Intel Report 10/26/23: Stock Climber Reading 2023 UVA Basketball Offseason Recap Next Tarleton State Preview

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2023 UVA Basketball Offseason Recap

2023 UVA Basketball Offseason Recap

It was an eventful offseason for the Virginia’s men’s basketball program.  Transfers in and out, changes to the coaching staff, and lots of recruiting.  If you’re just tuning back in, here’s the cliff notes version of all you’ve missed since last season ended.  

Reece is Back

It was close though.  Point guard Reece Beekman went through the full NBA Draft process before deciding to return to UVA for his senior season. He took it right down to the May 31st withdrawal deadline, removing his name that evening.  

 

UVA was prepared to go on without him. For most of two months, it seemed like a good possibility.  The addition of midseason transfer Dante Harris from Georgetown provided some insurance if Reece had decided to stay in the draft.  Thankfully, he’s back.  His return drastically improves the outlook of the 2023-24 Wahoos.  

Reece most likely would have been drafted in the second round.  He said his goal is to be a first round choice next summer.   

Graduates Sign Pro Contracts

Kihei Clark and Armaan Franklin signed NBA training camp deals.  Clark with the Milwaukee Bucks and Franklin with the Denver Nuggets. Both former Hoos were recently waived.  They’ll likely spend this season in the G-League.  Their Exhibit 10 contracts offer incentives to stay with the organization’s G-League affiliate.  

Two more Hoos headed to Europe.  Ben Vander Plas has started his pro career playing for MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg of the German BBL.  And Jayden Gardner is still getting buckets.  He’s averaging better than 19 points per game in the early going for the Kortrijk Spurs in Belgium. 

Staff Changes

Bennett’s right-hand man is back by his side.  Ron Sanchez rejoined the staff in June after resigning from Charlotte, where he served as Head Coach the past five seasons. He takes the place of Kyle Getter, who left in April to become Micah Shrewberry’s top assistant on the new Notre Dame staff. 

Sanchez and Jason Williford both carry the Associate Head Coach title at UVA now. 

 

 

And new NCAA rules allowed for two additional assistant coaches. Bennett used that as an opportunity to promote a pair of program alums,  Johnny Carpenter and Isaiah Wilkins.  Carpenter, a former student-manager, had been the Director of Player Personnel.  Wilkins, the 2018 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, previously served as a graduate assistant.  

Transfers Out

Virginia lost three transfers in the aftermath of last season.  All in the frontcourt.  Kadin Shedrick opted to move on after a rocky junior season.  Francisco Caffaro, who wasn’t expected to return, decided to use his extra year elsewhere instead of turning pro.  And the most disappointing was Isaac Traudt.  The former prized recruit left without playing a game for the Wahoos, having spent last year as a redshirt.  

Shedrick was a hot commodity in the portal before eventually settling on Texas.   The decision for Traudt seemed much easier.  He returned to his home-state to play for Creighton.  And we’ll all be rooting for Caffaro at Santa Clara this year.  

Late Additions

It was a busy April.  Once the departures were done, Bennett and his staff quickly went to work filling in the gaps as well as using the opportunity to add long term pieces. The result was four additions, all in a span of 16 days.  

Needing immediate frontcourt help, they turned to a pair of graduate transfers. Big man Jordan Minor, last season’s Northeast Conference Player of the Year at Merrimack, was the first to commit.  He chose UVA over Seton Hall and Iowa.  A couple weeks later,  they landed Jacob Groves.  The sharpshooting forward played the past two seasons for Oklahoma after starting his career at Eastern Washington. 

St. Thomas transfer guard Andrew Rohde figures to be the prize of the transfer class.  A first-team All-Summit League performer last season as a freshman, he chose UVA over Creighton.  Bennett was hoping for either Rohde or former Georgia Tech commit Blue Cain.  He nearly got them both.  Cain eventually chose Georgia a few weeks later.  

 

Center Anthony Robinson out of Christ School (NC)  was the final spring addition, a late class of 2023 signee.  He had originally committed to South Florida before backing out after their coaching change.  It’s possible he redshirts this season.  We’ll find out soon enough.  They believe he’s a real diamond in the rough with a great future ahead.  

2024 Recruits

Point guard was UVA’s most urgent need   Bennett zeroed in on George School (PA) floor general Christian Bliss during the spring evaluation periods.  Bliss committed in late June, choosing the Hoos over finalists Villanova, Xavier, and Miami.  He was Virginia’s first 2024 commit…for about a month.  And then he decided to go ahead and enroll for the fall semester, making him a very late 2023 recruit.  He’ll redshirt this season. 

 

They turned to the west coast to find the frontcourt piece they had been searching for in the class.  Jacob Cofie, a highly skilled forward from the Seattle area, was offered a scholarship in July.  He committed following his early September official visit, picking UVA over Southern Cal and Washington.

Then there was an October surprise.  After missing out on prized guard Kon Knueppel to Duke, the coaching staff quietly moved to add an under-the-radar prospect who had caught their eye over the summer.  Ishan Sharma, an elite shooter from Canada, committed shortly after his unreported official visit.  

Jacob Cofie and Ishan Sharma are expected to sign their letters of intent during the upcoming early signing period, which runs from November 8th through the 15th.  

You’re all caught up and ready for a new season now.  We’ll have the 2023-24 Wahoos covered every step of the way on Locker Room Access. 

(Featured Image Credit: Matt Riley/UVA Athletics) 

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