It’s pigskin season right now but hoop season is just around the corner.

The Caveliers are scheduled to open their regular season on November 6 against Campbell followed by Coppin State on November 11.

This year’s roster is a mixed bag. There are returning players, transfer portal players, recruits, and even a homegrown walk-on in Carter Lang. So it’s anyone’s guess on how this season will materialize.

One thing is for sure though, Bennett will have them ready for the opening tip-off.

A game that UVA fans are looking forward to will be played in Baltimore on November 15 against perennial powerhouse Villanova.

Then, on November 21, they travel to the Bahamas for the Bahamas Mar Hoops Championship where they will face either Tennessee, St Johns or Baylor. Hopefully, they return home with the Championship Trophy.

In all, the Wahoos will have a busy November having seven games on their schedule.

I’m looking forward to the opening game tip-off not only because last season is behind us but I’m anxious to see who Bennett will have as his starting five.

Go Hoos!

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In the process, they lost Reese Beekman and Ryan Dunn, both to the NBA draft. They also lost Leon Bond III and Dante Harris to the Transfer Portal, and Jordan Minor and Jacob Groves to graduation.  So, Bennett had to turn to the Transfer Portal to fill these gaps. However, the first six weeks did not produce one signing. Then, things began to fall into place when Coach Bennett signed four quality players in the next four days, thus filling the 13 Scholarship spots for the 2024-2025 season

Let us now meet those five Transfer Portal players who made the commitment to play Bennett basketball this coming season:

Jalen Warley –Scholarship, Previous School: Florida State, Position: Point Guard, Size: 6’7″, 205 pounds, Eligibility: one more year remaining     

TJ Power – Scholarship, Previous School: Duke, Position: Power Forward, Size: 6’9″, 216 pounds, Eligibility: one more year remaining

Elijah Saunders – Scholarship, Previous School: San Diego State, Position: Forward Size: 6’8″, 225 pounds, Eligibility: two more years remaining

Dai Dai Ames – Scholarship, Previous School: Kansas State, Position: Guard, Size: 6.1”, 185 pounds, Eligibility: three years remaining

Carter Lang –   Walk-on, Previous School: Vanderbilt, Position: Forward,6’9, 235 pounds, Eligibility: freshman, three years remaining   

One of the benefits from these signings is that they all come with playing experience. Now they only have to learn Bennett’s philosophy of the game which we know is defense.

Recruits

In addition to the above players, Bennett also recruited two promising players out of High School. The first is Jacob Cofie (Scholarship), a 6.7” forward from Eastside Catholic High School, in Bellevue, WA and is a four-star top 100 recruit. The other being Ishan Sharma (Scholarship), a 6.4” sharpshooting guard from Fort Erie International Academy, in Milton, Ontario, Canada.

Remaining players for the 2024 – 2025 season.

Shooting Guard Isaac McKneely (Scholarship), one of the go-to guys in the past two seasons when the game was on the line. McKneely is also one of the premier 3-point shooters in the country.

Shooting Guard Elijah Gertrude (Scholarship) is a returning sophomore who seen limited playing time this past season, mainly as a role player. His experience should help him vie for a starting spot on the roster. 

Shooting Forward Andrew Rohde (Scholarship) is a returning junior who has shown he can score in double figures on any given game.

Shooting Forward Taine Murray (Scholarship) is a senior who is also capable of scoring in bunches when called upon.

Center Blake Buchanan (Scholarship). A returning sophomore who gained valuable playing experience this past season. He has the ability to become an impact player for the Hoos but he may be challenged by walk-on player Carter Long who is a former ESPN four-star recruit & McDonald’s All-America nominee. He is also a Charlottesville native.

Center Anthony Robinson (Scholarship) is a 6.10” promising freshman who redshirted this past season to beef-up and learn the Bennett system.

Point Guard Christian Bliss (Scholarship) is also a redshirted freshman who will contend for playing time with Jalen Worley and Dai Dai Ames.

The Coach

Tony Bennett enters his 16th season as Head Basketball Coach of the University of Virginia, and he has compiled an outstanding record of 364 – 136. But that’s not all of his accomplishments:

     ACC Regular-Season Titles: 11 (2010, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023)

     ACC Tournament Championships: 3 (2014, 2016, 2018)

NCAA Tournament Appearances: 15 (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

    National Coach of the Year Awards: 2 (2007, 2015)

Notable Milestones:

– Became the winningest coach in UVA men’s basketball history, surpassing Terry Holland (326-173) in 2023

   – Recorded his 250th win as a head coach against No. 14 Notre Dame in 2020.

    -Led the Cavaliers to their first No. 1 ranking in the AP poll since 1982 in 2018.

    -Guided UVA to a 31-3 record and the NCAA tournament championship in 2019.

    -Has a winning record against each of the team’s ACC rivals.

    -Has been ranked the top defensive coach in college basketball by ESPN Insider and a CBS

    Sports poll of head coaches.

Needless to say, his resume is very impressive, and his numbers will only increase should he remain coaching.

As a long-time fan of the Hoos, I look forward to the upcoming season and to see all the new faces. I got the feeling that UVA basketball is going to be fun to watch again.

Go HOOS!!!

-Jerry Corsaletti

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NIL:

The NIL policy, which allows college athletes to profit from their personal brands, was implemented in July 2021, fundamentally altering the relationship between athletes and institutions. This change has empowered athletes, providing opportunities for them to monetize their fame through endorsements, social media, and other ventures. Players can now earn significant income while still in school, addressing a long-standing grievance about the NCAA’s strict amateurism rules.

The NIL era has also introduced new dynamics that complicate the collegiate sports landscape.

1.Recruitment Imbalances:
  NIL deals have amplified the existing disparities between programs.
Wealthier schools, particularly those with strong alumni networks and larger
media markets, can offer recruits lucrative endorsement opportunities. This
worsens the competitive imbalance, as top-tier programs can now leverage
financial incentives more openly to attract the best talent.

2. Shift in Player Priorities:
  The focus on marketability and a players own “Brand” may shift
players’ priorities away from team success and development. Athletes might
prioritize individual exposure over collegiate achievements, potentially
disrupting team cohesion and the traditional emphasis on team goals.

3. Potential for Exploitation:
  While NIL is designed to benefit athletes, it also opens the door
for potential exploitation by unscrupulous agents and sponsors. Young athletes,
many of whom lack experience in business negotiations, might fall prey to
unfavorable deals that do not adequately compensate them or align with their
best interests.

The Transfer Portal:

The change to the transfer portal has also damaged college basketball by providing players greater freedom to transfer between schools without having to sit out a year, as was previously required. This change has led to a huge level of player movement, with thousands of athletes entering the portal each year in search of better opportunities and NIL money.

While the portal offers athletes more control over their careers, it has introduced several challenges.

1. Coaches now face the constant threat of losing key players, creating turmoil in their roster management. Teams that invest in developing young talent may see their efforts wasted if those players transfer to other programs, disrupting continuity, long-term planning and program building

2. The ease of transferring has also led to a less stable environment. Players who don’t immediately receive playing time or the role they desire may quickly seek other options, which can foster a culture of impatience and short-term thinking. This undermines the traditional model of athletes developing and growing within a program over several years, building cohesion and loyalty.

3. Players have lost sight of the main purpose of college which is to use the abilities they were given to get an education and help prepare them for success after school. Very few have the elite abilities to have success playing basketball beyond college.

Conclusion:

Together, NIL and the transfer portal are creating a college basketball landscape where money and mobility dominate. Schools with strong financial backing and marketable platforms will likely attract top talent, further entrenching their dominance. Meanwhile, smaller programs may struggle to compete, both in terms of retaining players and attracting new ones.

For fans, these changes might lead to a less predictable and more fragmented sport. The excitement of watching a young team grow and mature over several seasons could be replaced by a more transient, mercenary model where rosters are overhauled annually. While this new reality might bring short-term excitement with high-profile transfers and star-studded lineups, it risks eroding the deep-seated traditions and loyalties that have long been the bedrock of college basketball.

by Franklin N. Gibson

Sports Analyst for Dr E C Fulcher Jr, LLC

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The Wahoo’s began February on a Rocky Mountain high by winning their first three conference games.

They were now in contention for the ACC top spot. But then the unthinkable happened – their offense began to unravel.

In the next four games they averaged just 49 points per game which resulted in three loses.

For the month, they finished 5-3 chasing both North Carolina and Duke in the Conference.

There are two more regular/ conference games left in March before the league playoffs begin.

Although the Cav’s overall record stands at 21-8 – as of this writing – they took their defeats on the chin. Some of their eight loses were frustrating to watch because they were uncharacteristic blowouts.

This team is too good to have these kinds of lapses so it is a concern for Bennett going forward.

Let’s hope they can play winning basketball throughout March because March is when the men from the boys get separated.

Go Hoos!!

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January proved to be a successful month for the Hoos.

After two consecutive losses they showed their prowess by reeling off five straight wins which is no easy feat in the ACC.

Entering February, the Cavs find themselves tied for second place with Duke – both 1 1/2  games behind North Carolina in the conference. Overall, they possess a respectable 16-5 record.

The ACC is arguably the premier conference in the country. To date, twelve of the fifteen teams have winning records, and two (North Carolina & Duke) are ranked in the top ten in the country.

Reece Beekman continues to be the glue on Bennett’s team and one of the consummate players in college basketball.

If January was any indication of what to look for in February and March it must be the Cavs bench. When called upon, each of them fulfilled their roles to their expectation which is a sign of maturity.

At this point, it seems like Bennett has found the rotation he was searching for. With that being said, the road to the conference title looks promising.

As always, Let’s go Hoos!

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