University of Virginia men's basketball coach Dave Leitao is the envy of most of his peers. It may be football season, but Leitao has been in the gym for the past week with his team, preparing for three exhibition games in Montreal.

"The timing of it for us, I think, is important," Leitao said yesterday at John Paul Jones Arena. "There are a lot more questions now than answers."

That's because this is a team in transition. Gone is all-ACC point guard Sean Singletary, the focal point of the program during Leitao's first three seasons at U.Va. Singletary dominated the ball when he was on the court, and his departure created a void that other players must fill.

"Obviously, with Sean not being here -- and I've tried to leave him out of the equation -- but the fact of the matter is you have a personality change as well as a talent shift," Leitao said, "and some new personalities have to come to the forefront, particularly in cases of guys that have got to take on new and more important roles."

The Cavaliers' top returning scorer is senior swingman Mamadi Diane, but he's recovering from foot surgery and won't play in Montreal. Among those asserting themselves at practice yesterday were redshirt freshman point guard Sammy Zeglinski, sophomore shooting guards Jeff Jones and Mustapha Farrakhan, junior guard Calvin Baker and sophomore power forward Mike Scott, who scored from a variety of spots on the floor.

Classes started yesterday at U.Va., which meant that Leitao's three freshmen, under NCAA rules, finally could start practicing with the team. The Wahoos worked out at 6 a.m. and again in the afternoon, a rigorous schedule that drew no complaints from the newcomers.

"I love playing," Sylven Landesberg said, "and watching and not being able to play was just killing me."

Landesberg, a 6-5 guard, is a McDonald's All-American from Queens, N.Y. His classmates are 7-0 Assane Sene and 6-11 John Brandenburg.

Big men often develop more slowly than guards, Leitao said, and "I think just by the nature of the position and the experience that Sylven has the best chance to [contribute] right away. He's got a little bit of a swagger about him naturally. I think coming from New York, that gives you that.

"I told him we need him to be good. We really do. The other two guys, we're fortunate to have some size that's got quickness attached to it."

The Cavaliers leave Friday for Montreal, where they'll play two games Saturday and one Sunday. The trip is an opportunity for players to impress a coaching staff looking for new sources of leadership and production.

"For now, I'm trying not to put any restriction on anybody's personality, what they want to bring to the table physically, emotionally or spiritually," Leitao said. "Just let them go and let them feel good about it and give everybody a balanced opportunity to be a part of it."

Also yesterday, Virginia released its 2008-09 schedule. Out-of-league games include home dates with South Florida, Auburn and Xavier and trips to Syracuse and Minnesota.

U.VA. 2008-09 SCHEDULE

Nov. 9, Shepherd (exhibition), 2 p.m.; 16, VMI, 2 p.m.; 19, South Florida, 7 p.m.; 21, Radford, 7 p.m.; 25, Liberty, 7 p.m.; 28, at Syracuse, 7 p.m.

Dec. 2, at Minnesota (ACC/Big Ten Challenge), 9:30 p.m.; 17, Longwood, 7 p.m.; 20, Auburn, 4 p.m.; 23, Hampton, 7 p.m.; 28, at Georgia Tech, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 3, Xavier, 2 p.m.; 6, Brown, 7 p.m.; 10, at Virginia Tech, 4 p.m.; 15, North Carolina, 9 p.m.; 20, at Maryland, 8 p.m.; 24, Florida State, 4 p.m.

Feb. 1, at Duke, 2 p.m.; 4, Boston College, 7 p.m.; 7, at North Carolina, 4 p.m.; 10, at Florida State, 7 p.m.; 15, Clemson, 1 p.m.; 18, Virginia Tech, 8 p.m.; 21, at N.C. State, 1 p.m.; 26, Miami (Fla.), 8 p.m.; 28, Wake Forest, 2 p.m.

March 3, at Clemson, 7 p.m.; 7, Maryland, 3:30 p.m.; 12-15, ACC tournament at Atlanta.