While the calendar just turned to fall a few days ago, it’s already time for Virginia basketball!
The Cavaliers officially started practices this week. Of course, NCAA allowed workouts, team sessions, and strength and conditioning have been ongoing since the start of the semester. Both the men’s and women’s teams held summer workouts as well.
The first official game for both teams take place in November. UVA hosts Maryland Eastern Shore for the women's basketball season opener on Monday, Nov. 2. Virginia hosts Drexel for the men's basketball season opener on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Tip-off times for both games will be announced at a later date.
As always, there’s excitement with the first official practice of the season.
For the men’s team, the preseason also brings exhibition games into the equation. Gone are the days of closed door scrimmages and the Blue-White intrasquad game. Teams now participate in public games, sometimes even for neutral site hosted events, and television opportunities allow fans to get early looks at their teams.
The men’s basketball team plays the first of three preseason exhibition games on Sunday. UVA takes on Vanderbilt in Charleston, S.C. as part of the LinkU Invitational. Weather permitting, teams will face off at Credit One Stadium, a venue that usually hosts tennis tournaments in the city. Tipoff is scheduled for noon. This game will be available via ESPN+.
It’s a short wait from there to the next opportunity to see the Wahoos. They host Richmond on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. That is part of Homecomings weekend at the University. The final exhibition game is on the road at Villanova on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. There have been no television announcements for these two exhibition games.
The start of the season is not the only basketball news out there this week. On the women’s side, Virginia coach Aaron Roussell announced the hiring of Damin Altizer as the Director of Player Development. Altizer trained both Chance Mallory and Kymora Johnson as part of his DR1VEN Training business and has worked with many professional players including Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter. He was a walk-on for the UVA men’s basketball program for the 2006-2007 season.
Both Roussell and Altizer, along with Cavalier men’s assistant coach Bryce Crawford, were featured speakers at the Basketball Coaches Association of Virginia (BCAV) coaches’ clinic last week as well.
Former UVA men’s basketball head coach Tony Bennett also made two speaking appearances in the past week. Bennett became the all-time winningest coach at Virginia during his tenure with 364 wins and helped the Hoos win the 2019 National Championship.
A featured guest at The Norfolk Forum, Bennett shared insight on the Five Pillars and more. This message board post shares part of what Bennett shared during the Forum conversation. While in Norfolk, Bennett also made a second stop. He spoke at Norfolk Academy and shared with students the idea that “You all have incredible gifts.” Former basketball student manager Carter Furr introduced Bennett before he spoke at the school. A Q&A followed with Head of School Travis Larrabee, who asked questions previously submitted by students.
Photos from both speaking stops are below.
Fan(s) Of The Week
Cheering on UVA from Scott Stadium.
Student Fan(s) Of The Week
Smile if you love the Wahoos!
Feature Photo Of The Week
Get excited! Thijs De Ridder and Virginia basketball are back as the season’s first exhibition game is set for this Sunday.
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