One thing is very clear when you talk to Virginia freshman Tristan Spurlock — he’s not some shy, timid kid who’s just hoping to make an impact on the program someday in the future.

As spring neared last basketball season, Mychal Parker had all but made up his mind about where he wanted to play in college.

“I don’t know,” said Marshall, when asked if he thought James would leave Cleveland in 2010. “That’s something that, being his friend, I’m not going to answer because it’s not fair for me to sit up here and judge.”

As he embarks on a professional career, Mamadi Diane has discovered a new mentor.

Craig Littlepage was put on the spot a few times during a short chat with sportswriters following the press conference where Tony Bennett was officially introduced as Virginia’s new basketball coach.

The next Virginia basketball coach — and, I still think it will be Tubby Smith — needs to be a top-notch recruiter and have a staff that can bring talent back to the program.

After nearly two weeks of nonstop drama, I’m beginning to wonder if “March Madness” refers to the NCAA tournament or Virginia’s coaching search.

Contrary to rumors, Texas coach Rick Barnes was not in Charlottesville on Tuesday night.

Ten days have passed since Dave Leitao “resigned” as Virginia basketball coach. During that time, speculation has run rampant about the candidates who may or may not be interested in replacing him.

The one thing I’ve learned about coaching searches during my career is that there’s a whole lot more misinformation circulating than information.

Several images come to mind when most people think of former Virginia coach Dave Leitao.

Tubby Smith, men’s basketball coach at the University of Minnesota, is a wanted man.

Put Duke’s Elliot Williams and Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds in the backcourt and North Carolina’s Ed Davis, Kentucky’s Patrick Patterson and Florida State’s Solomon Alabi up front.

In former coach Dave Leitao’s four years at the helm, one could make the case that very few Virginia players received the consistent playing time that was needed to maximize their potential.

Leitao’s contract paid him $925,000 per year with five-percent annual increases. All told, he banked well over $6 million.