When top 100 high school prospect Terrell Holloway decommitted from Indiana University, he had a list of eight schools he was interested in. So it took many by surprise when just a few days later he verbally committed to a school that was not even on the list.
Virginia has lost out on Holloway, as Wednesday the 6'0 guard from Cincinnati signed on with the Xavier Muskateers. Holloway chose the A-10 power over major programs like Kentucky, Marquette, Ohio State and USC. Xavier had already dealt Virginia a critical blow this season when they embarrassed them 108-70 scoring 61 points in the first half alone. Now Xavier took away one of Leitao's prized targets, and appears ready for another NCAA tournament run next season.
However, do not shed any tears for the Cavaliers just yet. Another point guard is on the western horizon and he goes by the name of Paul McCoy.
Another point guard is on the western horizon and he goes by the name of Paul McCoy. 
The senior point guard from Grant High hails from Oregon where he was a successful two-sport star. Though he certainly loved his time on the gridiron as a wide receiver, it is his skill on the hardwood which has been giving him serious consideration from Virginia assistant coach Steve Seymour. Seymour, Virginia's primary recruiter this season, is just an example of how valuable a support staff can be to a program's success.
While Virginia coach Dave Leitao has done a good job of bringing quality character athletes to Charlottesville and avoided the pitfalls now plaguing other sports programs, he has not had as much success keeping his assistants. Gene Cross, an assistant on Leitao's staff at Depaul University, left with his boss to take over the reins at Virginia. He was certainly well-liked and well-respected by all the other ACC programs. However after just one season, Cross soon grew homesick and left to join the Notre Dame staff to be closer to his Midwest roots.
Rob Lanier, another assistant, almost joined Cross in departing that off-season when the Florida Gators came calling, but he decided to stay. However, when the Gators came courting in 2007 following their second straight national championship, Lanier felt he had little choice but to accept. Lanier had a scare when Billy Donovan temporarily accepted to coach the NBA franchise Orlanda Magic. Donovan, however, got cold feet and Lanier never did. While many point to the loss of J.R. Reynolds and Jason Cain to this season's struggles, Lanier may have been just as critical if not more to the changing fortune of the Cavaliers.
Lanier was the good cop to Leitao's bad cop. When Leitao chewed out a player, it was Lanier who would comfort him on the bench and try to build him back up. It was a good balance of tough love and support. Lanier was also one of the most seasoned assistants in the country, working a long time with the Texas Longhorns before accepting a head coaching jo at Siena. Even though his final season there was far from what he had hoped for, Leitao provided Lanier an opportunity for success. He even got an unexpected opportunity on December 16, 2006. The Cavaliers were taking on in-state rival Hampton and the game was not going smoothly. Leitao argued a call and a stomp of the scorer's table landed him two technicals fouls and send him to the showers with over 4 minutes remaining in the first half. Lanier, quite unexpectedly, was now saddled with coaching the team and actually pulled them out of a malaise. The relatively close game at the time turned into a 91-69 blowout and Lanier got the deserved credit.
Lanier may have left Virginia but he had one important gift for the fans before he left. Lanier constantly spoke with Sean Singletary that offseason, trying to convince the star guard to stay for his senior season. While no one really knows how much it helped, the fact remains that Singletary did return to Charlottesville this season and finished his career with some lofty numbers and a spot in the rafters of the JPJA.
With Lanier gone and a major roster overhaul, the entire team chemistry seemed very volatile this season. Clearly, Lanier's presence was missed in calming the storm. Perhaps the famed example of frustration from the team came from Mike Scott after the Virginia Tech game. His quote may have been said in the heat of the moment, but it goes to show the uncomfortably inconsistent aura this team exuded throughout the season.
Now the pressure squarely falls on Steve Seymour to pick up where Lanier has left off. Seymour is no stranger to recruiting, working ten years at Drexel University and having been a head coach there for two seasons, compiling a 28-29 record. Seymour is the only assistant coach on Leitao's staff who has been here the entire three years. The replacements, Bill Courtney and Drew Diener, in comparison, have far less experience and Diener actually lost out on an assistant job on the staff originally following Cross's departure.
McCoy would be a major victory for Seymour who has worked very hard to court the point guard after he decommitted from Pepperdine. He visits Charlottesville this weekend in hopes of receiving an official offer from the Cavaliers. However, McCoy will also visit Kentucky this weekend and Virginia appears to once again be in a fight for the next big star.
The offseason is long and Virginia basketball will undoubtedly face some highs and lows before the start of the 2008 season. Of course with Virginia already over the scholarship limit, McCoy's good news would undoubtedly follow with the misfortune for someone else.
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