Virginia basketball hosting visits for two transfer big men, among finalists for another

As Tony Bennett and his staff work to rebuild the Virginia Cavaliers men’s basketball roster, three notable potential transfers have included the Wahoos among the schools they are deciding between with Merrimack’s Jordan Minor and Texas Tech’s Robert Jennings locking in visit dates and Marshall’s Micah Handlogten including UVA in his top-eight. With all three being front-court pieces, it’s clear that Virginia is prioritizing filling the holes left by the transfers of Kadin Shedrick and Isaac Traudt (along with the expected departures of Jayden Gardner, Ben Vander Plas, and Francisco Caffaro).

First off, Minor is a graduate transfer meant to be a stop gap up front for the 2023-2024 season. At 6’8” and 240 pounds, Minor is a plus athlete who is physical and moves well. He can realistically play the four or the five and, while his offensive game is essentially limited to the painted area of the floor, he would immediately raise UVA’s floor as a really solid defensive piece who will commit to picking and finishing well on offense.

Moving to Jennings, the 6’7” 225-pound forward has three years of eligibility remaining and is a far more versatile offensive product than Minor. While less of a polished athlete than Minor, Jennings has the potential to be a scorer with a fairly capable jump shot. He’ll have to get more comfortable with the ball in his hands, but he’s got the athleticism and skill to be a capable four in the short term and a building block alongside the other members of UVA’s 2022 class in the future.

Of note, Jennings is down to five schools with Maryland, Utah, St. Louis, and a return to Texas Tech the other listed options alongside Virginia. Like Minor, UVA is his first scheduled visit.

While Minor and Jennings are forwards, the 7’1” Micah Handlogten is a pure center to replace Shedrick. Likely the player with the highest ceiling of the bunch, Handlogten also has three years of eligibility remaining after a freshman season which saw him play as one of the most analytically effective big men in the country. 10th nationally in two-point field goal percentage, Handlogten was also 27th in block rate, 254th in steal rate, 41st in offensive rebounding percentage, and 27th in defensive rebounding rate.

While foul trouble was a bit of a problem for him in year one (5.6 fouls per 40 minutes), he still played heavy minutes for Marshall and should be able to improve on that. Handlogten is the obvious best case scenario replacement for Kadin Shedrick. With the mechanics to develop into an outside shooter, the North Carolina native would be a massive add for Virginia. Obviously, the competition for his services is considerable.

Additionally, UNC’s Will Shaver is another name to know moving forward. A rising redshirt sophomore (three years of eligibility), Shaver only played in three games with the North Carolina Tar Heels in his two years with them and would likely be more of a developmental addition than the three players above.