Jordan Minor’s coming-out party was exactly what Wahoos needed

By Jerry Ratcliffe

There must have been some morose moments for Jordan Minor during the first couple of months of Virginia’s basketball season.

In the quiet moments, late-night, mind-racing moments, who knows how the big man was tortured by his thoughts. Once-hopeful fans had given up on him, written him off as someone who could give the Cavaliers what they desperately needed: a physical force in the paint, a rebounder, a rim defender.

Minor said he never lost hope in himself, nor did his teammates and coaches. He was worth the wait.

After getting mostly garbage minutes, 12 against N.C. A&T, 11 vs. Tarleton State, another 11 against N.C. Central, and even less in more-meaningful games, Tony Bennett saw something. He spotted an upside in the 6-foot-8, 242-pound, grad-transfer bruiser from Merrimack.

Critics said Bennett had whiffed on this one, that Minor was out of his league, but the coach never took his eye off the subject. Instead, he noticed how hard Minor worked, how he was always “joyful,” how he strived to absorb the steps of mastering the “Pack-Line” defense, a major change from the zone he flourished in at Merrimack, where last season he was Northeast Conference Co-Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Minor wouldn’t accept failure at UVA. After all, he was a 1,000-point, 500-rebound performer at his former school.

Certainly he was flattered by the opportunity to come to Virginia, play in the storied ACC. Playing for Bennett was a bonus. He shared that in a long conversation with Bennett, what really pushed him into committing to the Cavaliers wasn’t some of the intangibles one might expect, but rather at the end of the talk, Minor and Bennett began exchanging religious songs.

Minor was sold. This was the place for him, and on Wednesday night, in a must-win situation for Virginia, he delivered.

For the record, Minor scored 16 points, sharing the team lead with Reece Beekman, on 5-for-8 shooting (including at least three thundering, two-handed slams, 6 important free throws in 8 opportunities, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in get this: 26 minutes and 29 seconds.

Oh, and on the defensive end of the floor? He handcuffed Tech’s 6-10 center Lynn Kidd, who came into the game averaging nearly 15 points and 7 rebounds to a paltry 2 points and only 3 shots, and 2 boards.

Minor doubters, eat crow.

Bennett said it was seven minutes of mop-up duty by Minor in a lopsided loss at NC State on Jan. 6 that the coach saw something no one else was even looking for. Those minutes, plus advances in practice, led to a start at Wake Forest last Saturday, where he played 22 minutes, and a second consecutive start Wednesday against Virginia Tech with an awful lot on the line.

“We needed some real legitimate man strength down there, and he’s got it,” Bennett said of Minor after the Cavaliers improved to 12-5 (3-3 ACC) and extended the nation’s longest home winning streak to 20 games.

The UVA coach has been working every angle in an attempt to help accelerate the improvement of his “newest team” he had ever directed. Bennett used 6-10 true freshman Blake Buchanan (whose most physical days are in his future), who got pushed around in the paint. He tried 6-9 Jake Groves, who was really playing out of position. Patiently, he waited for Minor to catch up.

“It’s a big adjustment. He came from a really well-coached place, but he played four years of zone and so his ability to kind of anticipate, move his feet, think a little quicker, I saw that he just kept working,” Bennett said. “He had been practicing better.”

Then came the breakthrough down in Raleigh when the game was more than over, but Bennett kept looking to see who was still playing, showing passion, giving effort.

Minor caught his eye.

“We were getting beat badly at the end and I put him in,” Bennett said. “All those possessions matter. I evaluate. I said don’t waste these opportunities, and I thought he gave us a lift even though we were down, 18, 20, 25, whatever it was.”

Minor credited his teammates and coaches for their encouragement, never giving up on him, and his strong faith for keeping him driven.

“I would definitely say I’m a patient person, and I think this experience has just opened my eyes and just has blessed me,” Minor said. “I thank God for this experience, even though it was hard at times, knowing that He put me in the right place despite what was going on, knowing that He surrounded me with an amazing coaching staff and teammate.”

Minor said the process was a brick-by-brick, day-by-day mentality. Everyone behind the scenes noticed, including teammate Dante Harris.

“I’m so happy for him,” Harris said. “Just seeing him work hard every day at his craft. When things don’t go his way or when you don’t get as many minutes, he didn’t get down on himself. He’s still in the game, still encouraging teammates. That’s what I really liked about him, so I’m glad this moment is finally here.”

Energized by a sellout crowd and raucous atmosphere, Minor focused on defense first. He wanted to impose his will, if not his muscle, against Tech’s Kidd.

“Minor and Buchanan were very physical with him,” Virginia Tech coach Mike Young said.

That was the idea. Film study showed that Kidd liked spinning, face-up shots, so Minor was disciplined to stay down on the floor, contesting every shot, every move.

It all led to a good night, a memorable night for Jordan Minor, collectively erasing all the bad times and focusing on the future.

“I was having a lot of fun,” Minor said. “I think for me, just letting the game come to me was the biggest thing.”

The game came to him, and this time, he knew exactly what to do with it.