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Pete Gillen waves goodbye after seven years at UVa. |
As expected, Pete Gillen stepped down as Virginia men’s basketball coach today following the most disappointing of his seven seasons at UVa. Needing an NCAA tournament bid to retain his job, Gillen’s departure was a foregone conclusion when the Cavaliers finished 14-15 and in last place in the ACC.
Athletic director Craig Littlepage made the official announcement during a press briefing at 5 p.m. that lasted just 2½ minutes. He did not take questions. Littlepage said he expects to hire a new coach in 4-6 weeks.
“We are going to seek to hire the top coach available to be our next basketball coach,” Littlepage said. “I’m confident we are going to attract a person that will help bring national prominence to our program.”
In a press release issued by UVa, Gillen said he feels that “it is in the best interest of all that I step aside at this time.”
Gillen, 57, won 118 games and lost 93 at Virginia, but he never replicated the success that he found in previous coaching stops at Xavier and Providence. The ACC, full of coaching greats, proved too tough. His record in conference play was 45-67, including 4-12 this season.
Gillen had six years remaining on a 10-year contract that averaged $900,000 annually. Gillen will receive a buyout of approximately $2 million, according to UVa’s press release. (The Washington Post erroneously reported earlier in the day that the buyout was $500,000.)
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Gillen led the Cavaliers to only one NCAA tournament berth. |
Gillen nearly lost his job last year, but Littlepage gave him another shot, stipulating that he expected an NCAA tournament bid this season. But even with four returning starters and heralded freshman Sean Singletary , the Cavaliers had a dreadful year. After an 8-1 start, they dropped 14 of their last 20 games and failed to qualify even for the NIT. It was Virginia’s first losing season since 1998-99, when Gillen took over a struggling program from Jeff Jones and had just seven scholarship players on his roster.
The Cavaliers progressed nicely in Gillen’s first three years as coach. They went 9-7 in the ACC in his second and third seasons, and they played in the NCAA tourney in 2001, losing to Gonzaga in the first round. Unfortunately, Gillen will be remembered for such postseason failures. Under his guidance, Virginia went 2-7 in the ACC tournament (never advancing past the quarterfinals), 2-4 in the NIT and 0-1 in the NCAA tourney.
Virginia’s program also regressed over the past four years. Roger Mason’s early departure for the NBA and Majestic Mapp’s knee injury were significant setbacks. The troubled recruiting class of 2001 (Elton Brown, Jason Clark, Jermaine Harper and Keith Jenifer) contributed to many of the team’s problems with discipline. Player attrition, late-season losing streaks, off-court incidents and poor team chemistry began to characterize the program, leading to a souring of the fanbase and ultimately today’s announcement.
Littlepage said he and Gillen had several discussions about the future of UVa basketball – and, obviously, Gillen’s job status – in the past few weeks.
“I”ve concluded as a result of those conversations that there is not a classier person in the coaching profession anywhere than Pete Gillen,” Littlepage said. “He’s always handled the coaching responsibilities here at the University of Virginia with professionalism and humility, and I sincerely want to thank him publicly and personally for the work that he’s done trying to build our men’s basketball program.”
Gillen was not at the press briefing, but he told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he is not sure if he’ll coach anywhere next season. Reports have linked him to the opening at Siena. “I’m going to take some time off,” he said. “I love coaching, but my health isn’t great right now. I’m a little beat up.”
UVa’s basketball program is also in rough shape right now, but Littlepage said he envisions a bright future with a new coach.
“I know this an attractive coaching position for a head coach that wants to pursue excellence and win championships,” Littlepage said. “We’ve got all the ingredients to be able to do that.”
(For complete coverage of the Cavaliers, please sign up for Sabre Edge. Edge subscribers can listen to audio of Craig Littlepage’s press briefing.)
