Bennett-led Virginia settled in among best
MINNEAPOLIS – Virginia’s path this season will forever be defined by what happened a year ago, when the Cavaliers became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 in the NCAA Tournament. All they did in response was to embrace what had happened and make positive history, advancing to the national championship game for the first time.
“It was one of the best things that ever happened to me,” junior guard Kyle Guy said of the loss to Maryland-Baltimore County — and while he was smack in the middle of what looked like one of the best things that had ever happened to him.
The Cavaliers’ run provided validation for coach Tony Bennett’s approach, built around a unique defensive system coupled with a deliberate offense and operated by players who were typically not as highly recruited as many of the opponents they routinely beat. Virginia is in some ways the antithesis of how other high-level programs are built.
That’s in part why, even as much or most of the nucleus that propelled Virginia further than it had ever been is set to depart, the program seems settled in as one of college basketball’s best.
It has long been clear that Bennett could develop consistent winners. Virginia has won four of the last six Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season championships. But until this year, the question was whether it worked in the postseason. The loss to UMBC was the worst result, but it was only the latest in a series of too-early exits.
“After last year, you heard things like, ‘Virginia’s a joke. They’ll never win in March. Coach Bennett’s a joke, his system doesn’t work,’ ” junior guard Ty Jerome told reporters after the Cavaliers beat Purdue to reach the Final Four. “They can’t say those things anymore.”
Instead, they’ll ask: What’s next? De’Andre Hunter, a third-year sophomore swing man, is projected as a firstround NBA draft pick, most likely in the lottery. Jerome could go as high as the latter portion of the first round. They’re likely both gone.
Less certain is whether junior sharpshooter Guy will join them; he’s projected as a second-round pick, at best, and seems likely to return for his senior season. If so, he’ll provide Bennett a key piece to rebuild around, as will forward Mamadi Diakite, the fourth-year junior whose jump shot forced overtime against Purdue in the South Region final. Likewise, Virginia brings back Kihei Clark, a 5-9 water bug who has become entrenched as a starter in the Cavaliers’ four-guard lineup.
Junior forward Braxton Key, who averaged almost 20 minutes per game, and 7-1 sophomore Jay Huff could move into more prominent roles.
Also, Virginia’s recruiting has seen an uptick. Bennett’s program has been largely built on players who were not highly recruited. (Guy, a McDonald’s All-American and Indiana’s Mr. Basketball, is an exception, but he had already committed to Virginia long before the honors arrived and his recruiting ranking surged.) Two November signees (guard Casey Morsell and center Kadin Shedrick) were four-star prospects. They’ll have a chance to play early, along with the returning core.
Bennett says he recruits players who are “sneaky good,” and it’s clear his staff has been good at identifying overlooked players and developing them. Some of them took Virginia on a journey that began with a resounding upset and then wound to the program’s highest point.
“I’ve been pinching myself,” Guy said, “because it doesn’t really feel real.”
But it was. And Virginia’s staying power seems to be, too.