Jay Huff: From role player to dominant player for Virginia

By Jerry Ratcliffe
JerryRatcliffe.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The last time Jay Huff played in an NCAA Tournament game, he was a role player on Virginia’s 2019 national championship team.

As a redshirt sophomore he had finally gained the trust of Coach Tony Bennett to be an unusual piece to the Cavaliers puzzle. At 7-foot-1, he had finally learned Bennett’s “Pack-Line” defense and gained enough strength to not be pushed all over the court. Still, although he was foul prone, he was a unique weapon in that he could swat away opponents’ shots, shoot the 3-pointer effectively and electrify the crowd with eye-popping dunks.

Now a senior, Huff has been a dominant player for the Cavaliers as they enter the NCAA Tournament as a fourth seed. UVA will take on Ohio University on Saturday in Bloomington, Ind.

The Durham, N.C., native led the ACC in field goal accuracy this season (59.7), was second in blocked shots (62, 2.58 per game), 11th in rebounding (7.1) and 18th in scoring (13.1).

He has struck fear into most of Virginia’s opponents over the season, like when he made four consecutive 3-pointers early in the win over Notre Dame, delivering a blow the Irish couldn’t overcome. Or like the triple-double he posted the season before, including a 10-block game in a win over Duke.

“Virginia has a unique player in Jay Huff,” said Louisville coach Chris Mack. “Every time I see him, it seems like he grows. Seven-foot-one doesn’t do him justice.

“He’s a threat around the basket for any type of lob, and he’s shooting the ball as well as any player in the conference from 3 at that size.”

A long-time Virginia fan favorite, the first couple of years of his career, Wahoos would chant “we want Huff,” throughout games. Bennett’s mantra is defense first and any player that couldn’t fulfill the coach’s expectations often watched from the sideline.

Huff and former roommate Kyle Guy not only spent countless hours in the weight room in an attempt to gain strength, but also consumed mindblowing calories by munching on cheeseburgers, fries, and milkshakes, not to mention late-night orders of pizza.

“Our room looked like a fat guy’s convention,” Huff snickered.

A free-spirited guy, always wanting to yuck it up in interview sessions, fans adore him, throwing all kinds of nicknames his way: Huff the Magic Dragon, the Huffington Post, the Jolly Lean Giant, just to name a few.

While Huff was always joking with teammates and media, he was serious on the court. His confidence was somewhat of an issue because he knew he was good enough to play elsewhere even with his defensive issues, yet he was never tempted to transfer.

Instead, Bennett used a sports psychologist to help the seven-footer’s confidence, particularly heading into his sophomore year when he gained significant minutes. His role went from bench-sitter to a post player expected to make a difference.

Huff went from 12 appearances, 106 minutes and 41 points his redshirt freshman year to playing in 34 games, 318 minutes and 150 points in playing a role with the Cavaliers national championship team.

This season, Huff was considered a late-season candidate for ACC Player of the Year, but was overshadowed by his high-scoring teammate Sam Hauser. Still, Huff has been a force.

“You’ve got a 7-foot guy who can block everything that comes his way, shoots almost 60 percent from the floor, and can kill you with his 3-point shooting … who else does that,” said North Carolina coach Roy Williams.

Huff has been doing it since his junior high days in Durham when his dad, Mike, was his coach at Voyager Academy.

“The 3 is something I’ve had for a long time,” Huff said. “My freshman year in high school I was almost exclusively a 3-point shooter.”

Mike Huff trained his son as a “position-less” player, where Jay would play every position on the floor, which explains why he is so versatile, particularly offensively.

Huff has been a more mature figure on the court this season, something he credits to an off-season marriage. Because of the pandemic and concerns there might not be a basketball season, the couple tied the knot earlier than planned.

He also tested the NBA waters, although he had to do it virtually due to Covid protocols. Both events took him to another level.

“I think I matured quite a bit,” Huff said. “Both in terms of basketball with getting feedback from NBA coaches. I guess just knowing what I should do for this team, was helpful in showing me what I needed to work on.

“While those things were helpful to my basketball future, I alwo think that it was helpful in terms of helping this team do well. I definitely think that getting married has matured me in a lot of ways. It’s been great being able to go home after practice or games to my wife and being able to spend time with her because there’s not a whole lot of people outside the team that we get to spend time with during this pandemic.”

Basketball observers believe that if Virginia is to make a deep run in this year’s NCAA Tournament, that Huff will have to be a significant factor on both ends of the court.

“Jay is a unique weapon who can spread the floor offensively and is the last line of defense,” Bennett said. “We need him to be at his best for us to be at ours.”