Oliver Winterbone, Virginia’s assistant director of basketball operations, is returning to his alma mater. On Monday, The Daily Progress learned that Winterbone, whose nickname is “Googs,” has accepted a position on Fred Hill’s staff at Rutgers.

Rising high school senior Ryan Kelly, who has been in Charlottesville all week for the NBA Top 100 Camp, is one of Virginia’s main targets for the Class of 2009.

If you’re wondering why Virginia was eager to host the NBA Top 100 Camp the past two years, look no further than Sylven Landesberg.

On Wednesday, sources told The Daily Progress that UVa forward Mamadi Diane — the team’s leading returning scorer — recently underwent surgery on his left foot and is expected to be out of commission for at least a couple of months.

Tunji Soroye doesn’t know if or when he’ll be granted a medical redshirt that would allow him to play a fifth and final season.

When Virginia basketball coach Dave Leitao visits U.S. military troops in Iraq this week, he hopes to bring them a little piece of home.

Some basketball recruiting gurus aren’t completely sold on Virginia’s incoming class. Bob Gibbons, one of the more respected evaluators of talent, isn’t one of them.

Virginia big man Tunji Soroye wants to return for a fifth year, and the UVa coaching staff would like to have him back. However, a “Tunji Time” redux is still up in the air according to Virginia coach Dave Leitao.

On Thursday, Wesley Witherspoon and Paul McCoy - two players UVa was recruiting heavily for its incoming class - elected to sign elsewhere.

Two years of being a crowd favorite during garbage time may be all that Andy Burns can stomach.

That was the backdrop for a story that began to circulate in San Antonio over the weekend that said Virginia coach Dave Leitao might have interest in taking over the job at Providence.
Leitao, who is in San Antonio with his staff at the Final Four, seemed taken aback by the rumor.

As Virginia prepares for life without senior star Sean Singletary, Daily Progress beat writer Whitelaw Reid hands out his final 2008 report card in alphabetical order.

You don’t need to be John Wooden or even Isiah Thomas to figure out where things went wrong for the Virginia men’s basketball team in 2007-08.

When Dave Leitao walked out of Virginia’s locker room the night that the Cavaliers’ basketball season came to an uneventful close last week, he chose his last words carefully.

“He just continues to rewrite a story that is already a best-seller in the annals of Virginia basketball,” said Virginia coach Dave Leitao. “We’ve been able to ride on his shoulders for a very long time.
“He’s one in a million.”