Dave Leitao
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| Dave Leitao | ||
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| Title | Head coach | |
| College | Virginia | |
| Sport | Basketball | |
| Team record | 53-41 (.564) | |
| Born | May 18, 1960 | |
| Place of birth |  New Bedford, MA |
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| Career highlights | ||
| Overall | 133-110 (.550) | |
| Championships | ||
| C-USA Regular Season Championship (2004) ACC Regular Season Championship (2007) |
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| Awards | ||
| ACC Coach of the Year (2007) NABC District 5 Coach of the Year (2007) |
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| Playing career | ||
| 1978–1982 | Northeastern | |
| Position | Forward | |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | ||
| 1984–1986 1986–1994 1994–1996 1996–2002 2002–2005 2005–present |
Northeastern (asst.) UConn (asst.) Northeastern UConn (asst.) DePaul Virginia |
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Dave Leitao (born May 18, 1960) is the 10th and current University of Virginia men's basketball coach. He was named the 2007 ACC Coach of the Year by the Associated Press in just his second season with the Cavaliers.
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[edit] As a player
The 6'7" forward was recruited by Jim Calhoun to play basketball at Northeastern University. From 1978 to 1982 Leitao played at Northeastern, where he averaged 6.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. The teams made it to the NCAA tournament twice, and posted an overall 79-34 record.
[edit] Prior Coaching Experience
Leitao was recruited by Calhoun to join his staff at Northeastern University in 1984, and followed him to the University of Connecticut as an assistant from 1986-1994. He returned to serve as Head Coach at his alma mater, Northeastern, from 1994-1996. Leitao returned to Calhoun's staff for six seasons, including the Huskies National Championship in 1999. In 2002, he secured the head coaching position at DePaul University post the departure of Pat Kennedy; in a three-year stint on the Chicago campus, Leitao oversaw the Blue Demons' transition from Conference USA to the Big East basketball conference. He lead the Blue Demons to two trips to the NIT, and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
[edit] Current Position
Leitao was hired by the University of Virginia prior to the 2005-2006 basketball season. Upon his hiring, Leitao became the first Cape Verdean American head coach for the Virginia Cavaliers; he was hired by Virginia's Craig Littlepage, the first African-American athletics director in ACC history. In his first year at Virginia, Leitao led the Cavaliers to a 15-15 (7-9 ACC) record and a berth in the NIT.
In his second year, he led the Cavaliers to an 11-5 conference record and a share of the ACC regular season title with North Carolina. On March 6, 2007, Leitao was voted as the 2007 ACC Coach of the Year by the Associated Press in conjunction with the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. Two days later, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) named Dave Leitao the 2007 District 5 Coach of the Year. In the NCAA Tournament, the Cavaliers defeated the University of Albany in the first round in an 84-57 rout. In the second round, Sean Singletary's last-second shot bounced off the rim and the Cavaliers were defeated by the University of Tennessee in a 77-74 loss. The team completed the 2006-2007 season with a record of 21-11 (11-5 ACC).
Leitao's third season (2007-2008) was marked with close losses and early injuries to the team's top two frontcourt players, Tunji Soroye and Laurynas Mikalauskas; the two injured players only appeared in two games and 16 games, respectively. The team attained a 4-3 record with Mikalauskas in the line-up versus a 1-8 record with him injured. Without these two players, the Cavaliers proceeded to lose seven games by two points or less or in overtime; the team ended the season with a record of 17-16 (5-11 ACC). However, as injured players began to return to the team, the Cavaliers won six of their final ten games, and advanced to the semifinals of the inaugural CBI postseason tournament.[1]
[edit] Head Coaching Record
| Year | School | Record | Post Season Tournament | Coaching Awards | Team Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-1995 | Northeastern | 18-11 | |||
| 1995-1996 | Northeastern | 4-24 | |||
| 2002-2003 | DePaul | 16-13 | NIT First Round | ||
| 2003-2004 | DePaul | 22-10 | NCAA Second Round | C-USA Regular Season Champions | |
| 2004-2005 | DePaul | 20-11 | NIT Second Round | ||
| 2005-2006 | Virginia | 15-15 | NIT First Round | ||
| 2006-2007 | Virginia | 21-11 | NCAA Second Round | ACC Coach of the Year NABC District 5 Coach of the Year |
ACC Regular Season Champions |
| 2007-2008 | Virginia | 17-16 | CBI Semifinals |
[edit] External links
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