Dr. E.C. Fulcher, Jr.

College Basketball season is now upon us. Unlike last year, one can only hope that Tony Bennett’s team (UVA for those who are unfamiliar with this coaching great) is as good as He had in 2019 when they were crowned NCAA National Champions, although, I would be satisfied if they chalked up victories over both North Carolina and Duke which would be a sure pathway to the ACC title – which arguably is the best conference in the country.

There’s an old saying in sports; offence wins games but defense wins championships. This is a credo that Bennet lives by because his team has been either one or two defensively four of the past eight years in college basketball, and that is the standard when playing Bennett basketball. 

However, it does help to have the talent to accomplish that feat. 

There have been a host of UVA players that made it to the NBA level in recent years. Players like, Malcolm Brogdon and Sam Hauser, who both currently play an important role for the success of the Boston Celtics. Other notable graduates from UVA are, Anthony Gill, De’Andre Hunter, Joe Harris, Ty Jerome, Trey Murphy, Mamadi Diakite, Braxton Key, and let us not forget a NBA legend, Ralph Sampson, the 7’4” center who had a successful nine-year career in the NBA.

Needless to say, UVA basketball is a breeding ground for future NBA stars.

This year (2022-2023), there are eight returning players from last year’s squad, and four promising newcomers which should make UVA basketball fun to watch.

Finally, while the world crumbles around us, we can happily sit by our Smart TV’s and cheer on the “Wahoos.”

Written by Jerry Corsaletti