Virginia Cavaliers Basketball Player Profiles: Malcolm Brogdon

Where to start with Malcolm Brogdon. After missing his second year with a broken foot, no one really knew what to expect from the now red shirt junior from Georgia.

Pretty sure no one could have predicted what happened over the course of the 2013-2014 season. After struggling in the early going and non-conference schedule, Brogdon became one of the most versatile and underrated players in the country.

"Uncle" Malcolm led the Cavaliers with 12.7 points per game and an 87.5% free throw percentage over the course of the whole season. In conference play, Malcolm bumped up his point production to 14.8 points per game, and led the ACC in free throw percentage (88.8%). Brogdon started all 37 games of the season, and scored at least 10 points in every regular season ACC game.

He led the team in scoring in 14 games, and he did it every which way. He made three pointers, drove the lane, pull up jumpers, and from the charity stripe. Some looked easy, a lot left you wondering, "...how in the heck did that go in?".

On top of all that, Malcolm liked his dishes best served awesome (averaged 5.4 per game), and even led the team in rebounds in 10 of their games. A literal 'Jack of all trades'.

The ACC Coaches recognized Malcolm's skills, naming him to the All-ACC First Team, while the media was a little behind the power curve and put him on the Second Team. Brogdon also made the All-ACC Tournament First Team, as well as a smattering of post season accolades to include the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association (VaSID) University Division All-State Men's Basketball Player of the Year.

This season, Malcolm will be the lynch pin for Virginia. With the departure of Joe Harris and Akil Mitchell, he will be expected to step up into a bigger leadership role. Malcolm is a great on-ball defender, but he will need to increase his offensive efficiency and help mitigate the loss of Joe's point production.

Beyond his play on the court, Uncle Malcolm is a phenomenal ambassador for Virginia Basketball off the court. He's well spoken, polite, and clearly understands Coach Bennett's plan for the team. After he spoke at the ACC media day, the ACC Digital Network's Jeff Fischel commented on his eloquence and started campaigning for Brodgon's future "Governor of Virginia" role. I'd vote for him.

The Stats:

Position: Guard

Height: 6-5

Weight: 215

Nickname: Uncle Malcolm, Hollywood (THANKS, BOB KNIGHT!!)

Twitter: Hahahah. No.

Best Performance Last Season: You have to go with his career high 23 over Duke in the ACC Championship game, but this is still one of my favorite moments:

Best Post Game-Winning Shot Reaction: The high-step retreat to mid court while asking his teammates..."What do I do!? I've never done this before!"