Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 3, 1990 TAG: 9003032519
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Cavaliers complete the regular season today at Maryland, but don't expect any announcements.
"I guess I've changed my timetable," said Copeland, who is seeking a successor for Terry Holland. "The reason is, there are individuals I want to talk to - and should talk to - who won't talk until the end of the season."
Copeland said weeks ago that three prospects were "head and shoulders" above the rest. He has amended that only slightly.
"I've had a guy sneak in there that I didn't anticipate sneaking in," Copeland said. "Right now, there's four. I'd say these are people with whom there is a mutual interest, but we haven't gotten to the point of asking whether they would or would not take the job."
Yet, nobody has said no.
"I had expected some people to be hesitant [and] to say, `I have a good job. No, I would not be interested,' " Copeland said. "But that hasn't happened."
Recent speculation has centered on coaches Bruce Parkhill of Penn State, Pete Gillen of Xavier and Lou Campanelli of California. All three have ties to the state of Virginia, Parkhill and Campanelli as the former head coaches at William and Mary and James Madison, respectively, and Gillen as a former assistant at VMI.
Copeland seemed amused, however, by published reports that he had received permission to speak with Campanelli.
"Is that right?" he said. "Somebody said that? Crazy."
In few cases has Copeland made the initial contact.
"What you can do is find out interest through second or third parties," Copeland said. "I can call somebody who I trust who's a mutual friend of the coach I want to talk to. Without talking directly to the coach, I can discern if the person has an interest. And I've done that.
"I've also made it clear to the party that, before I talk to the guy, I'll have to ask his AD for permission. So the guy knows up front that, if I'm going to talk to him, his AD's going to know. If he has a concern about that, then I'm not going to pursue it."
After Holland announced June 23 that he would return to Davidson as athletic director at the end of the season, Copeland was criticized in some circles for agreeing to allow Holland to coach through the 1989-90 season.
"I may end up hiring a guy that I could have had last summer," Copeland said. "I don't think that's going to be the case. I know I wouldn't have had the same number interested last summer.
"I approached the search for a new basketball coach thinking this would be an attractive job and I probably underestimated it. There are a number of good people that are very interested in it."
One concern about the Virginia situation is the future of University Hall, which was built in 1965 and has a relatively small seating capacity of 8,864.
"Facilities are a question," Copeland said. "If they are not brought up by a coach, I will initiate the conversation. What I tell the coaches is, not to base their decision on a new arena.
"Although I'd like to build it and it's been recommended by a university committee, we're still a long way from getting all the approvals, raising the money and actually having the structure. In the same breath, depending on what happens with the arena, we will do some things cosmetically."
In addition to the unavailability of some coaches for interviews, another reason Copeland has pushed back his timetable is UVa's recruiting. The Cavaliers signed two players in November and have received an oral commitment from a third, Cornel Parker, who this week received SAT scores that will qualify him for freshman eligibility.
"I didn't think we would sign anybody," Copeland said. "I'd kind of written that off."
Copeland said his final choice was likely to come from a list of seven prospects - "There could be an eighth," he said - that remain under serious consideration.
Copeland confirmed that he has interviewed UVa assistant Jeff Jones, a former Cavaliers player.
"I'd like to make a decision as soon as I can after the last interview," Copeland said. "That's dependent on when some of these people finish playing. But there's always the chance that, before I get to everybody, I will settle in and feel comfortable enough with one person that I'll go ahead and make the decision."
by CNB