Mailbag: Road Woes, Transfers, Recruiting Tweaks, and more

The Locker Room Access mailbag is loaded with questions from UVA Basketball fans via X and our forum.  Lots of concern over the team’s recent struggles.  Defensive adjustments, looking back at transfers, recruiting tweaks, and lots more.  

To what do you most attribute these recent blowout losses - talent, roster construction, or lack of experience?  @Aaron_Barham

Of those, I would go with lack of experience.  Coach Bennett has touched on it.  Their psyche has been a bit fragile.  They’ve gotten rattled when the opponent goes on runs, and things snowball out of control.  That’s what has to change more than any offensive or defensive aspect of the game.  

Which player’s improvement in league play is the key to the team’s upside for the remainder of the season? @guyncville

I’ll go with Ryan Dunn.  There’s been signs lately of him finding his offensive niche. The sophomore forward has scored in double figures in three straight, including a career-high 16 against NC State.  He’s getting on the offensive glass more.  And he’s also exploited mismatches against opposing big men a couple times, which is new.  

Which concerns you more, the offense or defense? And which is more immediately addressable this season?  @Hooandtrue93

UVA hasn’t been good on either end lately.  The offense is the bigger concern for the season.  Because that’s not as easily fixable.  But the defense is the more immediate problem.  They were shockingly bad on the defensive end in the losses to Notre Dame and NC State.  

When will Dante Harris make his return? @GilesT17

Point guard Dante Harris has been out with an ankle injury since late November.  He’s expected back soon.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he plays this weekend.   If not, the next game or two probably.  

Do you think by the 2025-26 season Virginia would be back to final four contention if everything goes to plan?  @HoozDefense 

Yeah, that’s the vision.  They’ve stockpiled a great group of promising young players.  Of UVA’s 13 scholarship players, 9 of them have multiple years of remaining eligibility after this season.  The idea is to grow that core together and do something special over the next few years.  

How big of a loss was Getter going tu ND? Do you believe he is one of the top assistants in college?  @Tugard1  

Assistant coach Kyle Getter left over the offseason to become the associate head coach of the new Notre Dame staff.  He’s definitely a rising star in the profession.  I’d bet on him being a head coach relatively soon.  

He was great for UVA.  Obviously, I’m more tuned into the recruiting side.  He did a phenomenal job of identifying attainable recruits that fit what Bennett wanted, and then laying a foundation with them.  I’ve heard him say his job is to make his head coach look good.  He certainly did that for Tony. 

Bennett was very fortunate to be able to bring Ron Sanchez back to take Getter’s place.  Because of that, I don’t think it was an overall loss for the program.  They’re both terrific assistant coaches. 

Is this team's ceiling with simplifying the defense or finally clicking on the defensive scheme?  @Hooandtrue93   

This is a topic right now because recent opponents have exploited all the hedging and post trapping UVA does defensively.  The rotations while scrambling to recover haven’t been sharp. That’s the most difficult part of adapting to Bennett’s defensive system.  

The best way to reach their highest potential is for them to get up to speed on their assignments.  The question is whether it’s worth simplifying in the meantime.  And if so, would that delay the learning curve. Tony Bennett gets paid a lot of money to make those decisions.  But yeah, they’ll be better over the long haul when they’re good at doing things his proven way.  

Is the upcoming game against Wake a bellwether for the rest of the season or one we can shake off if it goes badly?  @slarjy

It could be.  I think there will eventually be a turning point.  We all just want to see them keep their cool and compete against a quality opponent on the road.  Wake Forest is playing really well, particularly at home.  UVA is capable of winning that game, but they’ll need to be in top form and show some perseverance.   Coming off a bye week,  I expect we’ll see a bit tougher version of the Hoos.  But if it’s not enough, they’ll keep grinding.  

Rohde stinks, right? Elite defensive effort and connectedness is the way out of this, right? Stick to what you know. Dance with the one you came with. Etc.  @cb3ik2014

As long as Tony Benentt is the coach at Virginia, it’s going to start on defense. The defensive lapses are no doubt his primary concern right now.  That’s the base.  They have to get that back in place first. 

It’s fair to say sophomore guard Andrew Rohde has had a disappointing season so far after transferring in from St. Thomas.   Expectations were pretty high for him, internally as well.  He’s only averaging 5.8 points per game.  They probably thought he’d be up around double digits. 

I’m not prepared to say he stinks though.  He’s had a hard transition for sure.  Playing for Tony Bennett is just different.  As we’ve seen before, some players have a difficult adjustment.  It’s pretty important that he finds his feet as the season goes along, not just for this year but to establish himself as a piece they can count on moving forward.  

I'm concerned that Bond and Gertrude may hit the portal if they don't get some more run.  It doesn't seem like that plays into CTB's decisions at all.  What are your thoughts on that?  @wooddlcm 

Bennett trimmed his rotation down to seven against NC State.  The two players most impacted by that were freshmen Elijah Gertrude and Leon Bond.  They didn’t enter the game until the outcome was long determined.  

I don’t think there's much of a transfer risk with either of them right now.  But these days, you never know.  Everybody has to evaluate their situation after the season.  Personally, I’m fine with Bennett playing who he believes gives his team the best chance of success.  Coaches shouldn’t live in fear of the portal.  I expect those guys to get opportunities though.  The rotation is far from settled.  

How big of a loss was Kadin and Traudt? Do you think we would be much better with them?  @Tugard1

The loss of Kadin Shedrick has been pretty significant this season.  Kadin has his flaws, but he’s an elite finisher and rim protector.  And maybe more importantly, experienced in Bennett’s system.  All qualities that UVA is missing up front.  

Isaac Traudt’s departure is more of a long term issue.  I think UVA is better off with Jake Groves for this season.  But Traudt should develop into a really good player for Creighton.  We’ll see how well UVA fills that gap in the years ahead. 

All together, it's been a net minus at this point.  Entirely because they haven’t filled in for the loss of Kadin very well so far.  He wouldn’t have erased any of their four losses though.  And there’s a lot of basketball to be played.  By the end of the season, it’s possible the equation could change.  

You think we can get Chance Mallory?  @elton_pettiford    

St. Anne’s Belfield (VA)  point guard Chance Mallory is a priority recruit for UVA in the class of 2025.  Coming out of summer evaluations, Bennett and the staff zeroed in on him. They’ve been in full pursuit since. He’s continued to pile up scholarship offers from Maryland, Tennessee, Villanova, Indiana, among others. 

I tend to believe he’ll end up choosing UVA.  It’s far from certain though.  He’s in no rush right now, and there are other great options for him to explore.  UVA is also involved with other guards, for perhaps only one spot.  The recruiting process slows down during the season. Things will start moving forward again this spring.  

Are you seeing any changes in strategy by the staff in regards to the types of recruits (playing style, positions, etc.) they are looking for? Sdhoo99

There’s been a shift in recent years in the type of frontcourt recruits UVA pursues.  Just in line with the direction the game is going.  Power forwards are now wing forwards.  You see that with 2024 signee Jacob Cofie as well as the 2025 forwards being targeted.  And they want athletic, agile big men like current freshmen Blake Buchanan and Anthony Robinson. 

If you had to pick today, who starts next year at the 4? Cofie, Bond, Dunn, TBD Transfer? Hoohoohoo

My guess would be a transfer.  All depends on what happens with Ryan Dunn.  He’s being projected as a first round NBA pick right now.  If he does move on, I would expect Bennett to look for a forward in the portal.  Probably a skilled stretch-four type.  

You get one recruiting strategy tweak that TB has to implement no questions asked and with full commitment; what are you picking? AdventiveQuasar

I think they would benefit from being more flexible at times.   Bennett sort of typecasts in recruiting. He follows a formula to piece together players with complementary strengths.  It’s kind of brilliant actually.  You’ve seen the results when it all comes together. 

However, it often leads to a very narrow search.  They sometimes overlook good players right under their nose who don’t fit the parameters. Now that gaps can be filled through the transfer portal, it’s not necessary to have the perfect balance in high school recruiting.  The most important thing is just getting good players.  

Hoos better on pre half post pod. Fresh or Hav? DFresh11

The entire Locker Room Access podcast crew does an amazing job with the gameday shows.  But there’s no doubt that the stars of the cast are a pair of former Wahoo teammates, Doug “Fresh” Smith and Chris Havlicek.  You never know what will come out of their mouths. They’re characters to say the least.  Yet, they have more basketball knowledge in their pinkies than I could ever hope to gather. 

They’re both great, and even better together.  The two of them play off each other really well, as you’d expect with teammates.  This is like competing with Superman though.  Hav is just a natural.  The guy had his own cooking show for a while.  Talk about versatility.  Guaranteed to make you laugh, and then possibly anger you with his critiques.  No matter, you’ll come back to see what ridiculous outfit he’s wearing next time. 

Don’t miss Fresh and Hav on the pregame show at 1:30 PM Eastern this Saturday, as they get you set for the game against Wake Forest.  Available on the Locker Room Access Facebook page and YouTube channel.

(Featured Image Credit: Suzanne Velasco/LegacyMaker Sports Network)