The Virginia men’s basketball team suffered a disappointing end to its season, facing an early tournament exit after losing to 13-seeded Furman. However, if there’s one good thing about failure, it’s the opportunity it provides to go back to the drawing board and make improvements. In modern-day college basketball, one of the best ways to do that is through the transfer portal.
Some years, UVA has not been particularly active in the transfer portal, but in recent years the Hoos have used it to bring in high impact players like Sam Hauser (Marquette), Trey Murphy III (Rice), Jayden Gardner (East Carolina), Armaan Franklin (Indiana), and Ben Vander Plas (Ohio). With the departure of Gardner, Vander Plas, and Francisco Caffaro (transfer portal) as well as Kihei Clark, Virginia appears to have projected roster room next season.
Already, nearly a dozen players reportedly have been in contact with UVA through the transfer portal this offseason, and, based on the names, it is clear that the Cavaliers coaching staff is focused on adding some depth in the frontcourt. Virginia projects to have only two players with playing time experience returning up front in Kadin Shedrick (6’11”) and Ryan Dunn (6’ 8”). With the additional loss of Clark, the team could also potentially use some experience to pair with others in the backcourt next year.
Here are some of the notable names linked to Virginia so far:
Robert Jennings: Texas Tech
Jennings is a 6’7”, 225-pound forward that has been strongly linked to UVA this offseason. In fact, Jennings and Virginia coach Tony Bennett completed a Zoom call this past Wednesday to discuss Jennings’ decision. According to Houston Wilson of Rivals, the call went well and future communication between the two parties is expected.
Jennings just finished his freshman season at Texas Tech, and after a coaching resignation from Mark Adams, he entered the portal. What better place to take a look than a team like UVA that was one of the most active in trying to recruit him out of high school. Jennings fits the mold for what Coach Bennett is trying to do as a long, athletic forward who can cause disruption on the defensive end. Although he only averaged 2.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.1 assists in nine minutes per game last year, Bennett clearly believes Jennings has the ability to be a solid contributor in the 2024 lineup or beyond.
Jonathan Beagle: Albany
Beagle is a 6’9” 240-pound forward who averaged 12.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 50.5% shooting in 32 minutes per game during his freshman season at Albany. He was one of the lone bright spots for a team that went 8-23 on the season. Similar to Jennings, Beagle’s length and versatility would be a good fit within Virginia’s Pack Line scheme and could cause headaches for opposing defenses on the interior. Beagle is seemingly looking for a step up in competition and joining the ACC with UVA would be a great way to see that through. He had 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in a December game against the Wahoos.
Jordan Minor: Merrimack
The 2022-2023 NEC player of the year is a hot commodity on the transfer market this season. At 6’8”, 240 pounds, Minor averaged 17.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on 51.5% shooting in his senior season for Merrimack. Like another UVA graduate transfer in the form of Jayden Gardner, what Minor lacks in height he makes up for in strength and skill, positioning him as a force on the interior. Given that the aforementioned Shedrick and Dunn have not provided a consistent level of production on the offensive end, Minor could fill a big hole on that side of the ball.
Elijah Hutchins-Everett: Austin Peay
Another player looking for an elevation in competition is Austin Peay center Elijah Hutchins-Everett. After putting up 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists on 48.0% shooting last season, Hutchins-Everett seems poised to make the jump to a major conference for the 2023-2024 season. With the departure of Francisco Caffaro, the Hoos are in desperate need for some depth behind Shedrick potentially at center, and at 6’11”, 255 pounds Hutchins-Everett could provide that much needed depth.
Jae’lyn Withers: Louisville
After one of the most disappointing seasons in program history (4-28 record), Louisville seems likely to lose several players to the transfer portal going into next season. Of these players, UVA seems to be particularly interested in 6’9”, 220-pound forward Jae’lyn Withers. Withers was a redshirt junior this past season, and though he didn’t put up particularly gaudy stats (8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 0.8 assists on 43.3% shooting), Coach Bennett sees something he likes in Withers. Given that the Cavalier coaches had the opportunity to see Withers play in person twice earlier this year and in prior seasons, it is smart to trust their judgment. If nothing else, his experience and length should be valuable on the defensive end.
Other names reportedly on the radar with the Wahoos include 6’3” freshman Jackson Paveletzke out of Wofford, 6’9” junior Johnny O’Neil out of American, 6’6” junior Chris Ledlum out of Harvard, 6’9” sophomore Payton Sparks out of Ball State, 6’5” senior John Tonje out of Colorado State, and 6’4” senior Ta’Lon Cooper out of Minnesota.
No offers have been extended yet and there isn’t 100% clarity with the roster projection currently, but the dominoes should start falling in the coming weeks. Follow it with your fellow fans on the message board.
Interesting group of ACC wannabes, mostly. If you really want to go for a Natty next year, Catlyn Clark has another year of eligibility. From what I saw last night on her 41-pts. triple-double, she has the moves and grit to hang well with the guys as a guard who is actually worth about 65 points per game, counting her passing. IMHO.
You clearly don’t understand that physical strength gap between men and women. Caitlin Clark would not play D-2 Men’s Basketball, much less in the ACC. In fact, most high-end high school boys teams would hold her scoreless.
I have a real problem with one of your comments in the article. Quote ” Given that the aforementioned Shedrick and Dunn have not provided a consistent level of production on the offensive end, Minor could fill a big hole on that side of the ball.”
Shedrick averaged almost 10 per game through the first 14 games till Tony reduced his time on the court to less than 10 minutes per game, most of the games it was 5 minutes or less. He scored 17 against Baylor and 16 against Houston. When you are not allowed to be on the court, you cannot be consistent nor improve. Shed’s was a consistent scorer in a Bennet system where no one averages much more than 15 per game.
Tony may be the best coach since Holland, but I have a real problem with the way he treated Shedrick this year. He might want to explore big guys as if I was Shedrick, I would be gone.