Locker Room Access - Virginia

By Josh Burton

This week brought some well deserved time off for Baseball and Softball, while other sports continue with postseason play. Plus some bonus basketball news. Let's dive right in.

Tennis Postseason

#2 Men’s Tennis began their NCAA run with back to back 4-0 wins over NJIT and VCU over the weekend. They’ll now host #16 South Carolina this Friday (5/10, 4 pm) in the Round of 16. Should the Hoos advance, they’ll move on to the final rounds set to be played in Stillwater, Oklahoma, with the quarterfinals set to begin on Thursday, May 16th.

#6 Women’s Tennis matched the men with back to back 4-0 wins over LIU and Princeton to advance to their Round of 16. They’ll host Vanderbilt on Saturday (5/11, 1 pm). If they advance they’ll also be headed to Stillwater, with their quarterfinals getting underway on Friday, May 17th.

5️⃣ schools have both men’s and women’s teams into in the #NCAATennis top 16:
Stanford
Tennessee
Texas
Texas A&M
Virginia pic.twitter.com/hcM0p0UQmZ

— John (@JTweetsTennis) May 6, 2024

Lacrosse Postseason

#6 Men’s Lacrosse suffered a second straight defeat to #1 Notre Dame in the ACC tournament. They’ll now reset as they look to host #13 Saint Joseph’s in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday (5/11 Noon). This game will air on ESPNU. Should they advance, quarterfinals will be played on Sunday, May 19th in Towson, Maryland. 

#5 Women’s Lacrosse will also begin their NCAA tournament this week as they host LIU on Friday (5/10 3 pm). This one will be available to stream with an ESPN+ subscription. Should the Hoos win, they’ll advance to the second round which would also be played in Charlottesville on Sunday.

Time Off for Baseball and Softball

#10 Baseball had their bye weekend this week and will get back in action today as they host George Washington at 1 pm. They’ll look to shake off any possible rust before a huge matchup as they host #23 NC State this weekend. Friday night's game (5/10 7 pm) will air on ACC Network. In the NCAA tournament, the top 16 seeds get to host regionals, while the top 8 are in line to also host super regionals. The Hoos are very close to the line to host supers, so they’ll have their sights set on winning as many games as possible to close out the season.

Softball has been off for a week and a half as they prepare for postseason play, beginning with a huge matchup against #23 Clemson tomorrow (5/9 1:30 pm) in the first round of the ACC tournament. They’ll look to try and pick up yet another victory over the Tigers as they try to bolster their resume for the NCAA tournament. This game will air on ACC Network.

Bonus Basketball News

As you’ve probably already heard, the last few days have been very busy for UVA Men’s Basketball transfer recruiting. Tony Bennett picked up a commitment from Florida State guard Jalen Warley on Saturday, followed by commitments from a pair of forwards on Monday in TJ Power (Duke) and Elijah Saunders (San Diego State). We’ve got articles on how each commitment went down with how each player fits available on our blog.

Yesterday also brought more good news for the Hoos, as forward Carter Lang committed as a transfer from Vanderbilt. A Charlottesville native, Lang played one season on scholarship at Vandy before committing to a preferred walk-on spot with the Hoos. He’ll have three seasons left to play.

guess hoos coming home ⚔️ #committed 🔶🔷 pic.twitter.com/8UwFV57fZT

— Carter Lang (@CarterLang_23) May 7, 2024

(Featured Image Credit: Emily Faith Morgan/UVA Athletics)

After a slow start, Tony Bennett is finishing the transfer recruiting season strong.  Virginia landed another key piece on Monday night when San Diego State transfer Elijah Saunders announced his commitment.  The 6’8” forward from Phoenix averaged 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds this season, while starting 21 games for the Aztecs.  He’ll have two more years left to play at Virginia.  

NEWS: San Diego State transfer forward Elijah Saunders has committed to Virginia, he tells @On3sports.https://t.co/yvWhmH0TbG pic.twitter.com/cmiDda1RnR

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) May 7, 2024

Saunders is Virginia’s third transfer addition of the spring, all coming since Saturday.  He joins former Florida State guard Jalen Warley and Duke transfer forward TJ Power. 

How His Recruitment Went Down

Saunders committed to Virginia on Monday while on an official visit. He was only in the portal for a little over a week.  Options were quickly sorted through, and visits set.  He visited Washington first then came directly to Charlottesville.  There was also a Clemson visit planned, which is now canceled following his commitment.  

Out of Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix,  he originally chose the Aztecs over scholarship offers from Miami, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, and other power conference programs.  Saunders played for one of the nation’s top AAU teams, Compton Magic.  Virginia looked at him a little bit too, as he had become a popular recruit during the summer before his senior year.  

What Saunders Brings to Virginia

Virginia was very thin at the power forward position.  Both transfers that were added Monday, Saunders and TJ Power, will help fill that hole.   However, they’re multi-positional players who complement each other well.  That’s the key.  Saunders is more of a traditional power forward who could even be used at center at times.  

After being lightly used as a freshman on SDSU’s Final Four team, Saunders became a staple in the rotation during his second season.  He started 21 games, playing 20 minutes per contest.  His season averages aren’t eye popping, 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds, but he was an important contributor for a team that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.  

Saunders brings a nice blend of skill and physicality.  He’s a three-point threat, hitting 32% on fairly high volume for a forward.  And his career 84% from the foul line indicates that he’ll likely develop into an even better long range shooter.  While his offensive game has been more perimeter oriented during his first two years, he’s a strongly built young man at 225 pounds.  There’s obvious potential for him to become a force in the paint. 

Virginia is getting a player with a high floor, a proven commodity who they can count on to be a solid contributor at a position of need.  But also a developing prospect with a lot of upside.  I think this is a very underrated addition for the Hoos.  

Virginia’s Recruiting Going Forward

With the addition of Saunders, Virginia has 12 scholarship players for the 2024-25 season.  They still have one open scholarship to play with.  

Kansas State transfer guard Dai Dai Ames visited on Monday.  The last open spot would be his if he wants it.  If that doesn’t pan out, it’s unclear if they’ll continue searching for another transfer.  At this point, UVA has everything they need.  Any further addition is a luxury. 

Attention is about to swing back to the high school ranks, specifically the class of 2025.  The first live evaluation period takes place on the weekend of May 17th.  I would expect if UVA intends to pursue any more transfers, it will happen very soon so the coaches can take a breather before turning the page.  

Closing Thoughts

Now that most if not all the results are in, there was a big change in Virginia’s transfer recruiting from a year ago.  All three additions come from major programs, two of them were former prized recruits who Virginia wanted badly out of high school.  They’re players who should have an easier adjustment than last season’s transfers experienced.  

The coaches were out celebrating last night, deservedly so.  It's been a bumpy ride this past month, but they pulled it together pretty well.  There’s a sense of relief, no doubt shared by many fans. 

For the best in-depth coverage of UVA Basketball on the web, become a Locker Room Access VIP member. Subscribers receive Intel Reports filled with the latest Wahoo scoop all offseason long.  From recruiting to summer practice reports, we’ll keep you plugged in at every step.  

(Featured Image Credit: SDSU Athletics)

By Josh Burton 

Tony Bennett is back to his winning ways over the last 48 hours, adding former 5-star recruit TJ Power this time.  The Duke transfer was the first of two commitments on Monday, later joined by former San Diego State forward Elijah Saunders. On Saturday, Florida State guard Jalen Warley become Bennett's first transfer recruit of the spring.  

The 6’9” Power joins the Hoos after having spent last season as a reserve for Duke. While he appeared in 26 games last season, he averaged under seven minutes per game and never really got a chance to show his ability there. Power will have three seasons to play.

LETS DO IT #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/zhSKbH2nvy

— TJ Power (@TJPower14) May 6, 2024

TJ Power’s Recruitment

Power’s transfer recruitment was played very tight to the vest. He didn’t actually visit UVA, settling for a zoom visit instead. UVA beat out both Wake Forest and the hometown Boston College for Power, both schools he did take unofficial visits to recently.   

Luckily for Tony Bennett and co, the staff had spent a ton of time recruiting him originally out of high school. Virginia was the perceived runner up the first time around, with some believing that had the right situation occurred then he would have been a Hoo from the start. 

Power was very highly regarded coming out of high school, rated the 17th overall recruit and a five-star by 247. TJ joins the team as the highest rated recruit Tony Bennett has had while at UVA.

What TJ Power Brings to Virginia

Virginia had a major hole at the 4 spot following the departures of Ryan Dunn and Leon Bond. Since transfer recruiting season got underway it’s been believed that they would look to add two forwards if possible. In the perfect scenario the two additions would complement each other's skillsets while also being versatile for lineup flexibility. Power and fellow transfer addition Elijah Saunders certainly fit the bill.  

Power is known for both his shooting ability and his passing ability. While not the most aggressive scorer, he’s known for making the right play and always helping to put his teams in a position to be successful. Looking specifically at the offensive end, Power’s ability to space the floor while also being able to make the correct play will open up a lot of options as the Hoos look to revamp their stagnant-at-times offense. 

The other end of the court is where the biggest questions for Power will be. As we all know, everything at UVA begins and ends with defense. Should Power be able to show that he is a capable defender, I expect him to play a major role for the Hoos next season and beyond. 

Virginia’s Recruiting Going Forward

With the addition of TJ Power and Elijah Saunders, Virginia now sits at 12 scholarship players for the 2024-2025 season, leaving just one open spot.  

Virginia would like to use that open scholarship on Kansas State transfer point guard Dai Dai Ames.  He is currently on a visit at UVA.  A former Top 70 ranked recruit, the freshman started 16 games for the Wildcats this season.   If that doesn't pan out, we'll see if they choose to continue pursuing other transfers.  They have a pretty full roster after today's addition, and pocketing the scholarship would make 2025 recruiting a bit easier.  

The Wrap

I’m not going to deny my personal excitement for this one. Going into the spring recruiting season, TJ Power was at the top of my personal list of preferences. He’s a very high end talent who could really raise the ceiling for Hoos should he reach his potential. His abilities on offense will allow the staff a variety of options to revamp the system.  And with three seasons to play, he fits in seamlessly with the current young stable of players on the roster.

After what felt like week after week of disappointing news, UVA has bounced back in a huge way. More good news should be on the way for the Hoos sooner rather than later, be sure to follow along on Locker Room Access and join VIP for the most up to the minute coverage of all things UVA Basketball anywhere on the internet!

(Featured Image Credit: Getty)