THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 13, 1995 TAG: 9505130434
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
Terry Holland won't have to waste time deciding on his priorities when he takes over as Virginia's athletic director on July 1.
Holland, whose selection was announced Friday by university president John T. Casteen III, not only knows the major problems that are waiting for him, he once was in the middle of them.
His priorities will be to upgrade basketball facilities and to bring together bitterly divided alumni.
The 53-year-old native of Clinton, N.C., was basketball coach at the university 17 years before leaving in 1990 to become director of athletics at Davidson, his alma mater.
Despite Holland's coaching success and popularity among alumni, his departure was not entirely amicable.
Animosity between Holland and former athletic director Jim Copeland, who resigned last December, was a source of a bitter split that developed within the program and alumni.
Holland often complained about an aging University Hall, which he described as the worst facility for basketball in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and accused Copeland of not being sympathetic to his program's needs.
Now it will be Holland's task to lead an ambitious fund-raising drive to renovate, or replace, U-Hall, and to restore peace among the alumni.
Casteen said Holland was appointed for a five-year term at a base salary of $155,000.
``The opportunity and challenge here are something special,'' Holland said as he sat at an elevated table in University Hall, where the announcement was made.
Holland recalled that he faced problems with quarreling alumni when he arrived at Davidson and gained experience in ``pulling groups together.''
``It isn't easy, but I hope we can get everyone back to the table and working together,'' Holland said.
He also promised to direct a $75 million to $100 million drive to build facilities that will be competitive with any in the nation.
Both Holland and Casteen said top priority is the improvement of University Hall, but a decision has not been made whether to renovate or replace the 8,451-seat building.
University officials previously had indicated the building would be expanded and refurbished, and basketball coach Jeff Jones said that remains his hope.
``From all I have seen and heard, the best option is to rebuild, expand the seating to maybe 12,000, and maintain a good atmosphere for ACC basketball,'' Jones said.
Holland and Jones agreed it is important that Holland not be branded ``a basketball man,'' as Copeland was labeled ``a football man.''
``Coach Holland might enjoy watching basketball better than football,'' Jones said, ``but his job is not to be for one sport or the other. He is a university man.''
One of Holland's strongest supporters was football coach George Welsh, who also reportedly had problems with Copeland.
``I wanted (Holland) to get the job because I know the guy, and he will listen to what I have to say,'' Welsh said.
``He might not always make the decision that I want, but that is no problem as long as he listens to what I have to say.''
Welsh agreed that priority should be placed on improving basketball facilities.
U.Va.'s football facilities ``are in pretty good shape, so the money needs to go to basketball,'' Welsh said.
Jones said he was delighted that Holland finally was selected for the job.
``I was always hopeful, but I wasn't always confident,'' Jones said.
Although a popular choice among influential alumni, Holland wasn't always confident, either. And with reason.
Sources said Casteen wanted to make a different choice before being pressured by big-money contributors to name Holland.
The search to determine a replacement for Copeland, who left to become athletic director at Southern Methodist University, lasted four months.
Holland said he was contacted by the search committee in late January, but not interviewed until early April.
Holland will continue to serve on the NCAA basketball tournament selection committee and the committee for selecting the U.S. Olympic basketball team. ILLUSTRATION: ``The opportunity and challenge here are something special,''
Terry Holland said Friday when he was named Virginia's athletic
director.
by CNB