On a Virginia basketball team full of experience, a pair of true freshmen have roles unlike many of their teammates. Leon Bond III and Isaac Traudt have redshirted this season with the future in mind, leaving them to work on parts of their game, gain strength, and root like crazy for their teammates from the bench.

Bond, a 6’5” wing from Wisconsin, has won over fans for what they have seen in that role. He puts on a show in pregame warmups with a variety of dunks – he said in a recent interview that he could probably get to the same height as fellow freshman Ryan Dunn on this slam at Syracuse – and he’s one of the more noticeable players during bench celebrations for the Hoos during games.

Of course, Bond is putting in a lot of work that can’t be seen too. Through a Name, Image, and Likeness partnership with Hook Sports Marketing, Friends Of The Sabre members and some randomly selected subscribers were invited to an exclusive Zoom interview recently with Bond. You can join Hook’s 4819 Club or Friends Of The Sabre for future potential NIL activities. Below are some excerpts from the interview that focus on specific parts of Bond’s work as a redshirt.

Leon Bond III Quick Take Q&A

The Sabre: The other thing you’re working on right now being a redshirt, and we’ve seen NBC29 I think interviewed you recently, Virginia Sports TV did it recently, and something you mentioned is that you feel like your shooting has improved. What specifically do you think has improved about it? What have you been kind of focusing on?

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