Notwithstanding its historic and unimaginable loss to UMBC in the 2018 NCAA Basketball Tournament, Virginia was clearly the best of the 351 Division I college basketball teams last season until the day after the ides of March. The Hoos finished first in the ACC regular season, winning 17 of 18 games played against ACC foes. Then, Virginia won the ACC Tournament with 3 more wins against ACC opponents to claim the ACC championship. In both instances, the teams that finished second or further behind the Hoos were not even close. Duke finished 2nd in the standings, but a full 4 games behind the Hoos. The 4 teams that tied for 3rd place each had 6 more losses against ACC teams during the regular season than Virginia’s 1 such loss, and each of those teams added an 8th loss to its total following an exit from the 2018 ACC Tournament. The lone loss Virginia suffered against an ACC team last season was by a single point in an overtime game against state rival Virginia Tech. The other time the Hokies faced the Hoos last season, UVA won by 26 points. In the 2018 ACC Tournament, Clemson came within 6 points of Virginia after being aided by a hard fall taken by one of the Hoos’ best players, 6-7 then redshirt freshman wing (shooting guard/small forward) De’Andre Hunter. UNC fell to UVA by 8 points in the championship game that Hunter played while experiencing severe pain and the handicap of a badly broken wrist suffered in the game against the Tigers. The first ACC Tournament game Virginia played was a rout.
Virginia won over two-thirds of its 31 wins by double-digits margins of victory, finishing last season (31-3) overall and (17-1) in the ACC. But for that (almost) inexplicable collapse against the Retrievers of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County and 54-74 loss to end its fantastic season in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament, Virginia was just 8 points (7-point loss to West Virginia and 1-point loss to Virginia Tech) removed from an undefeated season. Our reporters opine (here and now and without reservation) that the Retrievers would not have been able to pull off their colossal upset of the Hoos but for the injury to Hunter, the player on last season’s team most coveted by the NBA. An injury in practice suffered by reserve frontcourt player Jay Huff just prior to the Big Dance also undermined UVA’s cause, but to a much lesser extent than the injury to Hunter. Should Hunter elect to make this season his last at Virginia, he is projected to be selected in the First Round of the 2019 NBA Draft despite the fact that he will not have risen to the status of a starter for the Cavaliers until this season. Counting Hunter as one of the certain starters for Virginia this season, UVA will meet this publication’s standard for team success and potential greatness that requires the presence of at least 3 All-ACC caliber players in a team’s starting lineup (Hunter, Guy, and Jerome).
The ACC teams hoping to give Virginia some competition this season ground their hopes upon the belief that the players who departed after last season will be missed, and that certainly is likely. 6-7 senior power forward Isaiah Wilkins, the stepson of Atlanta Hawks NBA great Dominique Wilkins and a graduate of Greater Atlanta Christian School in Gwinnett County, Georgia, was the 2018 ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Wilkins was joined on the 2018 ACC All-Defensive Team by 6-5 senior shooting guard Devon Hall, a Second Team All-ACC selection. Wilkins was the leader of the Hoos’ dreaded pack-line defense, providing both blocks (1.4 bpg) and steals (1.2 spg). Wilkins was a complementary player who provided limited scoring (6.0 ppg) and solid rebounding (6.2 rpg). For a frontcourt player, Wilkins was an exceptional ball-handler (1.8 a/to) who converted his shots at decent rates from inside the three-point arc (48.5 FG%) and from the free throw line (75.6 FT%), but not from beyond the arc (17.6 3s%). Hall was UVA’s second leading scorer (11.7 ppg) in its low-powered offense and an exceptionally careful ball-handler (3.1 apg) (3.1 a/to). Along with Guy (39.2 3s%) and Jerome (37.9 3s%), Hall (43.2 3s%) (1.7 3s/g) was one of the Cavalier’s trio of deadly long-distance shooters. Like Jerome (90.5 FT%) and Guy (82.4 FT%), Hall was also exceptionally accurate from the free throw line (89.4 FT%). 6-1 graduate student point guard Nigel Johnson, the only other player to depart following last season, scored a little (4.9 ppg) but shot the ball poorly (38.6 FG%) (32.7 3s%) (60.5 FT%) during his lone season as an ACC player after arriving before last season as a transfer from Rutgers.
The three returning starters for Virginia are Guy, Jerome and 6-10 senior center Jack Salt. Salt (3.4 ppg) (4.1 rpg) (0.6 bpg) (64.2 FG%) (38.2 FT%) (19.8 mpg) is the consummate role player for Virginia. His scoring, rebounding, and shot-blocking appear to be mediocre or even weak, and his free throw shooting is horrendous. Statistically, Salt’s only really positive attribute is accurate shooting from close range on the rare occasions when he launches a shot. Still, Coach Tony Bennett obviously considers Salt to be a valuable complementary player (even though he will not receive many compliments for his stats). Salt is also appreciated by his home country, New Zealand, which includes him on its Men’s National Team roster. By sharp contrast with the limited role playing of Salt, 6-2 junior shooting guard Kyle Guy performs as a lead actor and star player. Guy is a returning 2018 First Team All-ACC player who was a 2018 Third Team AP (Associated Press) and NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) All-American. Guy led the Hoos in scoring (14.1 ppg) and was its most prolific scorer (39.2 3s%) (2.4 3s/g) from outside the three-point arc. Guy also hit his free throws at a high rate (82.4 FT%). 6-5 junior point guard Ty Jerome is a 2018 Third Team All-ACC performer and another lead actor like Guy. Jerome was one of Virginia’s 3 players to score at a double-digits rate (10.6 ppg) at the Hoos’ anemic offensive pace, and he matched Hall as UVA’s second most prolific scorer from downtown (37.9 3s%) (1.7 3s/g) behind Guy. Jerome provided excellent ball-handling (3.9 apg) (2.4 a/to), collected steals at a high rate (1.6 spg), and closed out close games from the free throw line by hitting his free throws at an exceptional rate (90.5 FT%).
Besides being Virginia’s best NBA prospect, 6-7 sophomore guard/forward Hunter gives the Hoos another scorer (9.2 ppg) (by UVA standards) who can create his own shot against the best defensive players. Hunter has the superior athleticism to match the best athletes the conference has to offer and be an effective defender. That attribute would have made the difference against UMBC combined with Hunter’s major role in UVA’s offense. Hunter converts shots from mid-range and closer to the hoop at exceptional rates for a guard or wing (48.8 FG%) and from beyond the three-point arc with outstanding accuracy (38.2 3s%) (0.6 3s/g). Even top scorer Guy did not score points at a faster rate than the rate at which Hunter scored per minutes played. For his efforts last season, Hunter was recognized as the 2018 ACC Sixth Man of the Year and a member of the 2018 ACC All-Freshman Team. Joining Hunter, Guy, Jerome, and Salt in the starting lineup is likely to be another returning bench player from last season, 6-9 junior Mamadi Diakite. Diakite provided some scoring (5.4 ppg) and rebounding (3.0 rpg), but Virginia’s stats are deceptive due to its pace of play. Like Salt, Diakite shot the ball well inside the paint (57.7 FG%). Unlike Salt, however, Diakite converted his free throws at a very solid rate for a big man (78.0 FT%).
Following Wilkins’ departure, another player who could solidify the frontcourt rotation along with Salt and Diakite is 7-1 redshirt sophomore power forward Jay Huff. Huff’s prospects depend upon whether he has grasped Coach Tony Bennett’s version of the pack-line defense and whether he has recovered fully from the torn labrum that made Huff unavailable for the NCAA Tournament last season. Given that he played only (8.8 mpg), Huff’s shot-blocking rate was phenomenal last season at (1.2 bpg), and his scoring (3.4 ppg) and rebounding (1.9 rpg) would be solid (especially by UVA slow pace standards) if he earns more playing time and keeps up those rates. Huff shot the ball exceptionally well from the field (68.0 FG%), but not well from three-point range (28.6 3s%) and the charity stripe (62.5 FT%). The 7th and only other returning player for the Hoos, 6-4 shooting guard Marco Anthony, shot the ball well from deep (38.5 3s%) in his very limited freshman minutes (7.9 mpg). In his cameo appearances, Anthony showed promise that he might be a good fit for the UVA system.
Given the players on Virginia’s 2018-2019 roster, our reporters ask (and answer) two questions that naturally arise. Who will be the next players to emerge, unexpectedly perhaps, from the 7 returnees and 5 freshmen as major contributors to, and practitioners of, the formidable UVA pack-line defense? And why does Coach Tony Bennett hate America so much? Sadly, this publication must report the facts, even if they conclusively and undeniably establish that Coach Bennett, who is a very likeable Coach in all other respects, is an unpatriotic importer of player goods (and good players) to this country instead of being a consumer of American made recruits. Clearly, Coach Bennett is also misusing UVA athletics funds for his travel and entertainment purposes. Otherwise, how can one explain UVA’s roster of 12 that includes players from: Auckland, New Zealand; Conakry, Guinea, Africa; El Trebo, Santa Fe, Argentina; Milan, Italy; and Bentley Park, Queensland, Australia? Obviously, Coach Bennett will continue to use recruiting as an excuse to travel the world until someone makes America great again (MAGA) and negotiates fair trade agreements that shift the balance back in the direction of American export of player goods. Hopefully, the players on the UVA roster like Guy, Jerome and Hunter who come from American soil can restore Coach Bennett’s faith in “the greatest nation on God’s green earth” when it comes to basketball recruits and player production. To answer the other question, our reporters note that Guy and Jerome are established Al-ACC team leaders and outstanding players, and Salt has carved out his complementary role to perfection. As the roles of Hunter and Diakite expand with their move from key bench reserves into the starting lineup, Virginia should have a very solid starting lineup under any and all standards. The mystery to be investigated with regard to players who might emerge relates solely to the undeniable fact that Virginia has no proven key reserves who have shown that they can come off the bench and help maintain the high level of play the starters are expected to provide.
If Huff can play UVA caliber defense, he could provide a shot-blocking dimension to Virginia’s defense that was absent from last year’s team. Huff also appears to have developed offensive skills that could help the Cavaliers at that somewhat neglected end of the court where the Hoos get to shoot the ball. Anthony is solidly built and could be another long-range shooter who provides tough defense. As for the freshmen, all of whom are 3-star recruits and not highly acclaimed, the role they might play could be much more than the untrained eye might recognize without the help of this publication. 5-9 (155 pound) point guard Kihei Clark has an obvious role. Besides consuming lots of food to try to nourish his body to gain weight and grow several inches taller, Clark will be a backup at point guard to support Jerome. Though Clark is not a highly regarded recruit, he shot the ball well in high school (41.0 3s%) (81.0 FT%) and was a harassing defender (2.9 spg) and solid distributor (7.2 apg). Another point guard from California like Clark to come to UVA to play for Coach Bennett, London Perrantes, was no more highly acclaimed than Clark. Perrantes achieved Second Team All-ACC status by his senior season and led UVA to several ACC championships. There are some reports that recruiters have overlooked Clark mainly because of his diminutive stature. Those same reports suggest that Clark can consistently excel at both ends of the court at the college level based upon his quickness, tenacity, exceptional ball-handling ability, and accurate outside shot. Clark sounds to our staff to be a similar diamond in the rough like Perrantes.
Besides Anthony, the backcourt and wing support for shooting guards Guy and Hunter will come from 6-7 small forward Francesco Badocchi and 6-7 shooting guard Kody Stattmann. 6-3 shooting guard Jayden Nixon was added this season as a preferred walk-on and practice player who can earn a scholarship if he contributes more than is expected from the usual walk-on player. Badocchi arrived as a 2017 recruit, but he took a redshirt last season to recover fully from a knee injury. Though he is from Italy, Badocchi played several seasons of American high school basketball in Kansas. Badocchi was the state tournament MVP in leading his team to back-to-back state championships and was a first team all-state player. There are reports that Badocchi is more than ready to help Virginia’s frontcourt and wing depth this season and that he will be a key reserve right away. Stattmann was a prolific scorer for the Australian U17 Men’s National Basketball Team and led the Emus to a gold medal at the 2017 FIBA Oceania Championships in Guam. Known for his offense, Stattmann averaged (31.0 ppg) for Australia, including (53.0 3s%) shooting from three-point land down-under. At the 2017 Adidas Nations Global event in Houston, Texas, Stattmann connected on more threes than any other player and was named to the All-World Team. If Stattmann can shoot the ball as well as suggested by various reports that rank him among the very best shooters in the 2018 recruiting class and Badocchi can provide solid, physical play inside and on the wing, the Hoos will have even more long-range shooting prowess with the addition of the athletic Stattmann and a team-oriented complementary (or better) player in Badocchi to solidify the bench.
Joining Salt, Diakite, and Huff in the Hoos’ frontcourt is the recruit hoo (or is it who) is the most highly regarded among the 5 newcomers, 7-0 center Francisco Caffaro from Argentina by way of Australia. Besides giving Virginia the height to match any ACC adversary, Caffaro is a highly trained and skilled post player who runs the floor well and can match up with almost any other college big man. Since he converts free throws at a solid rate for a frontcourt player, Caffaro can be expected to add a mid-range game to his offensive arsenal that includes a variety of polished post moves as his development continues. Caffaro has played for Argentina’s National Basketball Team since the age of 15. Against Team USA at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship, Caffaro scored 22 points and collected 6 rebounds. Over 6 games at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship Tournament, he averaged (16.7 ppg) and (8.8 rpg). Having attended the NBA’s Global Academy in Canberra, Australia for the past 2 seasons, Caffaro has the career goal to play in the NBA. Clearly, this wise and grounded young man will not let Charlottesville’s lofty academic standards and requirements keep him from focusing on basketball as the proper and preferred means for a person more than a foot taller than ACC PBRs’ ace (and tallest) reporter to earn a living wage once such a vertically oriented person exits the anti-capitalist world of academia.
Duke and North Carolina will be truly great this coming season, but the #1 team in the ACC is Virginia until further notice and the introduction of credible proof to the contrary. Coach Tony Bennett was the greatest career three-point shooter in NCAA Basketball history with accuracy of (49.7 3s%) during his college years. During one college season, Coach Bennett (the player) hit on (53.3 3s%) of his shots from beyond the three-point arc. This publication suspects that he coaches his shooters, which is why UVA has plenty of potentially very good (if not Coach Tony Bennett awesome) three-point shooters entering this season (Guy, Jerome, Hunter, Stattmann, and Clark). After a 3-year NBA career with the Charlotte Hornets, Coach Bennett played professionally in Australia and New Zealand, which might explain why 3 of his 5 international players come from those 2 countries. Caffaro is from Argentina, but he attended school most recently in Australia. Over the past 5 seasons, Virginia finished 1st in the ACC 3 times with an overall regular season won-lost record of (73-17). The other 2 regular season 1st place finishes went to the Tar Heels, which have a second-best record of (63-27) over those 5 seasons matched by Duke (63-27), which has done no better than to finish 2nd twice. No other ACC teams comes close to these 3 preseason top 10 ACC teams over the past 5 seasons in terms of ACC regular season records. In its 4 seasons as an ACC member, Louisville (45-27) comes closest, matching UNC and Duke in second fewest losses but with 18 fewer wins (an entire 18-game season). The rest of the ACC teams have 5 year records of Miami (51-39), Notre Dame (51-39), Syracuse (50-40), FSU (46-44), Clemson (45-45), NC State (39-51), Virginia Tech (34-56), Pittsburgh (32-58), Georgia Tech (31-59), Wake Forest (26-64), and Boston College (17-73) (the polar opposite of the Hoos in terms of success or lack thereof).
Virginia cannot be expected to be as dominant this season simply because its performance last season was so exceptional. The Hoos were the #1 team in the nation and not just a team that thoroughly dominated its ACC (but not UMBC) opponents. Even if Virginia is not quite as good this season, which is not a given, the Hoos can be expected to compete for a place near the top of the national rankings and to rule the ACC. Even so, readers can expect Duke, UNC, and some of the other 4 preseason national top 25 teams in the ACC (Clemson, Virginia Tech, FSU, or Syracuse) to mount a challenge. Even NC State and Miami might be a surprise challenger, though the odds weigh heavily in UVA’s favor against most of the teams other than UNC and Duke. The starting lineup should be outstanding, and Coach Tony Bennett will mold his players into a sum (with an emphasis on defense) that is better than the individual parts. As compared to last season though, one weakness this season could be the lack of quality depth like Hunter and Diakite coming off the bench as key reserves now that they have become starters. For there to be a concern about depth, Coach Bennett must necessarily have lost his keen eye for identifying underrated players who fit his system. In the view of our reporters, that sudden loss of the ability to make good judgments in recruiting is not considered likely to be an issue. Accordingly, the Virginia Cavaliers/Wahoos/Hoos are this publication’s selection as the ACC team most likely to finish atop the 2018-2019 ACC Standings in place #1.
At this point, this publication is not sure when the next issue of ACC PBRs will be released and what topic or subjects might be covered. As the November 6 opening day for the college basketball regular season approaches (including the Duke v. Kentucky battle of heavy-weights on that date), it is likely that inspiration for the next issue will come from some quarter.
Hoopfully yours, The #1 Virginia Hoos and ACC PBR #31
Virginia won over two-thirds of its 31 wins by double-digits margins of victory, finishing last season (31-3) overall and (17-1) in the ACC. But for that (almost) inexplicable collapse against the Retrievers of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County and 54-74 loss to end its fantastic season in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament, Virginia was just 8 points (7-point loss to West Virginia and 1-point loss to Virginia Tech) removed from an undefeated season. Our reporters opine (here and now and without reservation) that the Retrievers would not have been able to pull off their colossal upset of the Hoos but for the injury to Hunter, the player on last season’s team most coveted by the NBA. An injury in practice suffered by reserve frontcourt player Jay Huff just prior to the Big Dance also undermined UVA’s cause, but to a much lesser extent than the injury to Hunter. Should Hunter elect to make this season his last at Virginia, he is projected to be selected in the First Round of the 2019 NBA Draft despite the fact that he will not have risen to the status of a starter for the Cavaliers until this season. Counting Hunter as one of the certain starters for Virginia this season, UVA will meet this publication’s standard for team success and potential greatness that requires the presence of at least 3 All-ACC caliber players in a team’s starting lineup (Hunter, Guy, and Jerome).
The ACC teams hoping to give Virginia some competition this season ground their hopes upon the belief that the players who departed after last season will be missed, and that certainly is likely. 6-7 senior power forward Isaiah Wilkins, the stepson of Atlanta Hawks NBA great Dominique Wilkins and a graduate of Greater Atlanta Christian School in Gwinnett County, Georgia, was the 2018 ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Wilkins was joined on the 2018 ACC All-Defensive Team by 6-5 senior shooting guard Devon Hall, a Second Team All-ACC selection. Wilkins was the leader of the Hoos’ dreaded pack-line defense, providing both blocks (1.4 bpg) and steals (1.2 spg). Wilkins was a complementary player who provided limited scoring (6.0 ppg) and solid rebounding (6.2 rpg). For a frontcourt player, Wilkins was an exceptional ball-handler (1.8 a/to) who converted his shots at decent rates from inside the three-point arc (48.5 FG%) and from the free throw line (75.6 FT%), but not from beyond the arc (17.6 3s%). Hall was UVA’s second leading scorer (11.7 ppg) in its low-powered offense and an exceptionally careful ball-handler (3.1 apg) (3.1 a/to). Along with Guy (39.2 3s%) and Jerome (37.9 3s%), Hall (43.2 3s%) (1.7 3s/g) was one of the Cavalier’s trio of deadly long-distance shooters. Like Jerome (90.5 FT%) and Guy (82.4 FT%), Hall was also exceptionally accurate from the free throw line (89.4 FT%). 6-1 graduate student point guard Nigel Johnson, the only other player to depart following last season, scored a little (4.9 ppg) but shot the ball poorly (38.6 FG%) (32.7 3s%) (60.5 FT%) during his lone season as an ACC player after arriving before last season as a transfer from Rutgers.
The three returning starters for Virginia are Guy, Jerome and 6-10 senior center Jack Salt. Salt (3.4 ppg) (4.1 rpg) (0.6 bpg) (64.2 FG%) (38.2 FT%) (19.8 mpg) is the consummate role player for Virginia. His scoring, rebounding, and shot-blocking appear to be mediocre or even weak, and his free throw shooting is horrendous. Statistically, Salt’s only really positive attribute is accurate shooting from close range on the rare occasions when he launches a shot. Still, Coach Tony Bennett obviously considers Salt to be a valuable complementary player (even though he will not receive many compliments for his stats). Salt is also appreciated by his home country, New Zealand, which includes him on its Men’s National Team roster. By sharp contrast with the limited role playing of Salt, 6-2 junior shooting guard Kyle Guy performs as a lead actor and star player. Guy is a returning 2018 First Team All-ACC player who was a 2018 Third Team AP (Associated Press) and NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) All-American. Guy led the Hoos in scoring (14.1 ppg) and was its most prolific scorer (39.2 3s%) (2.4 3s/g) from outside the three-point arc. Guy also hit his free throws at a high rate (82.4 FT%). 6-5 junior point guard Ty Jerome is a 2018 Third Team All-ACC performer and another lead actor like Guy. Jerome was one of Virginia’s 3 players to score at a double-digits rate (10.6 ppg) at the Hoos’ anemic offensive pace, and he matched Hall as UVA’s second most prolific scorer from downtown (37.9 3s%) (1.7 3s/g) behind Guy. Jerome provided excellent ball-handling (3.9 apg) (2.4 a/to), collected steals at a high rate (1.6 spg), and closed out close games from the free throw line by hitting his free throws at an exceptional rate (90.5 FT%).
Besides being Virginia’s best NBA prospect, 6-7 sophomore guard/forward Hunter gives the Hoos another scorer (9.2 ppg) (by UVA standards) who can create his own shot against the best defensive players. Hunter has the superior athleticism to match the best athletes the conference has to offer and be an effective defender. That attribute would have made the difference against UMBC combined with Hunter’s major role in UVA’s offense. Hunter converts shots from mid-range and closer to the hoop at exceptional rates for a guard or wing (48.8 FG%) and from beyond the three-point arc with outstanding accuracy (38.2 3s%) (0.6 3s/g). Even top scorer Guy did not score points at a faster rate than the rate at which Hunter scored per minutes played. For his efforts last season, Hunter was recognized as the 2018 ACC Sixth Man of the Year and a member of the 2018 ACC All-Freshman Team. Joining Hunter, Guy, Jerome, and Salt in the starting lineup is likely to be another returning bench player from last season, 6-9 junior Mamadi Diakite. Diakite provided some scoring (5.4 ppg) and rebounding (3.0 rpg), but Virginia’s stats are deceptive due to its pace of play. Like Salt, Diakite shot the ball well inside the paint (57.7 FG%). Unlike Salt, however, Diakite converted his free throws at a very solid rate for a big man (78.0 FT%).
Following Wilkins’ departure, another player who could solidify the frontcourt rotation along with Salt and Diakite is 7-1 redshirt sophomore power forward Jay Huff. Huff’s prospects depend upon whether he has grasped Coach Tony Bennett’s version of the pack-line defense and whether he has recovered fully from the torn labrum that made Huff unavailable for the NCAA Tournament last season. Given that he played only (8.8 mpg), Huff’s shot-blocking rate was phenomenal last season at (1.2 bpg), and his scoring (3.4 ppg) and rebounding (1.9 rpg) would be solid (especially by UVA slow pace standards) if he earns more playing time and keeps up those rates. Huff shot the ball exceptionally well from the field (68.0 FG%), but not well from three-point range (28.6 3s%) and the charity stripe (62.5 FT%). The 7th and only other returning player for the Hoos, 6-4 shooting guard Marco Anthony, shot the ball well from deep (38.5 3s%) in his very limited freshman minutes (7.9 mpg). In his cameo appearances, Anthony showed promise that he might be a good fit for the UVA system.
Given the players on Virginia’s 2018-2019 roster, our reporters ask (and answer) two questions that naturally arise. Who will be the next players to emerge, unexpectedly perhaps, from the 7 returnees and 5 freshmen as major contributors to, and practitioners of, the formidable UVA pack-line defense? And why does Coach Tony Bennett hate America so much? Sadly, this publication must report the facts, even if they conclusively and undeniably establish that Coach Bennett, who is a very likeable Coach in all other respects, is an unpatriotic importer of player goods (and good players) to this country instead of being a consumer of American made recruits. Clearly, Coach Bennett is also misusing UVA athletics funds for his travel and entertainment purposes. Otherwise, how can one explain UVA’s roster of 12 that includes players from: Auckland, New Zealand; Conakry, Guinea, Africa; El Trebo, Santa Fe, Argentina; Milan, Italy; and Bentley Park, Queensland, Australia? Obviously, Coach Bennett will continue to use recruiting as an excuse to travel the world until someone makes America great again (MAGA) and negotiates fair trade agreements that shift the balance back in the direction of American export of player goods. Hopefully, the players on the UVA roster like Guy, Jerome and Hunter who come from American soil can restore Coach Bennett’s faith in “the greatest nation on God’s green earth” when it comes to basketball recruits and player production. To answer the other question, our reporters note that Guy and Jerome are established Al-ACC team leaders and outstanding players, and Salt has carved out his complementary role to perfection. As the roles of Hunter and Diakite expand with their move from key bench reserves into the starting lineup, Virginia should have a very solid starting lineup under any and all standards. The mystery to be investigated with regard to players who might emerge relates solely to the undeniable fact that Virginia has no proven key reserves who have shown that they can come off the bench and help maintain the high level of play the starters are expected to provide.
If Huff can play UVA caliber defense, he could provide a shot-blocking dimension to Virginia’s defense that was absent from last year’s team. Huff also appears to have developed offensive skills that could help the Cavaliers at that somewhat neglected end of the court where the Hoos get to shoot the ball. Anthony is solidly built and could be another long-range shooter who provides tough defense. As for the freshmen, all of whom are 3-star recruits and not highly acclaimed, the role they might play could be much more than the untrained eye might recognize without the help of this publication. 5-9 (155 pound) point guard Kihei Clark has an obvious role. Besides consuming lots of food to try to nourish his body to gain weight and grow several inches taller, Clark will be a backup at point guard to support Jerome. Though Clark is not a highly regarded recruit, he shot the ball well in high school (41.0 3s%) (81.0 FT%) and was a harassing defender (2.9 spg) and solid distributor (7.2 apg). Another point guard from California like Clark to come to UVA to play for Coach Bennett, London Perrantes, was no more highly acclaimed than Clark. Perrantes achieved Second Team All-ACC status by his senior season and led UVA to several ACC championships. There are some reports that recruiters have overlooked Clark mainly because of his diminutive stature. Those same reports suggest that Clark can consistently excel at both ends of the court at the college level based upon his quickness, tenacity, exceptional ball-handling ability, and accurate outside shot. Clark sounds to our staff to be a similar diamond in the rough like Perrantes.
Besides Anthony, the backcourt and wing support for shooting guards Guy and Hunter will come from 6-7 small forward Francesco Badocchi and 6-7 shooting guard Kody Stattmann. 6-3 shooting guard Jayden Nixon was added this season as a preferred walk-on and practice player who can earn a scholarship if he contributes more than is expected from the usual walk-on player. Badocchi arrived as a 2017 recruit, but he took a redshirt last season to recover fully from a knee injury. Though he is from Italy, Badocchi played several seasons of American high school basketball in Kansas. Badocchi was the state tournament MVP in leading his team to back-to-back state championships and was a first team all-state player. There are reports that Badocchi is more than ready to help Virginia’s frontcourt and wing depth this season and that he will be a key reserve right away. Stattmann was a prolific scorer for the Australian U17 Men’s National Basketball Team and led the Emus to a gold medal at the 2017 FIBA Oceania Championships in Guam. Known for his offense, Stattmann averaged (31.0 ppg) for Australia, including (53.0 3s%) shooting from three-point land down-under. At the 2017 Adidas Nations Global event in Houston, Texas, Stattmann connected on more threes than any other player and was named to the All-World Team. If Stattmann can shoot the ball as well as suggested by various reports that rank him among the very best shooters in the 2018 recruiting class and Badocchi can provide solid, physical play inside and on the wing, the Hoos will have even more long-range shooting prowess with the addition of the athletic Stattmann and a team-oriented complementary (or better) player in Badocchi to solidify the bench.
Joining Salt, Diakite, and Huff in the Hoos’ frontcourt is the recruit hoo (or is it who) is the most highly regarded among the 5 newcomers, 7-0 center Francisco Caffaro from Argentina by way of Australia. Besides giving Virginia the height to match any ACC adversary, Caffaro is a highly trained and skilled post player who runs the floor well and can match up with almost any other college big man. Since he converts free throws at a solid rate for a frontcourt player, Caffaro can be expected to add a mid-range game to his offensive arsenal that includes a variety of polished post moves as his development continues. Caffaro has played for Argentina’s National Basketball Team since the age of 15. Against Team USA at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship, Caffaro scored 22 points and collected 6 rebounds. Over 6 games at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship Tournament, he averaged (16.7 ppg) and (8.8 rpg). Having attended the NBA’s Global Academy in Canberra, Australia for the past 2 seasons, Caffaro has the career goal to play in the NBA. Clearly, this wise and grounded young man will not let Charlottesville’s lofty academic standards and requirements keep him from focusing on basketball as the proper and preferred means for a person more than a foot taller than ACC PBRs’ ace (and tallest) reporter to earn a living wage once such a vertically oriented person exits the anti-capitalist world of academia.
Duke and North Carolina will be truly great this coming season, but the #1 team in the ACC is Virginia until further notice and the introduction of credible proof to the contrary. Coach Tony Bennett was the greatest career three-point shooter in NCAA Basketball history with accuracy of (49.7 3s%) during his college years. During one college season, Coach Bennett (the player) hit on (53.3 3s%) of his shots from beyond the three-point arc. This publication suspects that he coaches his shooters, which is why UVA has plenty of potentially very good (if not Coach Tony Bennett awesome) three-point shooters entering this season (Guy, Jerome, Hunter, Stattmann, and Clark). After a 3-year NBA career with the Charlotte Hornets, Coach Bennett played professionally in Australia and New Zealand, which might explain why 3 of his 5 international players come from those 2 countries. Caffaro is from Argentina, but he attended school most recently in Australia. Over the past 5 seasons, Virginia finished 1st in the ACC 3 times with an overall regular season won-lost record of (73-17). The other 2 regular season 1st place finishes went to the Tar Heels, which have a second-best record of (63-27) over those 5 seasons matched by Duke (63-27), which has done no better than to finish 2nd twice. No other ACC teams comes close to these 3 preseason top 10 ACC teams over the past 5 seasons in terms of ACC regular season records. In its 4 seasons as an ACC member, Louisville (45-27) comes closest, matching UNC and Duke in second fewest losses but with 18 fewer wins (an entire 18-game season). The rest of the ACC teams have 5 year records of Miami (51-39), Notre Dame (51-39), Syracuse (50-40), FSU (46-44), Clemson (45-45), NC State (39-51), Virginia Tech (34-56), Pittsburgh (32-58), Georgia Tech (31-59), Wake Forest (26-64), and Boston College (17-73) (the polar opposite of the Hoos in terms of success or lack thereof).
Virginia cannot be expected to be as dominant this season simply because its performance last season was so exceptional. The Hoos were the #1 team in the nation and not just a team that thoroughly dominated its ACC (but not UMBC) opponents. Even if Virginia is not quite as good this season, which is not a given, the Hoos can be expected to compete for a place near the top of the national rankings and to rule the ACC. Even so, readers can expect Duke, UNC, and some of the other 4 preseason national top 25 teams in the ACC (Clemson, Virginia Tech, FSU, or Syracuse) to mount a challenge. Even NC State and Miami might be a surprise challenger, though the odds weigh heavily in UVA’s favor against most of the teams other than UNC and Duke. The starting lineup should be outstanding, and Coach Tony Bennett will mold his players into a sum (with an emphasis on defense) that is better than the individual parts. As compared to last season though, one weakness this season could be the lack of quality depth like Hunter and Diakite coming off the bench as key reserves now that they have become starters. For there to be a concern about depth, Coach Bennett must necessarily have lost his keen eye for identifying underrated players who fit his system. In the view of our reporters, that sudden loss of the ability to make good judgments in recruiting is not considered likely to be an issue. Accordingly, the Virginia Cavaliers/Wahoos/Hoos are this publication’s selection as the ACC team most likely to finish atop the 2018-2019 ACC Standings in place #1.
At this point, this publication is not sure when the next issue of ACC PBRs will be released and what topic or subjects might be covered. As the November 6 opening day for the college basketball regular season approaches (including the Duke v. Kentucky battle of heavy-weights on that date), it is likely that inspiration for the next issue will come from some quarter.
Hoopfully yours, The #1 Virginia Hoos and ACC PBR #31
