With the season six weeks away, the Virginia men’s basketball team began full practices at the John Paul Jones Arena on Monday. UVA opens the season at home on Monday, Nov. 6 against Tarleton State.

The start of practice came with a Virginia Sports TV video on social media that obviously got fans talking. The social media post even came with a nod to the excitement the men’s hoops team creates with the what ‘you’ve all been waiting for’ line.

Practice or workout videos always generate conversation and this one has done the same. Here are some of the thoughts posted on the message board:


While we’re all playing video detective with this minute of highlights, a few things jumped out to me that haven’t been mentioned on the Sabre boards as far as I can tell. All of them pertain to how individuals might be able to contribute if they get chances and, in some cases, why I think certain players will be locks for bigger minutes.

On Dante Harris ...

A pair of clips featured guard Dante Harris, the transfer from Georgetown. Already at UVA last season but taking a redshirt, Harris scored once in the video on a scoop to the other side of the rim and he got into the paint for a kickout pass in another. I think both highlights are important to what he could be asked to do at Virginia.

Harris did not shoot a high percentage on shots at the rim while with the Hoyas and at 6’0”, it’s always going to be challenging for him if trees are roaming near the basket. On the shot near the bucket, he used the rim to protect his release point and finish. While players don’t get as much ‘system’ time (team offense and Pack-Line) in season as some outside observers may think during a redshirt year, they do get a lot of development work. Did Harris add to his game going to the basket? There’s no way to know that from this clip, but it’s something to monitor.

On the second snippet, Harris got a paint touch off the dribble and kicked the ball out. While it was against scout team defense, that led to a 3-pointer (more on what happened next in a moment). This is absolutely something that Harris will be asked to do and something that he will need to do well, regardless of his ultimate minutes or role, for Virginia. I think UVA is at its best when there are multiple playmakers on the floor and Harris can be that.

What happened next ...

After Harris drove and kicked the ball out to a teammate, I thought what happened next was really informative. The pass landed with Andrew Rohde, who immediately shuffled it to Jake Groves for a corner 3-pointer. Setting aside for the moment that I love the extra pass in basketball no matter the circumstances or the team I’m watching, that play really caught my attention because I think it captures what both players could bring to the floor for Virginia.

Let’s start with Groves. Being stationed in a corner for a clean catch-and-shoot chance is something that can happen in any scheme the coaches choose from the typical UVA reservoir. In ‘sides’ blocker-mover, you can make Groves a wide blocker and then have him separate to that corner to shoot (see Evan Nolte for an early Tony Bennett example). In 3-man motion, the players set up in the outside channels are often there to shoot or to be pressure release valves for the interior triangle players. In spread ball screen looks, you can align two players on the same wing and then when the defense hopefully gets into scramble mode dealing with the ball screen attack, you get chances for kickout shots or extra passes. Groves could fill those roles and if he can knock down those shots from that specific spot especially, it opens up some things.

With Rohde, I can say with certainty that the coaches like what he’s shown so far and I think that little clip really signals part of the reason why. Simply put: the kid can play. Since he transferred over, much of the conversation has focused on his shooting, his freshman year splits early in the year vs. late in the year, whether he needs to have the ball in his hands a lot to be effective ... all of those types of things. The kid can play. He’s going to do things to prove that, but the extra pass is the first big hint for fans.

On another pass ...

Another clip in the video showed post transfer Jordan Minor make a pass from the high post out to the corner for a 3-pointer. That came against scout team defense in a scenario (off the dribble from outside the 3-point line) that I have a hard time picturing for typical UVA offense, but the final moments looked like something he could do. The Cavaliers sometimes used Jayden Gardner in short roll situations where he would set an on-ball screen above the top of the key and then use a controlled roll into the high post area (vs. a full rim-running roll). From there, if the ball gets to the roller, that player can become a playmaker. If Minor can do that, it will be interesting to see. I don’t anticipate the front court carrying a ton of the scoring load like it has for much of the last four years, but if Minor or others can play as a hub of sorts, I think this roster has some interesting parts to mesh together.

More on Minor ...

One thing I do anticipate Minor providing is rim protection. He’s listed at 6’8”, but he showed the ability to get off the floor and block a shot in the clip. That’s not an unknown quantity in his case. He did block 202 shots after all at Merrimack with 73 and 72 in the last two seasons. Still, at his size with the move to the bigger league of the ACC, blocked shots are likely to be weak-side help moments and that means showing some anticipation and getting off the floor quickly. I liked that the highlight showed that a little bit. (There was also a Ryan Dunn block in there, which means the two main sources of expected rim protection were accounted for in the clips.)

Two quick glimpses ...

The video also contained a pair of made baskets from players that have become a little bit of an afterthought in many Virginia message board conversations. Leon Bond III made a dribble post-up move that turned into a rocking fade away (Mike Scott vibes in terms of the move, not in terms of player comparison). Taine Murray made an open 3-pointer from the left wing.

With so many moving pieces and new faces, it’s not easy to figure out how it will all look over the course of the next six months and change. There are some locks (Reece Beekman, Isaac McKneely, Ryan Dunn), some near locks (Dante Harris, Jordan Minor, Andrew Rohde), and some expected role projections (Jake Groves, Blake Buchanan, Christian Bliss, Anthony Robinson). You can take almost anyone on that list and get similar opinions on the big picture puzzle and where they might fit, though some may want to shift a player (Harris, Rohde, Groves, Buchanan?) from one category to another.

Then there are some unknowns (Leon Bond III, Taine Murray, Elijah Gertrude). Given all the pieces, it’s a little harder to project where this trio might fall on the playing time meter. It could be anywhere from solidly in the rotation, part time in rotation, to development outside the rotation. With that said, if you’re trying to envision a role for either Bond or Murray, I think the highlights showed how they could fit.

In Bond’s case, you saw three highlights: a drive and kick, the dribble post-up into a fade jumper, and a defensive trap with Dunn. Bond can make an easy case as a glue and energy guy that picks his spots offensively. UVA has had a few successful Bennett players in that mold. In Murray’s case, you saw: a drive finish and open 3. Neither of those are a surprise based on how he has been used in his career to date. Remember, he got some minutes late last season so if he can do the things he’s asked to efficiently and consistently, there might be a case for him to be on the floor at times for Virginia.

Virginia Scrimmage Day

If you missed it, the Virginia basketball teams have officially set the annual Blue-White Scrimmage action for Saturday, Oct. 14. The doors at the JPJ will open at 12:30 with scrimmage action beginning at 1:30. The event features free admission and first come, first serve seating in the lower bowl. Parking is free as well.

With a lot of new faces on both the men’s and women’s teams, this will be the first chance to see the Hoos on the floor before their seasons begin in November. At this time, no details have been released about any autograph options or other parts of the scrimmage day.