Dating back to last season and through Virginia’s first 11 games of this season, guard Devon Hall had emerged as a model of consistency in a variety of areas including defense, ball-handling, poise, rebounding, passing. Pretty much on a nightly basis, head coach Tony Bennett could count on the savvy Hall to produce in these areas.

If the Virginia Beach native’s performance against Atlantic Coast Conference competition the past two weeks is any indication, Hall is taking another step in his development — scoring. The redshirt junior has averaged 12 points per game through UVA’s first four ACC games of 2016/2017, reaching double figures in every one of those games after scoring in double figures only twice the previous 11 contests. Hall has made 48.8% of his field goals as the Hoos have gone 2-2 in conference play, demonstrating a comfort level and confidence on the offensive end we have not yet seen since he arrived in Charlottesville.

Hall is becoming a cornerstone of this Cavalier team. That is, a player Virginia can depend on to score on a nightly basis in addition to contributing in those other areas I’ve mentioned. Last Sunday’s win over Wake was a great example of the impact Hall is having.

With 9:43 left in the game, Hall had his first and only turnover. The game was tied at 46. From there he was outstanding, scoring 9 points and pulling down 7 rebounds in leading the Cavaliers to a 33-16 finish and a 79-62 win.

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