Pete Gillen probably eats his steak rare. That's because he likes to take chances.
When the winter weather gets nasty, he probably walks to practice through the snow-just to savor the challenge.
What else would cause Gillen to leave a successful Providence program where he was well-liked by fans and administrators and had recently signed a contract extension through 2005?
Call him a glutton for punishment.
"I think it's a tremendous challenge, the toughest I've ever undertaken," said Gillen, who inherited little more than the remnants of a Division I basketball team from former Cavaliers coach Jeff Jones. "We've lost the top two scorers from last season and don't have any double-figure scorers coming back."
That's not the half of it.
Virginia didn't just lose leading scorer and rebounder Norman Nolan and NCAA career three-point leader Curtis Staples. The Wahoos also lost: five other lettermen, prized two-sport recruit Ron Curry who backed out of a verbal commitment to Virginia, 13 regular-season ACC games last year and the respect and support of their fans.
After a disastrous 11-19 campaign, Wahoo supporters all but ran Jones out of town. The mass offseason exodus left Virginia with six returning players. When the dust settled, the new leader was Gillen, a man equally renowned for his dry wit and his coaching abilities.
Surely Gillen understood what kind of a situation he was stepping into, didn't he?
"We're not going to set goals concerning the number of games we're going to win," Gillen said. "Time will tell how that turns out."
That's a smart attitude, since only four ACC coaches since 1960 have posted winning records in their debut seasons. And you can pretty much erase from that list Pat Kennedy, who wasn't a rookie when his Florida State squad joined the ACC, and Bill Guthridge, who inherited a Final Four caliber team last year.
Where does that leave Gillen, whose top returning players are thus-far mediocre performers Colin Ducharme and Willie Dersch? The six returning Wahoos averaged a combined 23.2 points and 15.0 rebounds per game last year. No one would expect Gillen to succeed in such a terrible environment, a landscape so desolate that the new coach has invited a whopping five walk-ons to join the team.
Things are so bad, they might actually work in the Cavs' favor. At least there won't be any pressure.
"I think the morale is good," Gillen said before his team routed the Australia All-Stars 96-79 in its exhibition opener Nov. 3. "Everybody's predicting gloom and doom, saying we're not going to win a game in the conference, [we're] going to be the worst Virginia team in 25 years.... I've never listened to what people say. I think we'll be better than what people think."
Still, only 1,600 people showed up to watch the Cavs' win last week, prompting the question: If a tree falls-or Willie Dersch fouls-in University Hall, but no one is there to see it, does it make a sound?
In order to fill all those empty seats, Gillen is turning toward a wide-open full-court approach that might be the antithesis of Jones' half-court style.
"My philosophy is to play up-tempo basketball," Gillen said. "We will press for 40 minutes utilizing different styles depending on who we play and the personnel we have on the roster.
"I think it's a fun way to play. The players like it, coaches like coaching that way and the fans enjoy watching us play. I think it's good for everyone."
Making things easier for Virginia is surprising depth at point guard. On a team with virtually no experience, the two best young players are both sophomore floor leaders, Donald Hand and Chezley Watson.
With those two sharing time at the point, the Cavaliers should at least have someone in the driver's seat if they do indeed plan to go to the races. The only question is, do they have the wheels?
Dersch, a 6-foot-6 wing player, and Ducharme, a 6-9 center, will have to make great strides if the Cavs hope to compete in the nation's premier conference. They'll be pushed by freshmen Chris Williams and Adam Hall, who both looked sharp against Australia, combining for 38 points.
But beyond those four, Hand and Watson may not find too many options to pass to. Perhaps that's why Hand is taking the offensive load on his own shoulders-he led the Cavs with 23 points against the Aussies.
"Donald did some terrific things," Gillen said afterward. "Up-tempo, I think he's comfortable in that style."
Still, as bare as the cupboard seems, Gillen is on the right track. With a good university to sell and plenty of free scholarships, he's already lining up a brighter future. Gillen snagged four verbal commitments from high school players this fall, including highly touted point guard Majestic Mapp (Bronx, N.Y.) and top-20 talent Travis Watson of Oak Hill Academy.
Gillen is still recruiting three other prospects, and if he lands any of them, he might end up with a top-five recruiting class. Add to that haul three-point ace Keith Friel, who transferred from Notre Dame and will be eligible next fall.
It's clear that Gillen has Virginia pointed back in the right direction, even if the short-term outlook is bleak. And if Providence's recent 95-88 loss to Team Fokus is any indication, he made the right choice in jumping to Charlottesville.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.