Familiar Names Highlight Virginia Portal Possibilities
It’s been a strangely quiet start to the offseason for the Virginia Men’s Basketball Program. With transfer recruiting set to hit full stride, that should change soon.
The Roster
Virginia currently has 12 players projected on the 2024-25 roster, leaving them with only one open scholarship. Those numbers could obviously change in the weeks ahead. The window for players to enter the transfer portal is open until May 1st. And sophomore forward Ryan Dunn has a decision to make, whether to enter the NBA Draft.
We’re not out of the woods yet with potential outgoing transfers. So far, there haven’t been any. That would be a rare occurrence in today’s game, but could be a real possibility for the Hoos this year. The players that fans were most concerned about seem like they’ll stick around though, freshmen Leon Bond and Elijah Gertrude are expected back.
Ryan Dunn has until the April 27th entry deadline to make his NBA Draft decision. He could choose to dive in fully or go through the process while keeping the option of returning to college.
Although UVA has only one scholarship open, they seem to be planning as if they’ll have room for possibly two transfer additions. With Reece Beekman graduating, they’ve been connected with lots of point guards in the portal. And with Jake Groves moving on and Ryan Dunn potentially turning pro, they’re searching for a power forward.
There’s a week-long dead period which lifts on Friday April 12th. That’s when transfer recruiting ramps up. We should expect to get some official visits by next weekend or so.
Forwards
I’ll start with the one player we know for sure UVA is in full pursuit of. Bennett and staff were quick to get involved with Northern Illinois transfer forward Xavier Amos. They’re in the process of setting up an official visit for him, probably soon after the dead period ends. Illinois, Kansas, and Texas are all involved too. The sophomore forward averaged 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds this past season, and also hit 38% from behind the arc.
One of my favourite prospects on the transfer portal is Xavier Amos. NIU's sophomore forward is at 40% on long-range catch and shoot. Even better 38% on long 3pts per synergy and 1.101 PPP in spot up situation.
— Jaspaire (@JasperSymbiose) March 27, 2024
Long and athletic forward listed as 6'9 who can bring a lot next year pic.twitter.com/6r61QGyM2I
Syracuse sophomore Maliq Brown was one of this week’s big portal entries. UVA made the mistake of not recruiting the Culpeper native out of nearby Blue Ridge School. We’ll see if they try to rectify that now that he’s on the rebound. Brown is one of the best defensive players in the country. He led the ACC in steals this past season while averaging 9.5 points and 7.2 boards for the Orange.
As I was writing, Michigan grad Terrance Williams hit the portal. Virginia recruited him in high school out of Gonzaga (DC). He even took an official visit. The combo forward is best known for his shooting. He hit 39.7% from three this season, averaging 12.4 points.
Another intriguing possibility is the former Hoo, Igor Milicic. He’s on the move again after spending two years at Charlotte, where he was a third-team AAC selection this season. The junior from Croatia averaged 12.8 points. 8.5 rebounds, and shot 38% from deep. Igor has handled his past recruitments quietly. I’d expect it to be the same again.
UVA has been mentioned with quite a few other forwards. They’re in the long line of hopefuls for Belmont sharpshooter Cade Tyson. Others they’ve reportedly contacted include VA Tech transfer Tyler Nickel, Central Arkansas freshman Tucker Anderson. Hofstra grad Darlinstone Dubar, St. Mary’s sophomore Joshua Jefferson, and Evansville grad Ben Humrichous..
Guards
Virginia has already had some early setbacks in their pursuit of a point guard transfer. Several players of interest have either committed elsewhere or removed the Hoos from contention by naming finalists. The coaching staff may still be trying to find the right players to focus on.
The most interesting name right now is a high school recruit. Class of 2024 Harvard Westlake (CA) guard Trent Perry reopened his recruitment this week. The McDonald’s All-American was committed to USC before backing out after their coaching change. He was scheduled to visit UVA last summer, but there was a change of plans when Christian Bliss committed. We’ll see if Bennett can climb back in with the prized guard. Competition is stiff as you’d expect. Perry also mentioned Gonzaga and Alabama as involved, among others.
4⭐️ Trent Perry has decommitted from USC after their coaching change 🚨 pic.twitter.com/j9sWKuKEtt
— SLAM HS Hoops (@SLAM_HS) April 2, 2024
Tennessee freshman Freddie Dilione’s name was reported in the portal as I was writing. He could definitely be one to watch. Virginia recruited him heavily in the 2023 class. They hosted him on an official visit a couple summers ago. He wasn’t able to earn consistent playing time at Tennessee this season. But he is supremely talented. Expect UVA to certainly be interested.
There were a couple new entries this week that might grab UVA’s attention. They’re familiar with Boston College senior Jaeden Zackery. And Oregon State sophomore Jordan Pope will be a popular name. Others already tied to UVA include La Salle grad Jhamir Brickus, Butler grad DJ Davis, and Temple junior Hysier Miller.
There will continue to be new portal entries all month long. We’ll see who they can get to visit in the coming weeks.
2025 Too
April is all about portal madness. But there will be high school recruiting activity as well. Virginia is expecting a pair of official visits from recruits in the 2025 class soon.
Derek Dixon will be on grounds for his official visit starting on April 20th. The Gonzaga (DC) guard is ranked as the 72nd best player in his class, according to the On3 industry average. He knows Charlottesville well. He’s been down before on multiple unofficial visits, and his sister actually attends UVA. Dixon has already taken an official visit to Syracuse, and will visit Pittsburgh next weekend.
Next up will be Sidwell (DC) guard Acaden Lewis on April 22nd. Virginia has been very active in his recruitment. He’s also taken multiple unofficial visits to Charlottesville. Coming off a fantastic season in which he was named the DC Gatorade Player of the Year, his stock is soaring. Lewis took an early official visit to Florida State, and he’ll visit Georgetown on April 15th too. Villanova is the latest entry in the race.
Despite the lack of activity so far, April figures to be a hectic month of recruiting. We should have some new Wahoos when the dust settles.
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