During Packer&Durham interview of Wally Walker, it was clear they were trying to show the best of UVA.
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I was shocked when i found out he got an offer and even more shocked when he ended up being the starting pg. Played against him a few times was never a fan.
Same guy told me at the time that Pete was taking major risks with that class. Jenifer was an attitude/problem, who led in a negative way. Said Elton Brown was a good kid, who could be a very good player, but needed the right coach/development system…Pete wasn’t that guy. Was a huge fan of Jason Clark as a player and person, but said he would struggle academically at UVa…which he did.
Don’t remember him saying anything about Harper, but that class ended up contributing big time to Pete’s downfall.
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Elton Brown’s wife cut my hair. They were not a fan of Pete Gillen.
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All of that sounds pretty spot on in assessment. Brown could have been very good, but that staff was not in the realm of developing talent. Jenifer becoming the starting pg for that 1 or 2 yrs was awful for the team culture. I’ve never seen a player turn off so negatively so quickly after losing their spot.
That class did Pete no favors, but unfortunately Pete did Pete no favors. As I’ve mentioned before I knew Virginia was in trouble when Pete started talking to me and hyping me up as a potential recruit. I had no business being mentioned in the same breath as a Div 1 Power 5 player.
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There are aspects of Tony which I sometimes criticize that basically relate to him being a bit of a “stick in the mud” personality type (or stated positively - steady, reliable, etc). Pete was the opposite extreme in some ways. He seemed way too nervous/anxious/reactive to run a good program over the long haul. Not to play armchair psychiatrist, but it sort of comes out even in his color commentary / studio work. His brain is just always ping-ponging around to the next thought.
Tony, to his credit, has adapted in key ways at key moments, whereas Pete never seemed to know when to dig in his heels and stick on any key principles.
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That’s a great assessment of the two. Pete always reminded me of alka zelter in water. frantic constant movement. The whole sweat through your jacket before halftime burn 2 TO’s before the under 16. It was a lot. As a kid I liked it because I could relate to it as a player, but looking back and having a better understanding of what I actually needed, I could see that being a very difficult situation for a lot of players. While CTB may be the other extreme, my experience tells me players appreciate and seek the comfort of reliability and stability. Also when you’re that energetic and all over and the team is still bad, it’s tough to take the guy seriously and players can begin to think it’s just for show. At least with CTB I feel like you always know exactly where he stands, good back or indifferent.
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Didn’t Keith 'Enifer punch an Indiana player in the nuts mid-game?
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Pete’s tenure seemed to take a steep downhill trajectory after Bobby Gonzalez and maybe another assistant left. Gonzalez turned out to be a dick, but he was a good recruiter and maybe a steadying influence on Pete.
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I trust the forum was screaming to put that dude in the game behind Coach Holland
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No way he goes in wearing a tie and glasses
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Haha In Da Face!
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Yes. In the Maui Classic, I believe. It was vividly caught on video.
It wasn’t the only time either. A guy I used to know who died of cancer during the Gillen era ingratiated himself to Pete and the team and Pete, to his credit, took the guy under his wing and gave him special treatment. One of the perks the guy got was to spend time with the team in the locker room after games. He was in the locker room after we lost a home NIT game to South Carolina in 2002, and rather than bemoaning the loss, Jenifer was strutting around the locker room boasting that he had popped a South Carolina player in the nuts during a pile up on the floor as a bunch of players went after a loose ball.
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I think the beginning of the end for Pete was when we lost a heartbreaker to Maryland at U Hall in 2002. It seemed like everything fell apart after that game. That was the year Maryland won it all.
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March 5 game @ Louisville rescheduled from 2pm to noon
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I have watched Keels several times this year. He is all arms and body on the guy he is guarding. Pretty close to being a dirty player.
Noticed Keels deleted his comment on that IG post 
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We got him right where we want him
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My son was a point guard for Cave Spring HS at the same time JJ played there. He and my son were good friends and he dated my daughter for a short period. He spent time in my home.
He was so shy that when he would come to pick my daughter up he would bring someone else with him to knock on my door to pick her up. I eventually told JJ that if you wamt to date my daughter that you will have to come to the door yourself.
I knew all along he would go to Duke. He shot hoops at my house a few times. As far back as the 7th grade he would dress out in full Duke attire just to shoot around. As much as i wanted him at UVA Duke was always his dream .. And his dream came true.
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…stop wearing Duke stuff
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