Fair on the shooting, but BVP + Gardner werenāt shooting well at all so if you are upgrading on defense and physicality then it should be fine. And I think if we could recruit a guard/shooter who would take a lot of the shot attempts Gardner had been taking, then we could be in a very nice spot.
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Yea I think you just brought out the truth though: how we feel will come down to Reece and the guard addition. If Reece comes back and we get a top guy we are happy with Jennings and Minor. If Reece leaves and we have to settle for the Cornell guy we probably arenāt happy even with Holmes and Bobi
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Overall, I guess Iām nervous along with many others about the unknown. This roster next year will be unprecedented. Very talented, but not many guys who weāve seen do it in a UVA uniform. Itās exciting but nerve wracking too. Many schools do this every year, we donāt as much. Uncharted territory.
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What about Minor Jennings and Cain. How would you rate that haul? I think itās a B-
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That grade depends on if Reece returns I assume. If Reece is back that is probably a B+ or A- haul?
If Reece is gone then B- or C+ I think
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Yes B+ is fair with Reece returning. If he doesnāt id really like one more proven guard shooter who can also handle the ball. Yāall know who my favorite is for that spot 
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I agree. I also think the staff wouldnāt find that haul good enough with no Reece and theyād go out to get more.
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Love this kind of basketball breakdown:
So if that were the front court next year along with Bond being able to fill in a little at the 4, then how would you rank them in order of most productive players by March 1st 2024?
As an example - March 1st 2023 our guys getting the most time should have been:
Reece, Armaan, Isaac, Dunn, Shedrick, and then Gardner
I liked Cain from the little I saw of him in that Geico tourney, so Iād be great with that.
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Fun exercise here. If including Bond, Iāll say: Dunn, Minor, Bond, Buchanan, Jennings.
Dunn and Minor is close, but I just think Dunn could really breakout. This is more about my confidence in Dunn and nothing against Minor.
Bond will sort of be like Dunn this past year.
Buchanan slightly over Jennings because I think the height will give him a few more opportunities next year. Jennings will be a solid contributor but the need for him this upcoming year is a little less since we have Minor.
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So, youāre saying recruiting rankings are accurate now?
I agree with your ranking, and its also a useful exercise because when you sit down and work through reasonable minutes, it makes crystal clear how extensive the front court needs are. I mean, Dunn and Minor being able to provide ~30 quality mpg each, given what we know at this point, feels like close to a best-case scenario. Bond/BB/Jennings collectively giving 20 mpg doesnāt require quite as optimistic an outlook, but could still be an issue if things go awry.
My point is that those 5 guys covering UVAās front-court minutes requires both an above average outcome for player development/adjustment AND no significant injuries. The more I think about it, the more I doubt UVA can afford to red-shirt BB or Jennings, and I also wonder if UVA at least considers adding another big guy from somewhere.
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I agree. I would love to get another stretch 4 in addition to that group and it would boost up to an A for me.
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I would go with Minor, Buchanan, Dunn (because I still think heās pretty raw) and then Jenningsā¦. Now thatās already a really athletic foursome, but my concern is who can shoot?
If we donāt get a shooting 4 then I wonāt completely worry because our 2019 team didnāt have one at the 4/5 position either, BUT that would mean we definitely need atleast two more shooters on the perimeterā¦plus maybe even another point guard!
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Wait did I read that right? Buchanan is going to be more impactful than Dunn because Dunn is the one that is raw?
Thatās correct. Buchanan is bigger, has post moves- at the minimum and will play the 5. Dunn is kind of a 4 and kind of a 3, therefore more to work on between two positions.
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Woah buddy if you think Dunn is raw Buchanan is going to be an adventure for you. Kid has half an AAU season of competitive basketball under his belt. Rest of his life has been going up against kids 5 inches shorter than him.
Love Blakeās upside but donāt see any way heās less raw than Dunn was this past year. Let alone where Dunn will be in 23-24. If Dunn is not further along than Buchanan next year something has gone horribly wrong with Dunnās offseason
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I guess we will see what happens but Iām pretty high on Buchanan as he reminds me most of a Mama-D like player that we havenāt had in a while, plus earlier videos show his ability to shoot and post.
I love Dunn and hope that he develops this summer but learning how to dribble and shoot from scratch I think his harder than just having to dunk and score in the post. We are trying to compare Dunn to Dre but in Dreās highschool videos- recently shared again on this site, he was *already a good offensive player.
With that said- we already know that Dunn works hard, so it would be the BIGGEST transformation that we have seen at UVA if he would be able to pull it off!
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I think Mamadi is a wonderful comparison! Mamadi played 14 mpg as a freshman. Similar to what Dunn got this past season. A role like that for Blake next year is ideal! 3rd big and 4th/5th player in the larger front court rotation (after two bigs, Dunn, and possibly Bond). If Blake matches Mamadiās freshman play that will be a very good thing
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