One of the sure-fire signs that Virginia basketball season is just around the corner is the arrival of Media Day, but Monday’s festivities at the John Paul Jones Arena carried a different clarity than recent years.
The outline and expectations remain the same, of course, because UVA will hang its hat on defense and target the NCAA Tournament field as always, but placing refined expectations on this year’s team is difficult. In fact, the theme that shaped up this offseason describes this team well in the preseason phase too. That theme? Tons of potential but unclear how that will unfold. High floor and potentially high ceiling, though how high is unclear.
”I just think there are a lot of unknowns,” Cavalier coach Tony Bennett said. ”I’ll be honest, there have been some practices where I’ve really liked – it’s early, but I’d say ‘boy we have a chance to be pretty darn good’ and then there’s some practices where I say ‘we have a ways to go.’ I think most college coaches would be saying that right now, but there is uncertainty. We’re going to need some of those guys who got experience in their first year to be thrown into bigger roles and even guys that haven’t played before are going to have those opportunities. … Uncertainty, but exciting.”
The high expectations tinged with the variability of youth makes this year’s team as interesting as any in Coach Bennett’s tenure. The Cavaliers feature a mix of experienced and up-and-coming players, but blending that together will determine the season’s path. The Hoos do not have a double-digit scorer returning, but they do welcome back the top three rebounders, three of the top five in assists, and the three leading shot blockers.
The experience factor checks in for Virginia with many of those categories. Seniors Devon Hall and Isaiah Wilkins along with redshirt junior Jack Salt all return this season. The trio helped set the tone defensively last season and they’ve done a lot of the little things that help teams win during their careers. Hall, Wilkins, and Salt led the team in rebounding last season and made steady contributions across the board. Hall averaged 8.4 points and 4.4 rebounds to go along with 45 assists, while Wilkins averaged 6.8 points and 6.0 rebounds to go along with 43 blocked shots. Salt chipped in 3.7 points and 4.1 rebounds along with 22 blocked shots.
Just as important for a team that begins its identity on the defensive end, those three know the intricacies of the Pack-Line scheme and the consistency needed to battle every night in the ACC. That’s earned them trust among the coaches, who named all three of the players captains at the start of the season.
On the up-and-coming end of things, there are three players entering their second season of action and two coming off of redshirt seasons. Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome, and Mamadi Diakite developed throughout their first season and ended up on the floor for more and more minutes in the season’s latter stages last season. Jay Huff and De’Andre Hunter, meanwhile, join the rotation with a tantalizing amount of potential.
Guy averaged 7.5 points with 45 assists and shot 49.5% from 3-point range last season. Jerome averaged 4.3 points with 50 assists and shot 39.7% from 3-point range. Diakite averaged 3.8 points with 39 blocked shots. All three put together some strong outings down the stretch. Huff and Hunter, meanwhile, bring some unique athleticism and size to the floor at 7’1” and 6’7” respectively. Both can shoot, drive, and play above the rim.
In other words, many of the best parts of last season’s 23-win team return but questions remain for the scoring column with the frustrating Florida loss in the NCAA Tournament the last visual in observers’ minds. Yet, there is a significant amount of scoring potential on the roster just among these eight players. None of which mentions graduate transfer Nigel Johnson, who brings a needed skillset to the table with the ability to get into the paint offensively and take on quicker players defensively.
”I think offensively we’ll be able to spread the floor more with Jay being able to shoot threes and Isaiah’s expanded his game and he can knock down a 15-footer like it’s nothing,” Guy said. ”Everyone on this team has gotten a little bit better. I know we lost a lot of good guys, but the improvements we’ve made in the past six months have been uncanny. I think it’s going to be an interesting team and maybe a higher scoring team than normal. And defensively, we should be able to be about where we were last year.”
Outside observers look at the combination of those things plus the Coach Bennett factor and safely project Virginia into the NCAA Tournament field. They peg the Cavaliers in the top half of the ACC, but outside of the preseason’s top 25 rankings. UVA has made the NCAA Tournament and won at least one game in four straight seasons.
None of that matters much to the Hoos, though. Projecting where the team will finish, exactly how the team will look, and the like isn’t really in their minds right now. They recognize their potential, but are focused on preparing for the season first.
”I don’t like to look too much into the future, I think it’s a habit of mine I’m trying to get rid of,” Jerome said. ”I think it’s so important to be present every day and be so focused on the moment and getting better every day. Whatever happens in the future happens, but if you can really lock in on the present and getting better every day in practice that’s the best way to do something special in the future.”
Bennett sees flashes of what has made his teams good at Virginia, but isn’t sure how consistent the team will be yet. With two closed door scrimmages coming up this month followed by the season opener with UNC Greensboro on Friday, Nov. 10, some of the possibilities will begin to come into focus sooner rather than later.
”I like my team every year, I really do,” Bennett said. ”We have to earn [recognition]. We don’t have the returners coming back, the guys we’ve been fortunate to have in years past with that experience that’s proven. I feel like a broken record, but you’re never that far away from being really good or being below that line. I think there’s always optimism and hope. I think the guys are excited about it. There’s a lot of new opportunities and playing time opportunities. I like the group. … We’ll be into it pretty quick with games so that’s always the truth serum. I think this team will I hope improve as the year progresses and we’ve got things, obviously, to work on.”
