McKoy becomes third Cavalier to enter transfer portal in last five days

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia’s basketball roster took another hit on Tuesday when sophomore forward Justin McKoy announced that he would enter the NCAA transfer portal. McKoy is the third Cavalier in five days who said they were moving on.

With McKoy’s announcement, Virginia coach Tony Bennett now has four scholarships available.

“First off I would like to thank the UVA staff, my teammates, and the entire Charlottesville community for the continuous support,” McKoy stated on his Twitter account. “Although I am entering the portal, the many things I have learned and gained will continue to assist my navigation on and off the court.

“I wish my teammates and this staff nothing but the best. They are all still considered family! Thank you UVA and thank you Charlottesville.”

McKoy joined sophomore guard Casey Morsell and freshman guard Jabri Abdul-Rahim in announcing they were entering the transfer portal.

McKoy, a 6-foot-8 forward from Cary, N.C., missed Virginia’s first-round loss to Ohio in the NCAA Tournament due to quarantine following the Cavaliers’ withdrawal from the ACC Tournament semifinals due to Covid issues.

The North Carolina native played in 17 of Virginia’s games this season and averaged 11.5 minutes of playing time. After clocking decent minutes through early January, his playing dropped considerably from January 8 at Boston College until Feb. 24 vs. NC State.

He played 16 minutes vs. the Wolfpack, 21 minutes against Miami, 19 at Louisville, and 12 against Syracuse in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.

For the season, McKoy scored 64 points, shot 50 percent from the field and collected 59 rebounds. He scored a career-high 11 points and had a career-high six rebounds in the loss to San Francisco in November.

He was also recruited by North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest, Clemson, Kansas State and Penn State.