Scan the crowd at a University of Virginia basketball game and you might see Curtis Staples sitting in the stands.

It has been more than 10 years since Staples was setting 3-point records at University Hall, but he has not kept his distance.

"I've probably been as close to the program as any former player," said Staples, who operates several businesses in the Lynchburg area.

Former backcourt mate Cory Alexander might have inherited that distinction since taking over analyst duties on the UVa radio network, but Staples felt a kinship under the Leitao regime.

"He made a point to reach out," Staples said. "He was great with that."

That's one of the reasons for Staples' sadness upon learning that Leitao had been let go on Monday after four seasons as the Cavaliers' head coach.

Leitao was the first black head coach of a varsity sport at Virginia.

"As a fellow African-American, you would like to see him succeed," Staples said. "You pull for him, but, in the end, it didn't matter who it was. It boiled down to winning and losing.

"It's mostly on a friendship level and because of the relationship I had with him that I hated to see it."

Yet, Staples doesn't criticize UVa's decision to relieve Leitao of his duties following a 10-18 season that represented UVa's lowest winning percentage since 1966-67.

"In big-time college sports, they pay outrageous salaries to coaches and they expect results," said Staples, a one-time Patrick Henry High School star. "There's a whole lot of money out there and not a lot of time. They can't wait on you."

Because of business obligations, Staples didn't get to many games this year, but he was a regular in previous seasons. He thinks that Leitao is a good coach.

"Recruiting, obviously, is the biggest sore spot," Staples said. "As a head coach, you're only as good as you can recruit. And, you can only recruit as good as your staff is. That's how it works. That's the name of the game.

"Guys that win, recruit. It's not a mythical formula. Everybody can't go to Carolina or Duke. The field is 64 and that's what you're shooting for every year. Other people are getting it done. Other people are getting players."

Leitao was hired in 2005 to replace Pete Gillen, who went 20-9 and took the Cavaliers to the NCAA Tournament in 2002, his third season. Gillen coached at Virginia four more seasons without making another ACC trip.

"Look at the past two coaches at Virginia," Staples said. "Pete Gillen had done a great job everywhere he'd been because he had Bobby Gonzalez. Bobby Gonzalez was one of the best recruiters out there. Everybody knew that. When he left, things started sliding. With Leitao, Rob Lanier left. That was a big blow."

When he was at Virginia, Staples played for Jeff Jones, who had unprecedented success in his first five seasons. However, there was slippage following the departure of top aide Dennis Wolff.

"One of the things that played against Leitao and what ended up being one of the biggest issues later is that he did a good job the first couple years," Staples said. "Those weren't all his players, but he did a good job of coaching the talent he had. He got coach of the year one year.

"He was at a high peak. Then, all of a sudden, that third year falls in there and they start losing and everybody says, 'What's going on?' "

If not for a lackluster UVa performance against Boston College in the ACC Tournament, Leitao might have gotten a fifth year.

Did he deserve one?

"It's a matter of opinion," Staples said. "I'm not sure there's a right answer. You would think you would see some type of growth. He did bring [Sylven] Landesberg in. He's going to be a good one for us. But, overall, you see what you saw before with Virginia.

"There's potential there, but at the end of the day in the ACC, potential doesn't get you a 'W.' Potential is just a word if you don't live up to it. It's unfortunate, but you knew it was coming. You just didn't know when."

As for a successor, Staples doesn't think UVa can afford to take chances.

"If you don't go after a big-name guy who has the reputation of winning everywhere he goes and has the reputation of being a great recruiter, like a Tubby Smith, you're basically rolling the dice again," Staples said.

Staples' idea of a great recruiter is a coach who can spot talent, not necessarily a coach who can sign players that everybody is recruiting.

"Hey, look at Virginia Tech," he said. "They might not get the most refined players, but [Seth] Greenberg has an eye for the kind of kids he needs. They keep on finding a way and we've got to find a way in Charlottesville of finding these kids that other teams are picking up and we're passing on."