Virginia assistant coach leaving program

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Apparently, Virginia basketball players aren’t the only ones leaping into the transfer portal.

According to multiple sources, UVA assistant coach Kyle Getter is leaving the Cavaliers to become an “associate head coach” at another Power Five basketball program. Getter’s departure is expected to be announced soon.

A five-year veteran of Virginia’s coaching staff, Getter was promoted to assistant coach two seasons ago after serving his first three years as Tony Bennett’s director of recruiting/player development. Getter was considered as UVA’s lead recruiter.

In fact, his departure was believed to be a reason that Virginia transfer portal target Robert Jennings decided to remain at Texas Tech. Jennings, who had reportedly narrowed his choices to UVA or returning to Texas Tech, was being recruited by Getter.

Once Jennings learned Getter was leaving, he decided to return to Tech, which has a new head coach in Grant McCasland of North Texas.

Jennings is a 6-foot-7 forward with three years of eligibility remaining, and was one of two players targeted by the UVA coaching staff, along with grad transfer Jordan Minor of Merrimack. Minor visited Virginia last week and is scheduled to visit Florida Gulf Coast and Iowa this week.

Getter came to UVA after three seasons as an assistant for Ritchie McKay at Liberty. McKay is a former associate head coach at Virginia under Bennett. Prior to his work for McKay, Getter was an assistant for Mike Jones at Radford and worked on Shaka Smart’s staff at VCU in 2009-10 and 2010-11, when the Rams went to the Final Four.