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| Transfers you say? Photo: http://statsheet.com/images/articles/ 2009/3/200903301806651943038-p2.jpeg |
This year is big time for UVA in terms of transfer players. We have a TON of scholarships available thanks to the desertion of James Johnson and KT Harrell, and this crop of transfers has two guys in particular that we are putting on our transfer wish list. And the best part is both players have ties and are very attainable for this staff to get. Let's take a look.
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| Photo: http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/ photos/001/840/558/tj_display_image.jpg?1327678840 |
Point Guard
6-1 185 pounds
Oakdale, PA
Transferring from: Duquense
The Hoos jumped out to a good start with McConnell and seem like a very likely destination. A solid distributer, shooter, and above average defender, McConnell appears to be a perfect fit for the Tony Bennett style. McConnell will have to sit out a season due to transfer rules but will be a redshirt junior entering the 2013-2014 season, our first without Jontel Evans at point. Picking up a commitment from McConnell would most likely effectively end our pursuit of a point guard in the class of 2013 which would allow Coach Bennett to foucs more of his energy on bringing in other key pieces, such as dead-eye shooter Matt Thomas from Wisconsin.
Everyone views Jontel Evans as a great on-ball defender, and rightfully so, the kid is a machine. But watching tape on McConnell reveals a player with the same level of intensity but with perhaps an even greater nose for the ball. Evans averaged 0.2 blocks and 1.6 steals and was the energy guy for the defense last season. By comparison McConnell average 0.3 blocks and 2.8 steals last season. I would call that a slight upgrade. McConnell couples his strong defense with a nice scoring ability, averaging 11.4 points per game shooting 50% from the floor, 83.6% from the line, and a very very solid 43.2% from beyond the arc. Sorry Jontel, but you just can't match that. McConnell would be a very very good player and would help bring this team closer to where it needs to be.
As of now the only other visit McConnell has scheduled is to Arizona where former Xavier coach Sean Miller looms as a major threat. Miller has strong ties to the Pittsburgh area where McConnell is from. However the Hoos are in a great position. It was paramount for us to get the first visit because of the 'wow' factor you can get from just being in Charlottesville and seeing JPJ Arena. That being said, Arizona is no slouch of a school either. Getting McConnell here first at least allows us to put in our two cents in case he chooses to committ to Arizona right away. If I had to guess I would say we are in a good spot here. But it is far from over.
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| Photo: http://media.thestate.com/smedia/ 2012/02/10/22/17/1p5aZf.St.74.jpg |
Power Forward
6-8 211 pounds
Charlotte, NC
Transferring from: South Carolina
The Hoos are also in a good spot to land Anthony Gill, this for a completely different reason, though. Gill chose South Carolina over UVA and Wake Forest while he was being recruited in high school. And while he was in high school he just so happened to play with current UVA power forward Akil Mitchell. Gill has the potential to develop into a monster. He was ranked number 144 coming out of high school. If he can bulk up a little he is speculated to be our Mike Scott 2.0. Examining their games Gill does look a lot like an early Mike Scott, before he started to fashion his game to appeal to NBA scouts. Will Gill turn into a pure back to the basket scorer? No probably not, but he will definitely bring a low post presenence that this team is drastically searching for.
Getting Gill on board will most likely have other ramifications throughout the recruiting classes. While UVA will most likely still go after a big man in 2013 this signing would probably force the hand of Brandan Stith a little and make his decision to defer to 2014 that much easier. One person who would most likely be thrilled about that is Fishburne Coach Ed Huckaby, who most likely will be getting Stith for his prep year, considering the job he did with Teven Jones and the admiration he has for Coach Bennett.
There is one problem with Gill, and that is reports that our good friends the Tarheels are also interested. While this makes sense and could be a dream for the Charlotte native, if you step back and look at it I'm not sure why he would choose to go to the Heels, and quite frankly why they would take on a transfer player. The Heels could easily get their pick of big men in the class of 2013, and the #1 center in the class of 2012 - Nerlens Noel - is still available. If UNC needs a player they don't have to look as hard as we do, making their depth chart that much more crowded. If Gill were smart he would see a scenario with much more stability and playing time potential at UVA and hopefully chooses to come here. Hopefully Akil can get in his ear because he would fill a huge hole for us.
One thing is certain with these two targets, and that is that the coaching staff will move on them very fast. If we can somehow manage to land both of these guys, it would be huge for this program and hopefully help get us to the next level.
Go get 'em Coach Bennett!
This is really a good post. Thanks
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