This is super disappointing because Jabri was recruited to be the bucket getter that a lot of UVA teams are missing. He had a clear path to playing time in the near future and also could serve as a pathway to getting more top 40 guys. UVA potential in the near term is as concerning as I can remember over the last 8 years.
The coaching staff didn’t mishandle their treatment of his playing time this year. As a fan, I was super frustrated that Jabri didn’t get more playing time early so we could see the potential. But he was coming off an injury from his senior year of high school and wasn’t ready to be a part of the rotation. There were reports that he was brought along slowly to make sure his foot recovered fully, but in his very brief playing time it was clear that he was not ready to defend even back-up level players. And if I’m honest, we never even got a flash of the offensive potential that was raved about.
We obviously only get a glimpse of what is happening behind the scenes as fans. And I do think back to Tony putting Jabri into the game early against Gonzaga and wonder why he didn’t get more chances after that, especially as our offense bogged down. So I do wonder if there were communication issues on the plan or if Jabri just decided he could get more opportunities sooner by transferring to a school with different defensive expectations.
Best of luck to Jabri at his next school. Too bad it didn’t work out but I don’t see it as a reflection of anything we’re doing wrong. It’s just what college basketball has become, especially with the new rule. And in all honesty, if the UVa path wasn’t for Jabri, it’s better for everyone to cut ties now.
It’s important to remember, however, as HGN has said several times before, the key in this new environment is to come out of the spring having added better players than the ones you lost. This stings today but it will be several weeks before anyone should be truly upset or concerned.
I’ve calmed down. This isn’t great but it’s not a total disaster. Still lots of talent in the pipeline with spots to fill. We can start panicking if those spots start getting filled with the Marco Anthony caliber players (sorry Marco)
Basically I’m holding off until I see what we do on the transfer front but the ramifications of this on the recruiting side of things is the bigger issue
Got to cville yesterday, went on a joy ride through the corner today and as I’m pulling into JPJ to reminisce Joe texts me that it’s time to fire Tony. What a world man
Not disagreeing completely with the doomsayers, but will add some perspective on the Jabri transfer. Specifically, Reece averaged 25+ minutes a game and was usually a starter as a true freshman on a top 15 team. So he’s a counter to the narrative that you’ll never play much as a freshman at UVA. If Jabri was ready to play and contribute this season, I’m certain the coaches would have included him in the rotation. He may go on to be a great player on another team, but I also feel fairly confident that his freshman experience would not have been much different at any other big time program such as Duke, MSU, UNC, etc. Good luck to Jabri wherever he ends up, and I’m truly sorry he won’t realize his dream at UVA.
I’ll be interested to hear the thought process from the young man, although it may be a few years from now on a LRA podcast. I don’t believe the lesson learned for the program is that we should play guys who aren’t ready just to keep them on the hook for future years. How would that look to other guys in the program if a player is getting minutes without earning them? I’m just sorry he won’t be around to see how he could improve. We’ve had players make big jumps before. Maybe he saw Juzang and Quinerly examples of success through change of venue.
I do believe it should be a cautionary tale in accepting transfers who may hinder development and playing time for younger guys in the program. Can’t help but think that Murphy’s arrival and success contributed to this situation. And while Murphy earned his PT on the court, if he leaves after a year just based on potential (take the $$ and a couple years in G League) we will have two big roster holes and no real plan. I’d rather we focus on brining in young HS talent (maybe back to 60-120 range) and letting them work rather than bring in some 1-2 year transfers that risk chasing off McKoy, McCorkle, Shedrick, or Murray. We may suffer a down year, but I’d rather have that and a roster building plan than a bunch of turnover and chaos every year.
Welcome to the new world of NCAA basketball. Wholesale roster turnover / immediate transfer eligibility. Just another example of our current culture - expectations fulfilled immediately or I’m moving on to something else.
You may not like the rules - but you want to play the game!
