So, where does UVA basketball go from here? A glimpse at where Tony Bennett is looking

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Wahoo fans were full of gloom and doom the past two days after having lost Kadin Shedrick and Isaac Traudt to the transfer portal.

Never fear … the transfer portal is here. With more than a thousand players having bolted to the portal in the past week, there are plenty of options for coaches trying to rebuild or plug in their rosters.

No one has done it better than Jim Larrañaga at Miami, who brought in all-conference players from three other leagues to rebuild the Hurricanes’ roster, and look where they are: the Final Four.

This time last year, Kansas State had practically no one even in its basketball program and the Wildcats went wild in recruiting the portal, rebuilding the entire team. Elite Eight.

The transfer portal is the great equalizer in college basketball now, and one of the reasons there is such great parity in the game. Don’t like your team? Rebuild it.

Virginia has an opportunity to not only just refill its roster, but to make it even stronger if Tony Bennett and his staff can lure the right players to Charlottesville. UVA has had a lot of success with transfers, and now has a chance to make a splash with so many spots available. Some former Wahoos who came into the program from the portal were: Anthony Gill, Braxton Key, Trey Murphy, Sam Hauser, Jayden Gardner and Armaan Franklin, just to mention a few.

So, where does Virginia go from here? The Cavaliers have already been in contact with at least 15 players in the portal to gauge interest. It’s a matter of what players might fit Bennett’s program chemistry-wise and academically, setting up visits and going from there.

Here’s a list of players Virginia has reached out to thus far:

• Jordan Minor, Merrimack, grad transfer, Co-NEC Player of Year and Defensive Player of Year. Averages: 17.4 ppg, 9.4 rpg.
• Jonathan Beagle, Albany, 6-10 freshman. Averages: 12.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg.
• Elijah Hutchins, Austin Peay, 6-11 sophomore. Averages: 12.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg.
• Payton Sparks, Ball State, 6-9 sophomore.
• Robert Jennings, Texas Tech, 6-7 freshman. Averages: 2.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg.
• Mustapha Amzil, Dayton, 6-10, team’s third-leading scorer, has played in 88 games, two years eligibility. Originally from Finland.
• Jackson Paveletzke, Wofford, 6-3 freshman. Averages: 15.1 ppg, 3.7 assists.
• Chris Ledlum, Harvard, 6-6 junior.
• Johnny O’Neil, American, 6-9 freshman, Patriot League Rookie of Year. Averages: 11.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, shot 39 percent from 3-point line.
• Jae’lyn Withers, Louisville, 6-9. Averages: 8.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg.
• John Tonje, Colorado State, 6-5.
• Ta’lon Cooper, Minnesota, grad transfer.

This list will likely be ever-changing, and we will keep up with those who have dropped out, such as Drew Fielder and Josh Oduro, who UVA contacted, but have already committed elsewhere.