-There are three types of players that Coach Bennett has been looking for the past couple of weeks. The first is a post player who would be eligible to play immediately, in order to help lessen the blow of Mike Scott's departure as well as provide some much needed frontcourt depth. The first name that came up was Alex Oriakhi, the Junior Center from UCONN (eligible to play immediately due to their postseason ban). While UVA was mentioned occasionally on Oriakhi's list, the Cavs were never really a factor to land the formal National Champion, who ended up at Missouri. Another player fitting the description was Jared Swopshire, a Forward from Louisville who was not granted his redshirt year. UVA seemed to have a good shot at landing Swopshire, but in the end there wasn't enough mutual interest to spark a connection (he ended up at Northwestern).
The final player who could play next year is Sam McLaurin from Coastal Carolina. McLaurin is a 6'8 230lb PF who will graduate this year. This means that he will be eligible to play next season, as long as he transfers to a school that offers a major the CCU did not. Sam has said that he wants to play his final season of college basketball elsewhere because he wants to go to Law School. Now, this could easily be a polite excuse for another reason, but we don't really know that yet. If he is 100% committed on going to law school, he might have a hard time finding a place where he can play high level basketball as well. In my opinion, I think he'll be willing to pursue a grad program in a similar field, where he can prepare himself if he still wishes to go after next year. I think Virginia would be a great option. While he hasn't played against the best competition, McLaurin still seems like a guy who could come in and contribute for the Cavaliers next season. Virginia's frontcourt next season will only consist of Junior Akil Mitchell, Sophomore Darion Atkins, and Freshman Mike Tobey, so they could obviously use a veteran post player. McLaurin averaged 10 points 7.5 rebounds and 1 block per game last year for CCU. His most impressive outing came against Virginia opponent LSU, where he had 13 points on 6-8 shooting, 16 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Those are very impressive numbers against LSU's frontcourt of Justin Hamilton and Johnny O'Bryant. Here's some of his highlights:
As you can see in the film, McLaurin is a long and lean post player. He looks to be pretty athletic and very active on the boards. Sam doesn't look like the guy who will come into the ACC and dominate the post, but he certainly looks capable of being a presence down low, scooping up some rebounds, and being active on defense. In my opinion, this one's a no brainer. Look for Virginia to get involved in his recruitment. If he comes on board and is able to contribute consistently, UVA could have a pretty dangerous team in 2012-2013.
-The next type of transfers on Virginia's radar were a post player and a point guard for the future. UVA thought it had its guy in TJ McConnell, a sophomore PG transfer from Duquesne. However, the family connections to Arizona Head Coach Sean Miller as well as the prestige of their program (hence the nickname "PointGuardU") proved too difficult to overcome. TJ's father, though, seemed to be won over by Bennett and UVA, but eventually, TJ felt as if the Wildcats had more to offer him. While this one stung, it's not the end of the world. TJ did seem like the prototypical Tony Bennett PG, but there will be others out there. Also, we still have Teven Jones. Now while many Virginia fans have already unfairly written off Teven and are looking for his replacement, I'm a bit more optimistic. For one thing, Teven is probably a more highly regarded recruit coming out of high school than McConnell was, so folks should keep that in mind. Also, I got a chance to play with/against him a couple of weeks ago (along with Akil, Jesperson, and Rogers). Now it's nearly impossible to gauge talent in a pickup game like that, but I have always liked Teven's handle and just the overall control of his game. Also, he's deceptively strong (like Jontel) and very athletic. Working with Bub will prepare him to take over the reins. All this being said, we still need another PG, even if Teven turns out to be a stud. As of now, the main option seems to be Dylan Ennis. Honestly, I can't really see it happening. Villanova was the early favorite, but that could/will change if they add Wake Forest PG Tony Chennault (which seems likely). Then it's Cincinnati. Ennis has already visited these schools and has set up a visit to VT (who I know assume is eliminated with the news of Greenberg's firing). I can't really gauge where he stands, so I have a sort of "wait and see" attitude.
The next guard transfer name is Brian Sullivan. Sullivan is a Freshman SG/Combo Guard at Miami OH looking to transfer. Apparently, he was on grounds this weekend and is a guy that Bennett really likes. Now many fans online have expressed concern that Sullivan isn't really a point guard. I think this really shows how Tony doesn't look for "point guards", but rather guards who can pass, dribble, shoot, and defend. I think Sullivan could be that guy. Like many others, I was hesitant at first, but after watching his film, I think he could be a good fit. Now I still think we might need one more PG in 2013, but Sullivan could be a good option. Here's some highlights:
One thing is certain about Brian Sullivan...the kid can shoot. His form is just about perfect. He has incredible range and can get off a shot from just about anywhere. What I like about his game is that he seems to be a pretty complete combo guard. While I wouldn't call him a "point guard", he certainly has PG qualities. He seems to have a very good handle and is a very good passer. He averaged 10.3 points per game as a freshman at Miami last year and was absolutely deadly from deep. Because of this, he can score in bunches. He had 24 points against Vanderbilt, all 3 pointers, shooting 8-10 from deep. I think he can be an improved version of Sammy. He's quicker, more athletic, has a better handle, and looks to be a better shooter. While he's not option A at point guard, Sullivan is a guy that could be a great fit here. He seems to be the TJ McConnell of combo guards, if that makes any sense. The more I see of him, the more I like. I think Brian is someone who would really benefit from the year off, as he could both bulk up and learn Bennett's system and his future role as a PG. But like I said, while I think Sullivan is more than capable of running the point, I think we would still look to bring in a true point guard as well.
-Finally, let's get to the big men transfers. Now I'm gonna save the best for last, so I'll start with Damontre Harris. Harris is a 6'9 220lb Sophomore who, like Anthony Gill, is transferring from South Carolina. I have heard a lot of conflicting reports as to where Virginia stands with Harris, but I figured I might as well introduce him. Gill's AAU Coach Rick Lewis (NCST Signee Tyler Lewis's father) was the first to report Gill's commitment to Virginia this afternoon. Interestingly enough, Lewis has said for a couple weeks now that he expected both Gill and Harris to end up in Charlottesville. Well, he's 1 for 1 so far. Anyways, Harris, while very talented, hasn't seemed to scratch the surface of his potential. Every now and then, he'll show flashes of why he was so highly recruited out of High School. Harris averaged 6.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game last year for the Gamecocks. The best description for his game I could come up with is Darion Atkins in a year or two. He's stronger and a bit bigger than Darion, but is similarly defensively minded, long, and shares his shot-blocking and dunking abilities. It's hard to project how Harris would fit into our frontcourt rotation, but he seems like a guy too talented to pass up. Once it all clicks for him, Harris could potentially be a dominant force in the paint (which is why big time programs such as Kansas, Florida, and Marquette have come to visit him the past week or two).
And last but not least, Anthony Gill. Gill's commitment to Virginia this afternoon marked the end of a crazy journey the past couple of weeks. First, when South Carolina Coach Rick Horn was fired, Gill was unsure whether he would transfer or not. When former Kansas State Frank Martin was hired, Gill eventually decided he wanted out, but Martin wasn't really ready to let him go. Finally, he was granted a release. Because of Virginia's strong interest and already existing relationship from his recruitment out of High School, Gill set up his visit to Charlottesville first. It soon became clear that Anthony was down to three schools: UVA, Ohio State, and UNC. With a visit to UVA in the books, and another to Columbus set for the following weekend, UNC finally reentered the picture. However, Gill was put off by Coach Roy Williams's attitude towards him, and decided to eliminate the home state Tarheels (much to the relief of many Wahoo fans). After in-home visits in Columbia by both the Cavalier and Buckeye coaching staffs, Gill went to Columbus to see what Ohio State had to offer. Ultimately, the connection with Virginia was just too much for the Buckeyes to overcome, as Gill chose the Cavaliers this afternoon.
When I first heard of Gill's name as a potential transfer, I naturally went to YouTube to check out his game. After about 45 seconds of film, I was convinced that Bennett absolutely had to reel him in. I could not think of a better fit for our team's needs than Anthony Gill. The easy comparison for Gill is Mike Scott. However, I actually see a bit more in Anthony's game. Now I don't mean to say he's going to be "better" than Mike Scott, but rather the he has to potential to be better. Anthony seems more versatile and athletic than Mike. If Mike has some of Gill's abilities with the basketball or his athleticism, he'd likely be a 1st Round draft pick without question. While many look at Gill's solid but not overly intimidating stats (7.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and see his addition as nothing more that a little bit of post help, I see him as "our guy" for the future. I look at his game and see someone who has all of the tools to be a great, All-ACC type player. I honestly have had a hard time finding any real flaws. For a big man, Anthony is fantastic with the ball in his hands. He is comfortable putting the ball on the floor and even running down the floor to beat a press. His perimeter shot forces defenders to respect his very good up-fakes, which he uses to get his man in the air to blown by him off the dribble. While he will certainly bulk up next year, he has already shown the ability to "body" his man down low and finish with contact. I see Anthony as a more complete version of Mike going into his second year. Add a year off to bulk up and learn the system and Gill could be scary good when he takes the floor in 2013. I like his AAU Coach's description of his game:
Rick Lewis, Gill’s former AAU coach, calls Gill “sneaky athletic.” He recalled a game from a few years ago in which Gill took off from just inside the free-throw line on a fastbreak and dunked.
“I’ve seen him do things where you’re just sitting there and going, ‘Wow!’” said Lewis, the father of 2012 N.C. State recruit Tyler Lewis, who runs his own scouting service.
“He’s a two-handed rebounder and once he gets the ball he rarely fumbles or loses it,” he said. “He’s really good around the basket. He’s more explosive than what a lot of people think he is, but he has the ability to step out and knock down a 15-foot jumper.”
“He’s always been sort of like a sleeping giant,” Lewis said. “I’ve always thought that if he developed that mean streak, he could be like [an NBA player]. (Courtesy of The Daily Progress)
Here are the clips that made me fall in love with his game. While his competition doesn't look to be all that great, you can still get a glimpse at his athleticism and strength with the ball in his hands.
I'll close with talking briefly about Justin Miller. His is a name that many Virginia fans who follow recruiting closely are familiar with. Miller, a 6'1 guard from Missouri, was on Virginia's radar a couple of years ago, before being sidelined his Senior season with an odd foot injury requiring extensive surgery and treatment. Well, I got a text last weekend from a friend who was hanging out with some players and recruits. The text asked me if I knew of a guy named Justin from Missouri who might be coming to Virginia to play next year. I had to do some research, but Miller's name quickly popped up, and I knew that was the guy. Now I don't know much about Miller's game, but from everything I've heard, he's a combo type shooting guard similar to Sullivan. Considering Virginia is taking him as a walk-on, this is the perfect example of a no-lose situation for both parties.
"Once I got over the injury, I was like, 'I'm going to focus on getting better and hopefully put myself in a position to play next year.' "
Miller has been attending Missouri and playing as much basketball as he can. He competes on MU's club basketball team, plays about 2-3 hours of pickup games at the rec center every day and also participates in an online workout with Jason Otter, an elite point guard trainer based in Saginaw, Mich.
His surgically repaired foot has held up to the pounding.
"My foot feels 110 percent," Miller said. "I've never felt this good."
Miller kept in touch with Bennett through a family friend and was invited to work out for the Virginia coaches, who liked what they saw.
"The second my admission stuff goes through, I'm on the team," he said.
Miller plans to enroll at Virginia for summer courses and hopes to make enough of an impact to earn some playing time on an ACC squad that is reportedly thin at point guard behind starter Jontel Evans.
"Division I has always been my dream," Miller said. "Now that a major D-I school is giving me this opportunity, I'm really thankful." (Courtesy of The Columbia Tribune)
That's it for now, but stay tuned...we're not done yet. I plan to have another update within a month, hopefully reporting on more good news as well as discussing our incoming recruits and other topics. Welcome aboard to AnGo Hoos!
