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The Virginia men’s basketball team got a big lift today with the commitment of sophomore Armaan Franklin, a 6’4 guard from Indiana. Franklin averaged 11.4 points in 20 starts and shot 42.4% from three this season for the Hoosiers, so he should fill an immediate perimeter shooting need for the Hoos now that Tomas Woldetensae and Sam Hauser have graduated. Franklin is a good defender as well, so he should step into the role left by Casey Morsell’s departure and rotate through the guard position with Kihei Clark and Reece Beekman.
Excited about the next chapter in my hoops life. Still, have to say a big thanks to the IU community, fans and my teammates for all their support. Know that I appreciate you all so much! ⚔️ ⚔️ @UVAMensHoops pic.twitter.com/NErzsdMDXL
— Armaan Franklin (@unkle44artty) April 8, 2021
With the new transfer eligibility rules this offseason and the departure of coach Archie Miller, plenty of Hoosiers ended up in transfer portal over the past few weeks. However, with the recent announcements that Khristian Lander and Jordan Geronimo were returning to play for new head coach Mike Woodson, it’s a bit of a surprise and great news for the Hoos that Franklin has decided to pursue a new option.
Franklin was the Hoosiers best scorer in the backcourt and he scored a career high 23 points against eventual Big Ten champion Illinois on 8-for-12 shooting (5-for-6 from three). The Big Ten Network put out this great profile of him a few months ago:
After the recent departures through this tumultuous early offseason, Franklin’s commitment is amazing news for the UVA program and greatly helps secure the backcourt rotation with Clark, Beekman, and potentially Kody Stattmann, Carson McCorckle, and Taine Murray. Stay tuned to Streaking the Lawn for more roster updates as the transfer season continues to shape next year’s team.