Dave Leitao
Missouri Head Basketball Coach Frank Haith announced the hiring of former Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year Dave Leitao as an assistant coach. Leitao won a pair of conference championships as a head coach at DePaul (2004) and Virginia (2007), and has made 21 career postseason appearances, including 12 NCAA Tournaments as the Associate Head Coach at the University of Connecticut under Jim Calhoun. Leitao (pronounced lay-toe) completes Haith’s coaching staff for the 2012-13 campaign.
In a statement released by the Mizzou, Haith said, “What a great complement to the University of Missouri to bring in a coach the caliber of Dave Leitao to work with our student-athletes. Dave was a guy I really enjoyed competing against in the Atlantic Coast Conference because you knew his teams would play tough, physical and would really attack you every possession. Dave brings a wealth of knowledge to our program,” Haith continued. “He was mentored by one of college basketball’s all-time greats in Coach (Jim) Calhoun and he helped recruit key pieces for their NCAA Championship team in 1998-99. We are excited to have Dave join our family here at Mizzou.”
Leitao was named the 2007 ACC Coach of the Year after leading the Cavaliers to an 11-5 league mark (21-11 overall) and a win in the NCAA Tournament. The 52-year-old comes to Mizzou after one season coaching the Maine Red Claws of the National Basketball Association’s Developmental League (NBDL).
