And So It Begins...

I wasn't surprised by the Iowa game. I knew that we were going to face a really good team and that's exactly what happened. I'm not exaggerating when I say that Iowa team is one of the best teams Virginia has faced all season long. The Hawkeyes were certainly the best defensive team we played all year. Yes, we played Wisconsin, but we caught them at a time where their defense was still a bit raw and coming up to speed. People always talk about Duke's on-ball pressure, but it was nothing compared to the display of Fran McCaffery's boys last week. I don't want to really get into the game too much. Iowa was simply the better team that night. They were playing their best basketball at the end of the year while we had been fading ever since the Duke win. Anyways, this post isn't about that game or this past season. Rather, it's about......

Ahh, yes. It's finally here. I don't know when it began, but some time within the past year or so, UVA fans began to talk about The Future. Specifically, they were referring to the 2013-2014 season. Why? Well for a couple of reasons:

1) The hype surrounding the 2012 recruiting class (featuring 3 ESPNU Top 100 players; 5 commits in total) generated a buzz for the UVA hoops program. The Tobey and Nolte commitments went largely under the radar, but people took notice when Justin Anderson decommitted from Maryland when Gary Williams return and flipped his commitment to Virginia. Anderson may have been the most well know high school basketball player ranked outside the Top 50 in some time (okay some services had him in the Top 50 or barely outside but you get my point). Why is this? Well first off, Anderson was formerly ranked the number one player in his class. When he was going into high school, he (unsurprisingly) dominated because of his freakish athleticism. However, as the rest of the class grew older, quicker, and stronger, Justin could no longer rely on his God-given physical attributes alone. He had to develop an elite level skillset if he was going to retain his ranking. Well, that didn't come easy, as he struggled with his handle and shot, he saw his once elite ranking plummet. I remember watching his film a couple of years ago and saying, "Wow that's nice and all, but can he do anything besides dunk." Fast forward a year or so to his final year on the AAU circuit with Boo Williams. Anderson had a great summer and shower real improvement in multiple areas of his game. Because of this, his ranking crept back up, though not anywhere near the top of the list. Still, his reputation made it so that when he flipped his commitment to UVA, people began to look at the rest of Virginia's class as well.

2) Anthony Gill and Malcolm Brogdon- I'll have more in depth posts this offseason about each individual player and what they bring to the table so I'll just say here that UVA fans realize that they may not just be getting two contributors next year, but they very well may be getting two stars. I don't have a ton of inside info or anything, but I do know that Gill's teammates have been very high on his play in practice this year. Even all the way back in the summer when he had just gotten hear, I was hearing about how good he was. There's been a rumor/inside joke going around the UVA fanbase that Gill is the best player on the team. I can neither confirm nor deny that without seeing him play in person (yeah I saw him in the scrimmage and yeah he was probably the best player on the floor, but that doesn't count). All I'll say is that those within the program are expecting big things from him this year and beyond.

3) We got a PG...sort of. So with the 2012 class, the addition of Gill, and the return of Brogdon, along with veterans Harris, Mitchell, and others, all that seemed to be missing was a PG. Last summer, the biggest issue of controversy and heated debate among UVA fans was without question Tony Bennett's ability to recruit a point guard. There were basically two camps. One, which I considered myself a member of, trusted that Bennett knew what he was doing. The other feared that Tony, with his slow tempo style, would never be able to convince an elite level PG to play his college ball in Charlottesville. After a number of near misses, Virginia finally got what it needed when 2014 Top 100 PG Devon Hall, who's brother is on the football team, agreed to reclassify to his original 2013 class and commit to UVA. This was huge. Many saw this as the missing piece of the puzzle. Everything else was in place to have a legit squad in 2013. Well, not long after that, Bennett offered yet another Top 100 PG, London Perrantes. Ironically, some Virginia fans actually disagreed with this move (probably the same ones attacking Bennett days earlier over never being able to land a PG). Well, Perrantes visited and committed. A short time before then, Virginia had no future at PG. Now it had two high major commits to go along with Teven Jones, who was already in the program. Now, in typical self-deprecating fashion, many Virginia fans seem to have cooled down from that "high" of this summer and are freaking out about PG play. I'll address that in a later post.

4) The final reason for excitement is the most recent one: what happened on the court this year. Now bowing out in the NIT Quarterfinals may not seem like much, but I don't think I'm alone in saying that this year gave Virginia fans a whole bunch of reasons to be even giddier about next year. First off, every single returning player (who was healthy) improved and improved greatly. Coming into the year, the worry was "who would replace Mike Scott" both in terms of post presence and scoring. Well, those questions were pretty much answered about a week or two into the season. It quickly became obvious that both Joe Harris and Akil Mitchell had taken their games up quite a few levels. And it wasn't just them either. Darion Atkins transformed into an undersized, foul happy, one dimensional player into a legitimate ACC starter in just a few months. Some seem to forget this, but before his injury, Atkins was playing incredibly. While Harris was the MVP of that big win up in Madison, Atkins wasn't far behind. He was pretty much dominant in every aspect of the game. He was active on defense and the boards and showed incredibly poise and touch on offense. Finally, people (including myself) tend to give Paul Jesperson a hard time. While some of this is deserved, let's remember something: he turned himself from someone who had to burn a planned Redshirt year halfway through, only to play sparingly, into an everyday starter and defensive stopper in just a few months. Without his defense on some of the ACC's best, we probably don't even sniff the NIT. Yes he needs to have a presence on offense, but given Bennett's track record of making his players better, odds are he might do just that. We also learned this year that the hyped up 2012 class is indeed good. While the play of Justin Anderson and Mike Tobey stood out the most, all 5 freshman showed signs of promise. And not only that, but each of them pretty much single-handedly decided at least one game. If they can all stay healthy, that is gonna be one special group of players.

So there are the reasons for the hype. I'm going to be going into a lot more depth on a bunch of these topics this offseason so I'll cut it off there. But I do want to bring up one more thing (which really led me to write this post in the first place). This evening I watched a google hangout of the ACC Digital Network where a couple of ACC columnists (unsurprisingly all from the Triad and yes I have no life). In this video, the group discussed a variety of topics ranging from NCST's recent implosion, which ACC players were returning or NBA bound, and what the ACC would look like next year. What struck me was that Virginia wasn't mentioned a single time in the entire video. There was even a question of "Who do you think will be next year's version of Miami?". The answers from the "experts"?

1) Maryland, but only if Len returns.
2) Georgia Tech
3) Boston College

Uhhh, what? Maryland I can totally understand. They've got a ton of talent coming back next year. Does that really hinge on Len though? While Len may be an elite NBA prospect, that doesn't necessarily make him a really good college player. I think Maryland is going to be dangerous regardless of whether Len returns (he won't). I think you could even make a case for them being a better team next year without him. He doesn't really seem to fit with the rest of that team. I look at their roster and see a bunch of big, strong, physical, and athletic guys who like to get out in transition. Len is the odd-ball. Even if you lose Len, you still have Charles Mitchell, Shaq Cleare, Damonte Dodd, and even Jake Layman. Those guys go together. Add that with a very solid backcourt led by freshman Roddy Peters, Nick Faust, and Dez Wells, you got yourself a team. So yes, I like the Maryland pick, but if you think that Len's decision determines their fate for next year, you're just not looking at the big picture.

Georgia Tech? I mean, I guess they have a couple of decent players and pulled off some upsets, but how do you expect them to rack up any significant wins in next year's ACC? That's just not gonna happen. They'll be improved, but so will a lot of teams.

Now the BC pick I also get, but for different reasons. It's you're typical "cute" pick. Just like Baseball America is enamored with VT this year and rooting for them to prove them right, there'll be some like this "expert" who will root for BC to shock the world. But aren't Virginia and Maryland just extremely more talented and deeper versions of BC? Why not just pick them. The only reason one would pick them is because they A) Have some young talent in Olivier Hanlan and Ryan Anderson and B) Are well coached. I think BC is gonna be a good team next year. I really do. But I just don't know how anyone thinks they're really gonna stick with Cuse, UNC, Duke, UVA, Maryland, etc. I see them as a bubble team, not "next year's Miami".

This leads me to my main question. Are people just not aware about Virginia? Now I didn't expect people to come out and predict us to win the ACC or anything, but I felt like we were gonna be a pretty damn sexy pick this offseason. Maybe they are aware, do they really think teams like Maryland, BC, and GT are gonna be better? Now I know that our style makes it so that we can be a hard team to get behind but still, I just don't get that. And let me point out that I don't really care. I'm not gonna say "I could care less" whether we get some preseason media love. I'm a human. It'd be pretty neat to see UVA being talked about and having some relevance in the college basketball world. But it won't bother me if we're ignored. Heck, I think it'd be a good thing. Go ahead. Give guys like Justin Anderson and Akil Mitchell some fuel to add to their fires. Could be exactly what we need. So, let me reiterate that being ignored doesn't bother me so much as it confuses me.

I know I'm extremely biased, but I just don't know how you can look at this and not be impressed:

	6'1	PG	London	Perrantes	Freshman
	6'6	SG	Paul	Jesperson	Junior
	6'5	PG	Devon	Hall	Freshman
	6'4	SG	Taylor	Barnette	Sophomore
	6'1	PG	Teven	Jones	Sophomore
	6'11	C	Mike	Tobey	Sophomore
	6'8	SF	Evan	Nolte	Sophomore
	6'6	SF/SG	Joe	Harris	Senior
	6'8	PF	Anthony	Gill	Sophomore
	6'5	SG/PG	Malcolm	Brogdon	Sophomore
	6'6	SF	Justin	Anderson	Sophomore
	6'8	PF/C	Akil	Mitchell	Senior
	6'8	PF	Darion	Atkins	Junior

Iowa Scouting Report:

So, for a couple of reasons, I basically decided to take this year off (not that anyone really noticed). Well, I'm trying to make a comeback. Yeah, I know. We might only have one game left this year. But still, I figured I'd be upset with myself if I quit this after just one season. So the plan is to try and finish out this year a post some off season recruiting and prediction stuff, and then try and keep it going through next season (which will be my last year here at UVA). I have a feeling that there'll be enough blogworthy material next year to keep me motivated, but that's a topic for another day.


Anyways, Iowa. First of all, as Coach Bennett indicated in the postgame presser following yesterday's win over St. John's, Iowa is a really good team. Bennett suggested that they might be one of the best squads we face all year and I tend to agree with that. Not only were they a few close games away from making the NCAA Tournament, but they were also really a few close games away from being a pretty damn good seed.

Dec 31	vs #5 IND	L 69-65

Jan 10

vs #22 MSU

L 62-59

Jan 22	@ #14 OSU	L 72-63

Jan 27

@ PUR

L 65-62 OT

Feb 3	@ #23 MINN	L 62-59
Feb 6	@ WIS	L 74-70 2OT

Feb 23

@ NEB

L 64-60

Mar 15

vs #8 MSU*

L 59-56

Just look at those close losses. If one or two go the other way, they're dancing. Three or four? They're a lock and a decent seed. Now the 9 point OSU loss in Columbus may not seem "close", until you look at the box score. Iowa trailed 53-29 with 12:48 left. With a minute left, the score was 63-59 Buckeyes. They went on a 30-10 run against the eventual Big Ten Champs in their own house. That alone is worthy of taking notice.

Enough about their losses, let's look at their wins.

Dec 7	vs ISU	W 80-71

Jan 19

vs WIS

W 70-66

Feb 17	vs MINN	W 72-51

Mar 5

vs ILL

W 63-55

*

Four very good wins against tourney teams. The trend? They were obviously all at home. Like Virginia, it was likely Iowa's inability to win on the road that kept them out of the dance. But if you look at the table of Losses above, it is clear that the Hawkeyes didn't exactly roll over on the road. While they weren't able to get that quality road win, they came damn near close. In fact the only two road blowouts were against Michigan and Virginia Tech. No that's not a typo.

Iowa 79

(5-2, 0-1 away)

Virginia Tech 95

(6-0, 5-0 home)

Coverage: ESPNU

7:15 PM ET, November 27, 2012

Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, VA

	1	2	T
IOWA	38	41	79
VT	46	49	95

Top Performers

Iowa: R. Marble 18 Pts, 7 Reb, 7 Ast

Virginia Tech: E. Green 24 Pts, 5 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl

**

I watched this game. It was a sort of "perfect storm" for both teams. It was a good sort of perfect storm for the Hokies, as they were in the midst of their hot streak and Iowa let them get away with pushing the tempo. If Iowa had tried to slow it down (even though that's not really they're game), I don't think there's any way Tech could've stopped them on defense. Maybe VT still would've won, but it would've been much closer. It was a bad perfect storm for Iowa just because they were coming off their first loss of the year to Wichita State in the Cancun Tournament. And let's be real here, it's unfair to expect much out of a team that has to go from Cancun....

***

....to Blacksburg in November:

We can understandably forgive them for that loss.

But seriously, you can throw away that game just like you can throw away the ODU, GMU, and Delaware games for us. The team that lost of VT won't be there on Wednesday, neither will the one that went 0-3 against the CAA. The fact is that both teams are greatly improved (and healthier).

Projected Starters:

6'8 Akil Mitchell           7'1 Adam Woodbury
6'6 Justin Anderson       6'7 Melsahn Basabe
6'6 Joe Harris                6'8 Aaron White
6'5 Paul Jesperson         6'6 Roy Devyn Marble
5'11 Jontel Evans          6'1 Mike Gesell

Matchups:

Woodbury starts for Iowa, but I imagine that might just be to win the opening tip because he rarely plays over 20 minutes. When he's out, they could either go small by putting guys like 6'5 wing Eric May or 6'5 wing/shooter Josh Oglesby in. Or, they could play a bigger lineup, replacing Woodbury with 6'10 Gabriel Olaseni or 6'7 Zach McCabe. I'm not totally sure which direction they'll go. They're a deep team that likes to use a bunch of different guys, so I'd imagine they'll try out a couple lineups and see what works. But looking at the matchups, I'll  focus on the guys most likely to see the floor.

I think we'll see a good bit of Mitchell on Basabe. Frankly, when I look at their both of their games, I see some similarities. Both are a bit undersized and rely on their quickness and athleticism to be effective on both ends. Basable is just that, quick and athletic. He likes to dunk the ball and protect the rim. He won't shoot from outside, but he's pretty effective inside the paint. He's not a big scorer, but he's also not a guy you can forget about. If you give him easy ones, he can put 15 or so on you in a hurry. He also seems like a guy who will draw contact and get to the line. I'll give the edge here to Akil, though, just because he's not going to be the least bit phased after the guys he's faced all year. Obviously, Basabe has gone against some of the best bigs in the country as well, but I doubt he's drawn the kind of assignments Akil gets on a nightly basis. I expect Basabe to be active on defense and try to frustrate Akil down low, but at the end of the day, I just think Akil is the better player. He's been playing good basketball recently (with the exception of the NSU game) and I expect that to continue against Iowa.

The next big matchup will be on the wings. Now these could go a number of different ways. All I know is that Jesperson likely won't guard White. Other than that, I could see Harris and Anderson (and maybe even Nolte) on either White, Marble, McCabe, or May. White is probably the guy that scares the most on this Iowa team. He's a big, athletic wing that can hurt you in a bunch of different ways. He's a physical player that uses his size and athleticism to his advantage. He can step out and hit shots from the outside, but I think his strength is taking it to the rim. I think we'll see Anderson on him when May is in the game. Otherwise, I think Joe may try and handle this matchup. He's a bit smaller than White, but Joe has handled matchups like that plenty of other times. One thing to be aware of concerning White is that he's very good at getting to the line, so whoever guards him will have to stay out of foul trouble.

The other main matchup on the wing will be whoever guards Iowa's top scorer, Roy Devyn Marble. Again, this will depend on who guards White and whether Iowa goes small with May and Oglesby, or big with Olaseni and McCabe. Still, I have a feeling we'll see Jesperson on Marble for a good portion of the game. The thing that most concerns me about Marble is if he heats from outside. He's not a great 3 point shooter, at least when it comes to consistency, but when he's feeling it, he can be really dangerous. Now, this hasn't really happened too much this year, but if there was a team where it could happen against, I feel like it would be UVA. Out of all of Virginia's wings, Paul does the best job closing out and denying open shots from range. He's not perfect at this, but still, he has shown the ability to frustrate opposing shooters. Still, Jesperson will have to work to prevent Marble from getting into the lane. Hopefully, the pack line will prevent some of his dribble penetration. In one of the two games against Wisconsin, he went 1-10 from the floor for just 2 points. We'll have to hope for a similar night.

At point guard, the matchup is pretty much set in stone. For most of the game, it'll be Jontel Evans vs. Mike Gesell. Some of you may remember Gesell's name. This is because he was firmly on Virginia's recruiting radar, though Bennett never officially offered. I really, really liked his game in high school. I never really knew why we never offered. There was a time where I felt that if we did indeed offer, we would've had a good chance. Ultimately, I don't know how likely that would have been once his friend and AAU teammate Adam Woodbury committed to the Hawkeyes (though one could make the case that Woodbury wouldn't be at Iowa without Gesell). Anyways, I still really like Mike's game. He has nice size, strength, and quickness. He can handle the ball, make good decisions and passes, and knock down shots both from deep and from around the foul line. All in all, he's just a really solid PG. Bub could frustrate him and defense, but still, I expect Gesell to have a good game. I don't think he'll really determine the game, unless he either has an uncharacteristically good or bad game. I think Evans is a step quicker, so hopefully he'll be able to get to the rack a few times.

As far as the bench goes, as I mentioned above, Iowa uses a bunch of bodies. You can expect 9-10 guys to see time for the Hawkeyes. However, I feel that the only real guys on the bench to take note of are Eric May and Zach McCabe, and to a lesser extent, Josh Oglesby. Now May has seen a bit more time than Gesell recently, so you may see more of him against Evans. May is a big, very athletic guard with great size. He's much more of a wing or combo guard than a true point guard, but you may see him play some point on Wednesday. He's good at getting past his defender and either pulling up for a shot, dishing to a teammate, or taking it to the basket. McCabe's a guy who seems to like to step in the game and take a couple of threes. He's got a nice shot that Virginia will have to be ready for. He's also got good size and could create some matchup issues. We might see Nolte on him for a bit. Now Woodbury isn't technically on the bench, but it might feel like it. I'm assuming we'll see Tobey play when Woodbury's on the floor. Otherwise, I think we might see Darion get some run. As far as the Tobey-Woodbury matchup, I like Mike. Woodbury's gonna be a very good player, but I think he's not quite at the level Tobey is. Mike has faced and succeeded against better and more experienced guys than Woodbury. It'll be interesting to see if Tobey can get in a rhythm like he did against St. John's.

Now I've written at length about matchups, but I really think this game will come down to how the Hawkeyes try and defend. I have a feeling they'll try and go zone, like we've seen with Maryland, NSU, and St. John's recently. It seems like Joe seems to struggle to assert himself against the zone. I think this is because his biggest strength is the way he moves without the ball and creates separation from a chasing defender. Against a zone, there is no chasing defender. Don't get me wrong. His game can still be very effective against a zone, it's just that he's just not as used to it. Still, in the past couple games, while he hasn't been scoring as much, he has been doing a good job of breaking the zone down and creating opportunity for teammates. I have a feeling he'll have a better night against the Hawkeyes. Still, overall, I think this game comes down to how UVA executes on offense. I think the game will be a tough grind. We'll want to slow it down, they'll want to run, and it'll likely fall somewhere in the middle.

Keys for Virginia to win the game:
1) Rebound the ball- Iowa is a big, athletic, and active team that can potentially dominate on the glass. Virginia didn't do a good enough job on the boards against St. John's. If they have a similar showing, it they'll probably lose. UVA must be especially aware of Iowa's guards crashing the boards.
2) Create good shots and knock 'em down- This is key to just about every game, but if they go zone, it's an even bigger deal. As we've seen recently, we seem to prefer playing against man rather than zone. If they do go zone, we must be opportunistic and capitalize on the opportunities we do create, because they may be fewer than we would against man.

I'm not going to give a real prediction other than the fact that I like UVA's chances at home against anyone. It wouldn't surprise me if Virginia lost to Iowa, but still, given Iowa's struggles on the road and our success at home, there are reasons to feel confident.


*http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/2294/iowa-hawkeyes
** http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=323320259
*** http://wfiles.brothersoft.com/c/cancun-island_95633-1920x1200.jpg
**** https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4S2MnXOZIOVLJMQCEi2xD6PVsYNapMq9zRfphscooIVIBsrNxtR595Dm5qCl03EaG7qpbYVCbGqNZbQ8-2N3-fOrKAVOhxwv5UpS7H9EsLuciFICKUsrIxipB3t1DegHvaqsZPfqoWWg/s200/cassell+coliseum+j.jpg

Offseason Update #1: Bennett gets his guy in Anthony Gill, and more:

Well, today has been a crazy day to say the least. I had originally planned to wait until all offseason acquisitions were finalized, but I felt like today was a good day to post for the first time since the Florida game. It has already been a beyond chaotic couple of weeks. Virginia knew going into the offseason that it wanted, or rather needed, to add a couple of transfers to provide some depth to the depleted roster.

-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!