Virginia men’s basketball fans waited for several long weeks as the transfer portal churned without a Cavalier commitment. The wait was worth it. UVA pulled in its second high profile transfer in three days on Monday when Duke’s TJ Power made the Hoos his choice.
After a quiet transfer process, Power made the announcement on social media.
Power joins Jalen Warley as the incoming transfers so far for Virginia. Both are in-conference transfers, meaning they have seen the level of play and understand the league makeup. Warley, a 6’7”, 205-pound guard out of Florida State, announced his commitment on Saturday.
Power, like Warley, was recruited by UVA initially out of high school. He chose Duke the first time around, but entered the transfer portal on April 18. Reports suggest that he looked at other ACC schools as options too, but came back to one of his top high school choices with Virginia. He is not believed to have taken an in-person visit during the transfer process, but did come to UVA in May of 2022 on an official visit.
As a high school recruit in the Class of 2023, Power received a 5-star rating from 247 Sports and was ranked No. 17 nationally in the class. 247 also listed him as the No. 4 power forward and as the top player in Massachusetts where he played for Worcester Academy. He was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state. In addition to Duke and Virginia, he had offers from a long list of schools including Notre Dame, Ohio State, Kansas, North Carolina, Stanford, Indiana, and many more.
The decision to join the Hoos makes Power the highest rated high school recruit in the Tony Bennett era. Mamadi Diakite landed at No. 28 in the 247 rankings for the Class of 2015, while Kyle Guy ranked No. 43 in the Class of 2016. With Power and Warley (No. 34 in 2021), Virginia has added two top 40 high school recruits in the span of a few days.
At Duke, the 6’9”, 216-pound Power played a limited role as a true freshman. He appeared in 26 games for 181 total minutes (7.0 per game). He averaged 2.1 points. Power had totals of 55 points, 19 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 3 blocks. He made 15 of 42 3-point attempts (35.7%) and 6 of 7 free throws (85.7%).
That shooting split makes Power an important addition for the Wahoos. The Cavaliers need floor spacing and shooting for the current roster construction. Isaac McKneely (44.5% on 3’s last season) and Taine Murray (45.0% on 3’s last season) return from last season, but Jake Groves (45.9% on 3’s last season) finished his college eligibility. Even with that trio shooting strong percentages, Virginia had trouble scoring at times last season so bringing in some potential firepower was a must in this portal cycle.
Power fits the bill there. In addition to the shooting numbers at Duke, he averaged 23.7 points and shot 45% on 3’s in the final EYBL session on the AAU circuit in 2022. The Cavaliers have increasingly used a stretch forward in recent seasons with Sam Hauser, Ben Vander Plas, and Groves being primary examples. So there’s a clear path and vision for what Power’s role could be for Virginia.
Highlights for Power can be found in a YouTube video here and on his Hudl profile here.
Let’s GO!
Can’t wait for season’s beginning!