Lavin Heartened by Support From Dalis

Coach Steve Lavin said Tuesday that he was encouraged by the words of support from Athletic Director Peter Dalis, who Monday said he was “very pleased” with Lavin’s job performance.

“The positive in a vote of confidence from the administration is it creates stability and certainty, which is important for our players, our staff, and for our recruiting,” Lavin said.

“The series of events from the [Rick] Pitino episode forward was a very unfortunate stretch for our kids, the program and recruiting. But I feel we’ve moved beyond that period.”

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Center Dan Gadzuric has been on crutches since Saturday, when he suffered a sprained left ankle in the second half at DePaul. He is doubtful for Thursday’s game against Arizona, despite receiving several treatments on the injury.

“If there’s a blessing in disguise, it’s that Dan has been in foul trouble a number of times this season,” Lavin said. “We’ve had to play without him a lot.”

Gadzuric played 27 minutes in a loss at Arizona last month, collecting nine rebounds and nine points.