Gillen Leaves Providence for Virginia

Pete Gillen has left Providence to sign a seven-year deal to become Virginia’s new basketball coach, Virginia Athletic Director Terry Holland confirmed.

Gillen replaces Jeff Jones, who resigned March 15 after eight seasons. He takes over a team that was 11-19 this season, the program’s worst record in more than three decades.

One of the stipulations in Gillen’s agreement with Virginia is that he is to hire an African American coach. Gillen currently has an all-white staff at Providence, meaning at least one of his three assistants can’t go with him to Charlottesville.

Gillen, 50, a New Yorker, has a career record of 274-128 in 13 seasons, including 202 victories in nine seasons at Xavier. In 1997, he led Providence to a 24-12 record and a Final Eight appearance where the Friars lost to eventual national champion Arizona.