When Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill, Mike Tobey, and Evan Nolte exited the Virginia basketball program as one of the most successful groups in its history, the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons always figured to be significant transition period. So when three players chose to transfer last week, it looked like more of a sign of that than anything else.

Yes, the Hoos still featured starting point guard London Perrantes but he had to take on a different role with different players around him. Devon Hall returned too after starting the last half of the previous season’s run to the Elite Eight. Marial Shayok and Darius Thompson, however, had moved from role players to experienced load bearers this season, while Jarred Reuter saw more opportunities than before but remained a matchup dependent reserve. None of the trio emerged as a consistent, reliable option as their minutes ebbed and flowed. Sometimes, minutes all but disappeared.

That’s enough in today’s college basketball climate for players to seek out different options. Approximately 700 players transferred in Division I around the 2015-16 season and the numbers will be in the hundreds again this offseason. It’s a way of life at this level at this point.

Keep in mind that Shayok and Thompson did not select Virginia initially. Shayok came to the Cavaliers after Marquette changed coaches with Buzz Williams moving over to Virginia Tech. Thompson transferred from Tennessee to UVA after Cuonzo Martin took the coaching job at California. If you’re at a school that wasn’t your first choice and your minutes are fluctuating even after a successful class of upperclassmen leaves, then looking for a fresh opportunity seems reasonable if you aren’t happy with that role.

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