Maryland might not always be the best school at basketball, or even the most organized. But whenever you feel bad about how whatever's going on, you can always look at UVa and feel better about yourself.
They fired Dave Letiao a few weeks ago, which, while not exactly the most sensible thing, isn't the worst thing they could do. I was actually afraid that they might land a decent coach - the first three names to pop up on the radar were Anthony Grant, Jeff Capel, and Tubby Smith. All of three of those guys can recruit and coach very well. I was actually afraid they were gonna pull through and end up with a decent coach.
But now the search is falling apart. Grant is getting a lot of interest in Alabama. Smith has said he's not leaving Minnesota. Capel always seemed like a pipe dream - why would he leave the powerhouse he's building at Oklahoma for a program in shambles with UVa? I have trouble believing UVa would provide significantly more cash than Oklahoma to make up for it. Other candidates don't make much sense, either: Sean Miller is waiting for the Pitt job to open up, while Jay Wright has the same problem as Jeff Capel. Besides, all these guys have to compare the UVA job to the Arizona job (and possibly Kentucky), which clearly trumps Virginia.
With the search falling apart, they are sinking to very low measures: Mike Brey (check the end of the article). Brey, currently at Notre Dame, led one of the most talented teams in the country to a middling NIT appearance. Seriously, he had a top five post player and top five shooter, and ended up with an NIT bid. Granted, Brey had a few good years at ND, but this year's implosion more than overrides them in my mind. If Brey ends up being the guy, it would continue the trend of mediocre hires for the Cavs, which would be just wonderful for the rest of the ACC. If Landesberg goes pro (probable) and Scott transfers (rumored) the Cavs would have trouble rising above bottom-feeder to start with; when compounded with Brey, it'd be a near guarantee.
It's too early to really make fun of UVa yet, but their job search is starting to come apart at the seams. I sense a Sid Lowe type of hire coming. Like I said, sometimes you have to be glad you're a Maryland fan.