CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Donte Minter, who never played any better than he did in the first month of his Virginia basketball career, has become the third scholarship player to leave the UVa men's program since September.

Virginia announced in a news release that Minter, a 6-foot-8 junior, had left the program. First-year head coach Dave Leitao said that he did not think Minter would remain in school.

Minter had not played this season after undergoing offseason knee surgery. He played in 18 games last year, down from 31 in 2004-2005, when he averaged 5.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

"He was going through some things with regard to his personal life and regard to basketball," Leitao said. "He didn't walk in the office one day and say, 'I don't want to do this any more,' without us having conversations about it."

Virginia earlier had lost junior wing Gary Forbes, who transferred to Manhattan after learning he would be academically ineligible at UVa, and freshman post player Sam Warren, who left the team shortly after the beginning of preseason practice.

The Cavaliers (3-4) have been left with eight scholarship players -- five under the Division I limit -- and will be without one of them, back-up point guard T.J. Bannister -- when they try to snap a two-game losing streak at 7 tonight against 5-1 Loyola (Md.)

"Obviously, [we] didn't plan on it," Leitao said. "Didn't ask for it, but it's here and now we have to look at it from a futuristic standpoint."

The departure of Minter means that UVa has a spot for all five of the recruits who either signed with or committed to the Cavaliers this fall, but nothing that Leitao said Thursday indicated there was a housecleaning taking place.

"If we're going to be the program or the team that I want to be, I'm not going to do anything like that to cut off my nose to spite my face," Leitao said. "I really don't think like that. I don't believe in kicking guys out.

"You look at the able bodies and we're essentially playing with three post players. If nothing else, with Donte and Sam, you have depth. But Donte happened to be the best inside scorer on the team. It gave us some options but, unfortunately, those options never materialized."

Attrition was a major problem for Leitao's successor, Pete Gillen. Three players who started their college careers under Gillen at Virginia -- Derrick Byars (Vanderbilt), Keith Jenifer (Murray State) and Jermaine Harper (Cal-State Fullerton) -- are starters for their current Division I programs.

"I think every coach would like to keep it down," Leitao said, "but it's a fact of life. It used to be taboo, that word 'transfer.' I would always say that 'transfers transfer problems,' but if you look around the country, it's almost commonplace."

Football affairs

Leitao addressed the media Thursday at University Hall after football coach Al Groh held his first news conference in connection with the Music City Bowl, in which the Cavaliers (6-5) meet Minnesota (7-4) at noon Dec. 30 in Nashville.

In something of a surprise, Groh announced that junior nose tackle Ron Darden had responded well to treatment for headaches and equilibrium issues and had rejoined the team for bowl practices. However, it is still Darden's plan not to return for a fifth season of eligibility.

Nose tackle Keenan Carter also has resumed practice after missing the final two games of the regular season, restoring a three-man rotation that includes Kwakou Robinson, who performed yeoman duty in the regular-season finale at Miami.

Groh has taken over defensive coordinator's duty in the absence of Al Golden, one of four 2005 UVa assistants who have taken other positions, three as head coaches. New Liberty head coach Danny Rocco and new Temple assistant Mark D'Onofrio will help UVa at the bowl.

This weekend, wide receiver Cedric Jeffries from Egg Harbor, N.J., became the second Virginia recruit this month to renege on his commitment. Jeffries, who committed to Penn State this weekend, had indicated he was wavering even before the coaching losses.