The Virginia men’s basketball team played a five-game tour through Spain earlier in August, posting a 5-0 record against the Madrid Generals, Arcos Albacete, and Sant Julià. The Cavaliers rotated players evenly and sat out each player but De’Andre Hunter for at least one game to get an extended look at the roster.
A handful of fans made the trip to Spain. Sabre fan sfb123 weighed in with some thoughts on Tuesday. Now JZHoo takes a crack at a few questions about the Wahoos. JZHoo saw games four and five against Sant Julià near Barcelona. Tony Bennett’s team won the two games 72-62 and 85-49 to leave Spain on a high note. JZHoo described the venue, Pavelló Esportiu Municipal, as having two extra hoops on the side where kids were playing between points and an indoor gym on one end of the floor where people were working out during the game.
“I was extremely excited to see the Hoos play in Spain, especially in such an intimate way, one that neither myself nor my family would normally get to experience,” JZHoo wrote. “By happenstance, we actually ran into the team and some of the staff, including Coach Bennett, while walking along the beach in Valencia as well. The players and coaches, to a person, were extremely friendly, gracious, and accessible.”
The Sabre lobbed five questions JZHoo’s way to get his take on the two games in Spain.
Which returning player impressed you the most? Why?
JZHoo: I’d have to say London Perrantes. He didn’t play in the second game, but the biggest thing for me was seeing his leadership up close, even when he wasn’t playing. Encouragement, direction, and tough love with the new first years is gonna be big, and he showed it on the court and in the huddle. Coach Bennett was getting his feedback in the huddle even in the game in which he didn’t play. His shot still looked sweet, he looked to score aggressively, and he made a halfcourt shot after the second game (in which he didn’t even play) while shooting around with my 9-year-old son in only two attempts. He’s a 50% shooter from halfcourt!
Which new player (Austin Nichols and Mamadi Diakite included) impressed you the most? Why?
JZHoo: Austin Nichols. He’s gonna be a very important piece for us this year. He’s long (7’4″ wingspan) and will be able to affect the game for us on both ends of the floor. He’s got real nice touch around the basket, good hands, and a nice mid-range jumper. He also played tough and intense and showed some rim protecting ability on defense. I think he will be able to replace Anthony Gill’s offensive production this season and improve upon it defensively.
With all the hype surrounding the freshman group (Mamadi Diakite included), what was your first impression in person of them?
JZHoo: First of all, they are really good kids having met them on the beach prior to seeing them in action. As far as their play goes, they can all shoot and score. Even Mamadi Diakite, who is the most raw of the group offensively, showed nice touch from the perimeter. They are definitely the most offensively talented class Coach Bennett has brought into Virginia.
I was also struck by the athleticism and agility of the group, especially De’Andre Hunter, Diakite, and Jay Huff. I’m very “bullish” on Huff’s game and upside. If he puts in the work, he could very easily become a lottery pick in my opinion by the time he leaves Virginia. He moves very gracefully, is skilled, can block shots, and shoots very well from the perimeter. He reminds me of a slightly shorter Kristaps Porzingis.
Kyle Guy can shoot and score as advertised. He had some lapses on defense and got beat for layups in the first game a few times. I liked his aggressiveness on offense. Hunter has a complete offensive game. He scored from the perimeter, mid-range floaters, and threw one down in traffic. His handle is solid. Ty Jerome looked very good especially given these games in Spain were his first in quite some time. He has a nice stroke, made some good passes (along with a couple questionable alley-oop attempts), and was moving well. Diakite had some eye-opening blocks in both games and a nice jumper, but was inconsistent finishing down low. He was much better in the second game in that regard.
What thing excited you most about the team’s play (not personnel, but things the team did well) in Spain? Which concerned you the most?
JZHoo: I liked the way the players shared the ball offensively. You can tell they have good chemistry, even at this very early stage, and with multiple line-up variations. The biggest concern was on the defensive side of the ball. They were much better in the second game, but they had some trouble defending ball screens and keeping the guards out of the paint. The big-to-big double team was too slow, but got better in the second game. In the first game, the defensive intensity wasn’t there. Coach Bennett obviously let them know that, and in the second game it was much better.
Was there an area that you were looking to watch specifically – examples hedge defense, post play, ballhandling/passing – and what did you see with that?
JZHoo: The areas I wanted to watch most were our perimeter defense (given the loss of our best perimeter defender in Malcolm Brogdon), our passing in the halfcourt with all the new pieces, and the tempo at which we played. I was also looking for improvement from our returning players.
Our perimeter defense was good at times, not so good at others. We struggled with ball screen defense and with some of our rotations, especially with the new guys. Our passing was very good overall. The guys all played unselfishly and found the open man. Granted, they weren’t going against an ACC level defense, so we will see as the season progresses how they do in that regard. The 24-second shot clock was handled fairly well by the guys. We pushed tempo a bit, but I would like to have seen us look to score even more in transition, especially with the athletes and shooters we now have.
As far as the returners, Jack Salt and Jarred Reuter have both improved. Reuter looked much more confident and aggressive on the offensive end. He will be a pleasant surprise for us this year. Salt was able to finish well around the rim before injuring something in the first game. Devon Hall looked smooth and his right hand looked better off the bounce. He passed up a couple open 3-pointers that he will need to take as the season progresses in my opinion. Marial Shayok looked confident. He is a guy who can get his own shot for us. Darius Thompson had a ton of steals in both games. He’s a great finisher. I look for him to be more aggressive in disrupting the passing lanes given our improved rim protection this year. Isaiah Wilkins looked confident with his shot, although I didn’t see him take any 3-pointers. He was very solid on defense as well.
