The Virginia basketball teams welcome fans to the John Paul Jones Arena on Saturday for the annual UVA Blue-White Scrimmages. The women’s team plays first at 1:30 with the men’s team following at 2:30.
The event and parking are both free. Seating is general admission and first come, first serve. The men’s team will sign autographs from 12:45-1:15, while the women’s team will hold its autograph session from 3:30-4. With a bye week for the football team on the calendar, it’s a great day to check in on the Wahoos before the teams start their seasons in November. The men open with Tarleton State on Monday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. and the women host Maryland Eastern Shore in the first game on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.
With the scrimmages on deck, here are four quick things before you go watch the Virginia basketball teams.
Don’t overreact to player combinations. With this being the first glimpse at either the men’s or women’s team before the season ahead, fans will be eager to see who plays well, who plays well together, and who doesn’t. That’s part of the fun at this time of year to be certain.
Just don’t take it too far. The coaches will mix and match things in this setting to get as competitive a look as possible, but it may not reflect what the rotations will look like in a few weeks much less in a few months. Take last season’s scrimmage, for example. Ben Vander Plas and Jayden Gardner didn’t play a single minute together. Neither did Reece Beekman and Kihei Clark. Those combinations became regular lineups later in the season.
Reece Beekman probably won’t show too much. Speaking of Reece Beekman and eager fans … this Blue-White scrimmage outing will be the first time Virginia fans get to observe the senior guard in action without Clark. To say there is some anticipation for that is probably understated.
That excitement leads to expectations. That’s good and understandable. Expectations don’t always get met or shine in this type of scrimmage, though. In fact, I’d anticipate Beekman showing a few flashes and controlling the feel of the game but not being overly assertive or aggressive defensively. I don’t think that will damper excitement for the upcoming season – nor should it. Beekman doesn’t need to dominate this scrimmage to prepare for the challenges ahead.
Great setting for Leon Bond III. When it comes to preseason predictions and division of minutes and expectations and all of that, the two caveats above apply across the board. The scrimmages are just a really small sample size to draw any grand conclusions. With that said, I think Bond will begin a steady march to becoming a fan favorite in earnest. Whether he plays hundreds or minutes this season or just a few, he looks like he could be a magnet for fans. He’s enthusiastic. He’s explosive. He’s energetic. He’s excited no matter his role. Those are traits that Virginia fans love. Obviously, Bond was already here last season and fans already got a peek at those things, but the fact that he could play some minutes this year will only increase his popularity I think.
Local women’s players – stay and join the wave. There’s plenty of excitement around the women’s team as coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton enters her second season. Part of that anticipation locally for Charlottesville Virginia fans is that the roster includes three recent high school standouts. Sam Brunelle, of course, suited up last season after playing her high school career at William Monroe. She’s joined this year by St. Anne’s-Belfield’s Kymora Johnson and Louisa County’s Olivia McGhee. That duo brings a lot of offensive skill to the floor and there will be repeated fan energy around the trio as this season unfolds. Stay for the women’s scrimmage and join that wave.
And as always, check out the weekly fan picks.
Fan (s) Of The Week
Go Hoos!
Student Fan (s) Of The Week
Having fun at Scott Stadium.
Feature Photo Of The Week
A Virginia drum major shines in the rain.
