple of
tidbits to chew over:
UVa A.D. Craig Littlepage did talk with Kentucky A.D. Mitch Barnhart during
the Final Four, but according to Barnhart's assistant A.D. Scott Stricklin, "but I wouldn't say he asked for
permission" to talk to Tubby Smith.
Get this - Virginia might offer Smith $3 million per year.
Virginia has apparently not asked for permission to speak to either
Mike Brey or DePaul's Dave Leitao.
And as far as Dave Odom goes? When he had a team meeting, Tarence
Kinsey asked if he was going to UVa. Odom's response?
As of right now, no. Not exactly a strong choice of words.
U.S.C. A.D. (and former Duke football coach) Mike McGee says that "Craig Littlepage is a man of
integrity. Before he initiates contact with Coach Odom, he would call USC first."
Virginia President John Casteen admits to having met with candidates, but
it's still unclear who they are since none of the usual suspects - Smith, Odom,
Brey, Leitao - have supposedly been contacted.
We do know, from
Al Featherston, that Casteen talked to Odom at the Final Four. It
wouldn't surprise us any if he had talked to Leitao. Casteen was at UConn
when Leitao was an assistant to Jim Calhoun. Calhoun told the Daily Press that
"he's one of the highest-quality people I've ever known. If he didn't have his own father, I'd adopt him."
Former 'Hoo John Crotty is partial to Dave Odom: ÂWhen you start thinking about people that understand the program, the type of student-athlete they have to be able to recruit and who has an understanding of the ACC, who else (but Odom) would really meet that type of bill?Â
Uh...Mike Brey?
As it turns out, they've had "informal contact" with Brey, and Dave Leitao is going to swing by C-ville to take a look-see.