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Holland turns down Golden Gophers job

Virginia athletic director Terry Holland turned down Minnesota's offer to coach its men's basketball program Monday.

The Golden Gophers will continue to search for former coach Clem Haskins' replacement. Holland will remain at the University as the athletic director and is now in negotiations for a contract extension. The terms of those talks have not been disclosed.

Minnesota offered seven million dollars over seven years to Holland to become the coach; the total is much more than his current $210,000 salary as the Virginia athletic director. Though the Golden Gophers' proposal was promising, Holland said he was focused on the future of Virginia athletics.

"Although the visit to Minnesota certainly made a positive impression on me and it is a great opportunity for a basketball coach, I remain committed to the projects that are already under way to ensure the future of U.Va. athletics programs," Holland said in a press release. "I have every intention of continuing to work toward their completion during the remaining years of my career in athletics."

Holland has been the University's athletic director since 1995. During his tenure, many improvements have been made on athletic facilities and still more are in the works.

"Over the past four years he has played an important role in planning to improve athletics facilities and he has held together a solid adminstrative team and coaching staff," University President John T. Casteen III said in a press release. "We are jointly committed to working together to assure the department's continuing development over the long term."

Chief among those facility improvements is the multi-million dollar expansion of Scott Stadium at the Carl Smith Center. Holland and the athletic department would also like to build a new basketball arena in the near future. Local developer Lee Danielson introduced a plan for a privately-funded arena near the Downtown Mall in June, but those plans have not been confirmed nor rejected.

"The challenges that are a part of these endeavors are, from my viewpoint, great opportunities to have an impact on the future of this university in a very positive way," Holland said. "Our fund-raising staff and volunteers have already made incredible strides toward those goals."

In addition to the facility improvements, Virginia's athletic program has improved on the competitive front as well. The Cavaliers finished eighth in this year's Sears Cup competition which ranks the nation's institutions for their athletic accomplishments. It was the highest finish in school history.

Furthermore, the top-10 ranking is a compliment to the University as a whole. Virginia has held the nation's No. 1 public institution academic rating for several years in a row.

"We are obviously pleased that Terry will continue to lead the athletics program at Virginia, which has flourished in ways that are a credit to the University," Casteen said. "Not only are our student-athletes committed to academic success, but they collectively finished eighth in the nation this year in the Sears Cup ranking of overall athletics excellence."

But one thing may have outweighed all the other factors in Holland's decision: his loyalty to Virginia. He coached the Cav men's basketball program from 1974-90 and has spent four years as the athletic director.

"Throughout this last week, I have tried to express clearly to all that my focus and loyalty is to my job as director of athletics at the University of Virginia," he said. "That is why I have consistently said that there was not a timetable, nor the time, that would likely fit with being able to seriously consider a return to college coaching"

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