My hope with BVP is it would relegate Caffaro to garbage time only.
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The issue isnât BVPâs individual defensive skills. It doesnât matter, for the moment, if they are better, or not, than Gardnerâs. Which player has a better grasp of their defensive responsibilities within the concept of Coach Bennettâs schemes is the main concern. That will determine the amount of playing time. Gardner improved by leaps and bounds in that area as last season progressed. Additionally, I donât think Gardner really needs to increase his range for Virginia to be successful. (He does need to do it to improve his professional opportunities.) This year, Virginia needs to find better three point production from its perimeter players. Forcing opponents to deal with Gardnerâs mid-range and inside games is a way to further that improvement, IMO.
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That would be a huge win
I had the same questions about McNeilâs playing time with Kihei back. But CTB knew Kihei was coming back when he went after McNeil, and McNeil almost certainly knew Kihei was coming back when he included Virginia on his list of finalists and scheduled a visit. So whatever they have discussed about playing time, it does not seem to have been a deal-breaker.
We wonât know whether it was a deal breaker until McNeil decides ⌠many times in job interviews candidates donât say out loud something would be a deal breaker if they want that job to stay open as a landing spot ⌠they could also use that landing spot as leverage for the place they really want. Happens a lot in job recruiting âŚ
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The threat of a three ball makes it easier to get to the rim. If Iâm guarding Gardner - I let him take all the 16-18 foot jumpers he wants⌠With passive closeouts ⌠he hasnât shown an ability to hit that shot at a rate that makes it efficient for a team offense. And opposing coaches are aware. I just let him have that all day and watch him score at less than a point per possession. Watch him get to the FT line half as much as he did at ECU ⌠and none of my guys get in foul trouble either. They also expend little energy on D so they are at full strength on offense and can potentially get Hoosâ bigs in foul trouble.
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On the other hand, he was very efficient with that 12â - 15â jump shot, and the pump fake from those spots did get him to the rim. Additionally, I am not as confident in his longer drives. The weakside defense they allowed was a problem for him, IMO. But, that my be just me.
Absolutely 100% correct. And it"s all connected. if the defense has to guard 4 guys at the three, and at least one or two have Jerome range, the offense opens up dramatically.
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I guess we can disagree on that one.
Individual D prowess leads to better team D. That means length, athleticism, quickness, slides, etc.
Guys like Reece, Brogs, Hunter, Key, Diakite, Akil, Atkins
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Agree. The âneeds to learn the packlineâ has become a bit of a trope, but it is a real thing. However, our best defenses have featured multiple great individual defenders: (I was about to list them, but you did already).
Also, why do you think BVP is a good individual defender? The only thing I remember is that leading up to our game, it seemed Ohio was not good at defending the 2, and that bore out in our game, once we FINALLY tried to do it in the last 5 minutes of the game.
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I guess we can disagree. Most of those players you listed were perimeter players. In Coach Bennettâs pack line, front court players have different responsibilities than those in the back court, and itâs a steeper learning curve. Furthermore, Diakite was in his third year of competition (fourth in the program) before he averaged more than 15 mpg. Darion Atkins didnât average more than 16 mpg until his last season at Virginia. Even Wilkins played fewer than 10 mpg his first year. A lot of it has to do with defensive fundamentals, but, for the âbigsâ, it has more to do with positioning and switches, and where they are supposed to be at any given moment. I suppose there are those who can choose to dismiss this idea as a âbit of a tropeâ, but the last decade of UVa basketball might suggest that otherwise. It wasnât so much that Hauser lacked defensive fundamentals, but that he was often pulled out of position by the schemes opposing teams were running. It was much the same early last season, but Caffaro, Shedrick, and Gardner all improved as the year progressed. Lastly, for whatever itâs worth, it seems to me that Coach Bennett places a high value on experience within the system. Aside from Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome, I cannot recall any instances since the 2012-13 season when a new arrival replaced an existing starter, and it took Guy and Jerome until February to do that. (I believe Jack Salt started in lieu of Tobey a few times during his RS frosh year, but I suspect that was mostly to protect Tobey from early fouls. Salt didnât play 7 mpg that year.)
I donât usually use a - Come on man ⌠but here I will say âŚ
Come on man!!
I listed 7 dudes - 5 of which spent most of their time at the 4 or 5 on defense. And you said most were perimeter players?
Diakite averaged over 15 min per game his 2nd season.
Then you go up to 16 min a game to discount Atkinsâ 2nd year when he averaged 15.7 min. And the main reason was that Mitchell was doing so well - they were basically the same player defensively.
Wilkins still got 9.4 min per game his 1st year even though Gill, Atkins, Tobey, Nolte and Anderson were ahead of him. Please tell me who we have now ahead of Traudt that is as good as those guys?
New guys?
Perrantes replaced Jones who was expected to start ⌠his 1st year.
Reece replaced Morsell and Woldetensae his 1st year.
He said existing starters. I canât think of a freshman who replaced a returning starter to start a season either. Not a guy who started a few games the prior season, but a guy who started almost every game.
I can play the âCome on manâ card, too. You listed seven players. Brogdon, Beekman, and Hunter were all perimeter players initially. Hunter wasnât used as a interior player until his second year. For that matter, he wasnât a starter until his second year despite being a star. Jones wasnât a returning starter. I did overlook Woldentensae. Morsell did start 13 games as a frosh, but he lost that position way before Beekman arrived. Regardless, I have fewer immediate expectations of new additions to the team than you do, and I think the recent history of the program supports my view. I also think that this is especially true of front court players.
Even if you donât include Hunter in front court - I would still think 3 of 7 isnât âmostâ??
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I think Keyâs most famous defensive play may lend some credence to the argument that he was a perimeter defender.
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Iâm perfectly willing to give you that. 
On the other hand, the only one of the four front court players mentioned, who made any significant contributions his first year in the program, was Braxton Key, and he was in his third year of collegiate competition. It took a while for Mitchell, Atkins, and Diakite to earn their playing time. And Will Sherill had more mpg than Mitchell in 2011. Not many, but more. For almost all of Coach Bennettâs career at Virginia, it has been nearly impossible for a newcomer to unseat an established starter in the rotation, and when it has happened, it hasnât been in the front court. Additionally, it is also worth remembering that Virginia was not a bad team in 2022. There were a lot of problems at the beginning of the year, but the team worked through a lot of them. Among other things, they beat Duke in Durham, they swept a good Miami team, and they beat decent squads from Mississippi State and North Texas on their home courts. Itâs not like this was a pick-up team at the Y. It has work to do, but six starters return from a team that won 60% of their games. Even without the incoming recruiting class, or any transfers, the future looks good. I think that fans are going to have to be patient, though, because I suspect it will take a while for the staff to integrate the new bits into the rotation.
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Eh the regular season splits were 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Seems to me they more or less were what they were. TB is great but he canât make Kihei, Armaan, or Jayden taller and that was the biggest issue outside of shooting.
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If you watch the 2018 Duke game in Hunterâs redshirt freshman year, youâll see that he played an interior position at times that year â often replacing Wilkins while on the court with Jerome, Guy, Hall, and Diakite or Salt:
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Was that him playing an interior position or just him out-studding Marvin Bagdrop III at Tonyâs request?
That was the game I knew he was really special.
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