After a quiet start to the transfer portal season, the Virginia basketball team secured its first commitment Monday. Guard Jurian Dixon out of UC Irvine made the call for the Cavaliers as they fine-tune the roster for the 2026-2026 season.

Dixon joined the program after receiving interest from Mississippi and others. He announced his decision on social media.

Dixon put together two strong seasons with the Anteaters after redshirting his first year. He averaged 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists as a freshman while shooting 48.2% on 2’s and 32.6% on 3’s. That led to being named the Big West Freshman of the Year. Last season, he upped his production across the board to 15.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 45.9% on 2’s and 38.5% on 3’s. He earned First-Team All-Big West recognition.

The 6’4”, 195-pound guard flashed the ability to score at all three levels with Irvine. He made 129 2’s on 281 attempts, 70 3-pointers on 182 attempts, and 89 free throws 112 attempts (79.5%) last season. That broke down as 8.0 2-point attempts and 5.2 3-point attempts per game, meaning approximately 60% of his total shot attempts came from inside the arc. That included a reported 24% from the mid range on 2’s.

At Virginia, that shot selection is likely to shift. The Hoos attempted 46.7% of their total shots from 3-point range last season, which ranked 36th nationally.

The Cavaliers entered this transfer portal season with specific needs thanks to perfect roster retention from a year ago. They brought back all 10 players with remaining eligibility. Dixon provides options at a position of need, though, as three of the players with no eligibility remaining came from the perimeter as Dallin Hall, Malik Thomas, and Jacari White wrapped up their one season in Charlottesville. Dixon pencils in as a wing in the mold of Thomas and White.

With 11 players now on the roster, remaining targets in the portal will continue to address targeted needs. Virginia is likely to target a post player as the top priority at this time. The Hoos may also continue to look at additional combo guard or wing additions.

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