U.Va.‘s Littlepage needs things to work out with his new hire

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The new coach is in the spotlight, but the athletic director is the man on the hot seat.

At least, Craig Littlepage's seat is getting quite warm.

Littlepage is the athletic director at the University of Virginia, and he was the main man in hiring Tony Bennett as the Cavaliers' men's basketball coach.

Littlepage needs this hire to work as quickly as possible.

Things have not gone so great for the Cavaliers since September. The football team had a losing season, which kept it out of a bowl game. And if you play Division I football and can't get to a bowl game, your program has a problem.

Each home game also featured thousands of empty seats.

The men's basketball team finished 10-18, the program's worst winning percentage since 1966-67 when the Cavaliers were 9-17.

And each home game in the sparkling JPJ Arena featured thousands of empty seats.

Littlepage has hired some excellent coaches and seen success in a number of areas at Virginia -- baseball, cross country, men's tennis, women's golf.

That's nice. It really is nice. Those coaches work hard to have outstanding programs. They help young people improve, excel and graduate. The coaches and athletes are a wonderful reflection of the university.

For Littlepage's future, that doesn't really matter. The football and basketball programs are the faces of any major university's athletic program.

If those sports are rolling and the non-revenue sports are struggling, someone might make note of it. No one would suggest Littlepage needed to get the women's golf program turned around if he wants to keep his job.

But plenty of U.Va. faithful would suggest that the success of the football and basketball programs has much to do with Littlepage's future

Littlepage did not hire Al Groh, the Virginia football coach, but Littlepage is responsible for the success of the program.

Littlepage did hire Dave Leitao, the former men's basketball coach. Four seasons after Leitao arrived, he was given a $2.1 million buyout. That is on Littlepage.

On the day Leitao was introduced, there was great fanfare and optimism.

"Appropriately so," Littlepage said. " . . . We always feel good when we're bringing new ideas and new blood into a program."

When Bennett was introduced yesterday, the sense of hope in the room was palpable. Everyone in an orange tie exuded confidence that this is the guy who is going to return the Cavaliers to their days of basketball glory.

Littlepage is certain of it. He has to be.

Littlepage knows his fate is related to the success of his football and basketball coaches. That is not something he's going to admit on the day he hires his second basketball coach in four years.

"The key thing to me is getting the right coach because of everything this program means to me, not because of my own circumstances or anything along those lines," Littlepage said. "It is strictly about wanting the very best for this department, the very best for this basketball program."

Littlepage is a former assistant coach for the Cavaliers basketball team. He was on the bench next to coach Terry Holland when Virginia went to its first Final Four. Littlepage helped recruit the players who took Virginia to a second Final Four.

In those days, the Cavaliers were known as a smart, tough, well-coached group of players who did not beat themselves.

The prevailing school of thought is that Virginia never is going to out-recruit, or even recruit on a par with, North Carolina and Duke, the marquee programs in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Instead, the Cavaliers need smart, tough, well-coached players in order to compete with the Tar Heels and Blue Devils.

"I think it's something that could be re-established," Littlepage said. "It's not enough to have a great school and great conference and great building.

"It's having a plan and a program and getting everybody moving in the same direction. I've been very, very impressed with way Tony has been able to establish that sort of plan and execute it at Washington State."

If Bennett does that here, he will be hailed as the next Mike Krzyzewski, Dean Smith and Holland rolled into one.

And Littlepage will feel a little less warmth when he takes a seat.

Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or .