BREAKING: Virginia’s Traudt enters the transfer portal

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Posted on Monday, Mar. 27, 2023, 2:50 pm

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By Jerry Ratcliffe

Photo: UVA Athletics

Virginia basketball is back in the market for a power forward today after freshman Isaac Traudt announced he has entered the transfer portal.

Rumors have run rampant since the end of UVA’s season that the 6-foot-10, 4-star prospect was homesick and would transfer. Traudt confirmed those rumors today on social media when he posted the following:

“Dear Virginia: I’m so thankful for the relationships I was able to build the past year at Virginia. Thank you to the staff for believing in me and my abilities and for treating me well. Thank you to the community or the support and for welcoming me to Virginia. I’d like to also thank my teammates for the relationships I was agle to form with each and every one of them.

“After a lot of thought and consideration, I realized that nothing means more to me than home. So, I am officially entering the transfer portal to pursue an opportunity closer to my loved ones.

“Thank you again to the University of Virginia for the chance to be a part of an incredible program. I’m excited for what the future holds.”

Traudt is from Grand Island, Neb., where he was the 2022 Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year, averaging 23.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game his final high school season. Prior to this past college season, UVA coach Tony Bennett announced that both Traudt and fellow freshman Leon Bond would redshirt, that it had been a mutual decision.

Perhaps that’s not the case.

Traudt was expected to figure in strongly to next season’s playing minutes for the Cavaliers with the exit of Ben Vander Plas and Jayden Gardner in the frontcourt, along with 7-footer Francisco Caffaro, who also entered the portal last week. Now, only 7-footer Kadin Shedrick returns along with 6-8 Ryan Dunn, who finished the season strong, averaging 13 minutes a game off the bench.

Virginia has reached out to several power forwards in the transfer portal over the past week, perhaps in anticipation that Traudt was leaving.

The Cavaliers do have 6-10 forward Blake Buchanan coming into the program as a freshman for the Class of 2023. Buchanan is a top-100 prospect from Idaho, and chose UVA over Gonzaga.

Traudt was recruited heavily by both Nebraska and Creighton, along with several Big Ten schools coming out of Grand Island.