 |
12-18-2024, 11:06 AM
|
#151 |
|
College Prospect
Join Date: Sep 2022
|
May 1, 2025
The transfer portal opens today, and we have two scholarships available. When I look at the list of players who have entered the portal, I see a very familiar name...none other than Chris Como. I redshirted Chris in my last season at Amherst. In a move reminiscent of what happened to Jan Billups at Rider, David Getty didn't let Chris play at all last season. No wonder he was unhappy, and no wonder he wants to transfer. Chris lists UVA as his second choice, behind Syracuse. I check out his profile to see if he's gotten better, and the answer is yes. I offer Chris a scholarship, and... Code:
Welcome to the Cavalier basketball family, Chris! We'll see you on the court in 2026. |
|
|
|
12-18-2024, 12:48 PM
|
#152 |
|
College Prospect
Join Date: Sep 2022
|
July 1, 2025
Seniors Charlie Shaughnessy and Keith Tyus are both on scholarship, so we will have two offers in hand at the beginning of this recruiting season. If I'd like to free up another schollie, I can cut one of our three walk-ons. Our depth chart looks like this: Centers: SO, FR, SO (W) Power Forwards: JR, FR (W) Small Forwards: JR, FR, SO Shooting Guards: JR, SR, SO, SO Point Guards: SR, FR, SO (W) I feel like we're always looking for big men. I want to find the next Jan Billups, a dude who will start 100 games for us as an anchor big. I'd like to bring in a good lead guard. We'll have only one PG on scholarship after this year, and Anthony Carrero will need some help. We don't need a shooting wing. We have Buffalo Joe, John Steinberg, and Chris Como returning. |
|
|
|
|
12-18-2024, 02:29 PM
|
#153 |
|
College Prospect
Join Date: Sep 2022
|
August 1, 2025
Here's how our call list looks as we begin our recruiting season. Code:
Let's take a closer look at Aaron Jackson, who has some qualities I like to see in a point guard. Code:
We'll make Aaron an offer, and we'll bring him to campus in addition to having Coaches Whittaker and Mazur visit him and his family. Is it crazy for us to go after four-star talent Lucas Pearson? Code:
I'll also actively recruit this big man from the western part of the state: Code:
I'll invite Isaiah to campus and send our coaches to visit him and his family. If Lucas doesn't show quick, significant interest in playing for UVA, I'll have that scholarship offer in Isaiah's hands in a hurry. |
|
|
|
|
12-18-2024, 03:48 PM
|
#154 |
|
College Prospect
Join Date: Sep 2022
|
September 1, 2025
Aaron Jackson received an offer from Drexel last month, and they've moved up to second on his list. We're still #1, though, and we'll continue to court him. Lucas Pearson showed just enough interest in us to convince me to keep recruiting him. Lucas also holds offers from NC State and Virginia Tech, and he retains his interest in North Carolina. But, since he moved us onto his five-deep list, we can invite him to campus this month...and we will. I decided to cut a walk-on and release a third scholarship. I'm giving it to Isaiah Young this month. Liberty, Radford, and Davidson all offered Isaiah this month, but he still prefers UVA. Now he has an even bigger reason to like us. Another good big man showed increased interest in our program this month: Code:
I'm investing all the time and energy I can into Will's recruitment. If we're not first on Lucas's list by this time next month, I won't hesitate to give the offer to Will instead. |
|
|
|
|
12-18-2024, 04:19 PM
|
#155 |
|
College Prospect
Join Date: Sep 2022
|
October 1, 2025
With a month to go before Decision Day, it looks like Aaron Jackson has closed his recruitment. UVA is the only school on his list now. He's concentrating on trying to help his football team reach the state playoffs; last Friday, he threw two TD passes in Hampton Roads Academy's 22-15 victory over Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. Coaches Whittaker and Mazur will watch him play this weekend. Isaiah Young still likes Liberty and Radford enough to keep them on his list, but we remain his favorite. Will Hubbard has a wonderful time on his campus visit, and as he's leaving, we make him a scholarship offer. Lucas Pearson has offers from two programs he likes better, UNC and NC State. I don't mind engaging in a brisk recruiting battle, but the odds weren't with us this time. I'd be delighted with a class containing Aaron, Isaiah, and Will. Perhaps that's what we will have a month from now. |
|
|
|
|
12-18-2024, 04:41 PM
|
#156 |
|
College Prospect
Join Date: Sep 2022
|
November 1, 2025
Decision Day Good news! Aaron Jackson and Isaiah Young will both be playing their college basketball at the University of Virginia! Aaron doesn't score as much as most high school stars. He concentrates on helping his teammates get good shots and locking down the best guard on the other team. He's the kind of young man we want in our program, too: a very good student, the president of his class, and an active volunteer. I think we're going to like him a lot. Isaiah is quicker than most 6'9" players, able to guard four positions. He might not be a college center, but his skills should play well at power forward, too. Both of Isaiah's parents attended UVA, and they're delighted to continue their family's legacy with their son. Welcome to the UVA basketball family, Aaron and Isaiah! There's good news about Will Hubbard, too. He's taken the other schools he was considering off his list, leaving us in position to gain his signature in a month. It would be wonderful to finish recruiting in December, and even more wonderful to enter the 2026/27 season with a full roster of scholarship players. |
|
|
|
|
12-20-2024, 01:11 AM
|
#157 |
|
College Prospect
Join Date: Sep 2022
|
November 9, 2025
It's time to meet the NIT titleholders...the Virginia Cavaliers. Code:
How did fall training camp go? Code:
In Toby Whittaker's first season at the helm in Charlottesville, the Cavs recovered from a heartbreaking loss in the second round of the ACC tourney to storm to the NIT championship. Two of the players who were so crucial to this successful finish were seniors Dee Jarmon and Jan Billups. They've graduated, but Whittaker's cupboard is far from bare. After a superb freshman season, Trevor Bocanegra was poised to be the team's star as a sophomore...and then his senior teammates blew up. Bocanegra seemed to quietly step back a bit, but at the same time, he improved every aspect of his game. The team's leading scorer (14.8 PPG), Trevor has honed his jumper into an even more deadly weapon. His backcourt mate is senior point guard Keith Tyus. He responded well to his first full-time starting gig, and he showed marked improvement in his shooting and distribution in camp. He'll provide a calm, composed presence on offense, and he is a very good on-ball defender. Joe Cavallini began last season as the team's sixth man, but he shot his way into the starting lineup and kept on firing. He was miscast as a "power forward" last season; Buffalo Joe is far better suited to the wing, where his length and active nature give defenders fits. He'll return to his natural role this season. Senior Scott Chambliss, who traded roles with Cavallini last year, will have another crack at the four spot this season. A bit undersized at 6'6", he's still a very effective defender because of his athleticism and court sense. The fifth starter will be freshman center Chris Burke. His offensive game is a work in progress, but we don't need Chris to score. If he can rebound, block a few shots, and play tough defense--all things he looks ready to do at the college level--he'll be fine. Senior Charlie Shaughnessy has carved out a role as a versatile reserve in his two seasons at UVA. He'll be the team's sixth man this season, featuring the ability to score at all three levels and a knack for creating turnovers. Jonathan Mooney will be the first big man off the bench. The sophomore is a good defender. His classmate Larry Wallace and freshman John Steinberg will compete for playing time on the wing. Wallace is a well-rounded player without a single signature trait, while Steinberg is an excellent shooter who doesn't neglect his defensive duties. Freshman Anthony Carreno will spell Tyus at the point. A productive fall camp has made this year's Cavaliers look as skilled as last year's NIT champions. Bocanegra has reached his Blue potential, and he's considered one of the top ten professional prospects in his class. Tyus, Cavallini, and Shaughnessy are full Green players now. That's a solid core of talented players. The ACC will again feature four or five ranked teams, so Whittaker's charges will face one tough test after another once conference play begins. This year's pre-conference schedule isn't quite as tough as last year's gauntlet was, so we should enter the ACC program with a healthy record and high levels of confidence. Perhaps we'll reach our AD's goal of a spot in the NCAA field this season. Last edited by MoonlightGraham : 12-20-2024 at 01:12 AM. |
|
|
|
|
12-21-2024, 11:14 AM
|
#158 |
|
College Prospect
Join Date: Sep 2022
|
December 1, 2025
Recruiting Update Will Hubbard informs us today that he's committing to Virginia. Let's go! I have a very good feeling about Will. We may need to be patient with him as his substantial potential as a scorer develops, but he's already demonstrated the desire and the ability to defend against the best big men in the area. Coach Whittaker watched him hold Loyola commit Elias Murray, a high three-star center, to eight points and four rebounds in a Thanksgiving tournament final. Our entire frontcourt rotation will return next season, but it's always been dependent on a walk-on or two. Will's arrival will fill out a roster of 13 scholarship players. Now the challenge will be finding enough playing time for all of them to keep them happy. That's a problem for next-year-me, though.  Welcome to UVA basketball, Will. |
|
|
|
|
12-21-2024, 01:49 PM
|
#159 |
|
College Prospect
Join Date: Sep 2022
|
January 14, 2026
Code:
Best win so far: at Vanderbilt last week. Trevor Bocanegra is the star, with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Trevor leads us with 18.2 PPG, and he's sailed past the 1000-point mark for his UVA career. Worst defeat so far: probably at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish aren't a bad team, but we shoot badly (with the exception of Charlie Shaughnessy and his 21 points) and we never find our rhythm. Charlie is adapting well to his role as our sixth man, scoring in double figures despite not finding the range from behind the arc; he's shooting 24% from long range. Such is not the case with Joe Cavallini. He's understandably drawing more defensive attention than before, and he's not making half his threes anymore, but he's darn close (21-for-44, 47.7%). At 15.5 PPG, he's become a star. Code:
Goodness, the ACC is brutal. We're run through our pre-conference slate with a 10-3 record, and eight teams in our league are doing better. For several reasons, the path to the top of the ACC is a long, difficult one. We'd have to climb over quite a few teams to get there. That will require us to beat teams that have more talented players than we do. Unless we manage do accomplish that task, we won't be able to recruit players as good as the ones our opponents have. Our natural recruiting area--Virginia, Maryland, and DC, perhaps North Carolina, West Virginia, and Delaware--contains a number of top programs. "Winning" the recruiting battle in our home state is a goal I'd like to achieve. Right now the best in-state players are still looking elsewhere, though. Can a team led by solid, three-star players win in the ACC? It won't be easy. |
|
|
|
|
Today, 08:27 AM
|
#160 |
|
College Prospect
Join Date: Sep 2022
|
February 11, 2026
To answer the question I posed last time: can a team like UVA, with three-star players in key roles rather than five-star guys, win in the ACC? If we restrict our scope to the first half of this year's conference schedule, the answer is "much of the time, yes." Code:
All true Hoos know that a 29-point win over the Hokies is a very, very good thing. Trevor Bocanegra, Keith Tyus, and Charlie Shaughnessy all drop at least 20 on our in-state rivals. Trevor leads the way with a career-high 29 points. For seniors Keith and Charlie, it's especially sweet to play so well in their last trip to Blacksburg. It's Joe Cavallini's turn against Boston College; Buffalo Joe scorches the Eagles with 25 points and 11 boards, and Keith adds another 20. Trevor returns to center stage with another double-double (23p/11r) in our closely-fought victory against Clemson at JPJ. We're not flawless; we're terrible against UNC at home, committing 21 turnovers and losing by 35. But we gain some revenge with a landmark victory over the Tar Heels at the Dean Smith Center. Keith Tyus puts us in the lead for the final time when he scores with 1:29 remaining, and Trevor Bocanegra stars again with 25 points. Trevor is making a strong case for postseason honors. We come within a basket of a share of the ACC lead at the halfway point. Maryland's Richard Bishop scores a putback with 14 seconds left to silence a huge crowd at the John Paul Jones Arena. Code:
We host Miami in our next game, and it's become one of the marquee games on the ACC schedule. The Bubble Watch lists us as a Lock for the NCAA tournament field...but a lot can change in a month. We claimed the same status this time last season, too. Last edited by MoonlightGraham : Today at 08:28 AM. |
|
|
|
|
Today, 09:58 AM
|
#161 |
|
College Prospect
Join Date: Sep 2022
|
March 7, 2026
The second half of our ACC slate doesn't go as well as the first half did, but our 11-5 conference record is the second-best in school history (the 2018/19) Cavs finished 12-4). Code:
The highlight, of course, was the upset at Miami. If you'd told me that only one UVA player would score more than 6 points, I would have winced and predicted a lopsided loss. Instead, Trevor Bocanegra fires in 33--a new career best--and he and his teammates defend like their lives depend on it. The home team tries 24 three-pointers and makes two. In the aftermath of this big win, we move into the polls at #25. We stay there, with an occasional move up to #24, for the rest of the season. Larry Wallace is the hero at Florida State, making our final basket before we deny the 'Noles with two crucial defensive stops. With a 9-2 record, we find ourselves only a game behind Duke in the ACC standings. Then, back to earth we crash, with poor results at Duke and at Maryland. We fall behind 55-41 at Cameron, and the second half is worse; we end up with 20 turnovers and leave with the shouts of the Crazies in our ears. We play better at Maryland, but it's still not enough. I'm reminded of the gap that still exists between us and the ACC elites. Walk-on Sam Ramirez comes off the bench to score 10 points as we right the ship against Wake, and Keith Tyus celebrates his Senior Night with 16 points and a career-best 10 assists. Our chance to finish second in the league disappears when we can't hold on to the lead at Clemson. Code:
Our record is three games better than it was last season, but we finish fifth in the league again. I wish we could have achieved a first-round bye this time. |
|
|
|
 |
| Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
| Thread Tools | |
|
|
