Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 11, 1990 TAG: 9004110218
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"I haven't read all the newspapers or seen all the television reports," said Littlepage, one of the Cavaliers' two full-time assistants, "[but] I think there is a syndrome of Craig Littlepage being taken for granted.
"I don't know if the assumption is made that I'm not as much of a candidate because of the situation at Rutgers [where he was fired] or because people automatically think I will remain on the staff, but I can't guarantee Craig Littlepage will stay at Virginia as an assistant."
Littlepage and Jones had separate meetings Tuesday with Virginia athletic director Jim Copeland, who for almost 10 months has been trying to find a successor to Terry Holland.
"It was probably the best I've felt coming out of one of these [interviews]," said Littlepage, previously the head coach at Pennsylvania and Rutgers. "I'm more familiar with the territory. At Penn, I wasn't familiar with some of the issues, like financial need. At Rutgers, it was pretty much cold turkey."
Littlepage, a 1973 Penn alumnus, was 40-39 in three seasons at his alma mater. He was 23-63 at Rutgers before being fired after the 1988 season.
"I've never been uncomfortable discussing that with Jim," said Littlepage, who felt his rebuilding effort at Rutgers was one year from completion when he was let go. "We have to face the facts that firings occur. Rehirings occur. If being fired was the sole determining factor, then we wouldn't have had George Seifert [once fired at Cornell] coaching the Super Bowl champions [San Francisco 49ers].
"It's certainly something that Jim Copeland has to feel comfortable with. We've talked about it on several occasions. It has not affected my personal or professional esteem. I certainly feel capable of doing the job or I would not have entered my name."
Littlepage, who was an assistant at Virginia from 1976-82, returned to UVa in 1988 as a graduate assistant. He assumed full-time status this past season.
"It has been rare, when a black coach has been fired, that that coach has been rehired," Littlepage said. "I was able to come back into a prestige program at Virginia and now I'm seeking to do something rarer, be rehired as a head coach.
"There are many examples of coaches who were fired, people like Walt Hazzard and Tony Yates, and not rehired. Black coaches are not rehired frequently enough. There's an inequity there; when good people are eliminated, the game suffers. That's one reason I chose not to get out."
Littlepage said outsiders have expressed similar concerns to him about the Virginia situation, but he has not spent a great deal of time worrying about it.
"As to whether I've been given a fair shot by the media, that's something I can't control," Littlepage said. "Some people might expect that I'm just going to hang around, but my aspirations are to be a head coach again. I do believe it will happen."
Littlepage said he could not discern Tuesday whether he and Jones were the two remaining candidates, but their relationship hasn't been made too awkward.
"I guess a little of that's unavoidable because you've got two competitive people vying for a position that neither of us could get," Littlepage said, "but we've roomed together on the road all year. We roomed together in Denver [at the Final Four].
"I don't think anything that could happen would change the nature of our relationship or diminish our friendship."
by CNB