The Virginia basketball program continued to show how well it develops and prepares players for professional careers this week. Devon Hall, who helped the Cavaliers set a program record with 31 wins this past season, continued to participate in the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, while Anthony Gill picked up an award for his play overseas.
Hall received a spot at the invite only Combine after a strong senior season with the Hoos. He averaged 11.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. Along the way, he received second-team All-ACC and All-ACC Defensive Team recognition and All-ACC Tournament honors.
Over the course of his career, Hall started 89 games and played in four straight NCAA Tournaments. Virginia won 113 games with just 26 losses in the four years he was on the court.
The Virginia Beach native is trying to become the fifth Cavalier drafted in the last six years. Mike Scott (2012), Joe Harris (2014), Justin Anderson (2015), and Malcolm Brogdon (2016) have been the previous four selections during the Tony Bennett era. Compare that to the years before Bennett’s arrival. He performed well at the Portsmouth Invitational in April, though he didn’t put up big numbers in his first game at the Combine. Find more NBA Combine information here.
ESPN draft analyst Mike Schmitz and others project Hall as a possible draft pick in the second round and a good candidate to carve out a roster spot as an NBA role player.
Late-night jumpers featuring Devon Hall. Elite intangibles with positional size, defensive versatility, a greatly improved shooting stroke and a strong feel for the game. Should be able to turn in a successful NBA career as a role player. pic.twitter.com/feblkhy7dO
— Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) May 17, 2018
If Hall can get there, he would be the latest Cavalier to see NBA court time. Brogdon was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2017 and followed that up with a solid season in Milwaukee. Harris came through with a career year with Brooklyn and is expected to pick up a nice contract this offseason. Anderson returned from injury to carve out a role with Philadelphia. Scott bounced back with his new team in Washington with a consistent bench role for the Wizards. Three of those four teams made the NBA playoffs.
London Perrantes also made his NBA debut this season on a two-way contract with Cleveland, which allows franchises to use players in both the G League and for limited games in the big show. Perrantes appeared in 14 games for those Cavaliers this season. Mike Tobey had a brief appearance in the NBA as well when he played in two games for the Charlotte Hornets during the 2016-17 season. Tobey has since taken his career to Europe where he won a an ACB League title with Valencia in Spain before joining Tenerife.
Europe brings the conversation back to Gill. The Eurohoops’ editorial team named Gill co-Rookie of the Year in the EuroLeague this season. Playing in Europe for the first time with BC Khimki in Russia, he helped that team make the playoffs. Gill averaged 11.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assist with the club, while also shooting 63.5% overall and 47.8% from 3-point range.
That means former Virginia basketball players have won the NBA and EuroLeague Rookie of the Year Awards the past two seasons. Their teams are frequently and consistently playing in the playoffs as well. That comes on the heels of playing for a the contender every year in college. UVA has won at least 20 games each year for seven straight seasons and has taken home ACC hardware to the tune of three outright ACC Regular Season Championships and two ACC Tournament titles during that time.
That’s development and preparation in a nutshell.
Great stuff; thanks.