Men's basketball: Late last night, Virginia picked up a transfer from Tennessee, 6-foot-5 guard Darius Thompson, who can play at shooting guard or point guard but seems to be more of a point guard. Thompson will sit out next season and then will have three years of eligibility remaining. Thompson, a Murfreesboro, Tenn., native who was recruited by UVa coach Tony Bennett in high school, averaged 2.6 points, two boards, and 2.4 assists per game last season in 16 minutes per game for the Volunteers. He started 10
games and appeared in all 37.
Thompson gives the Cavaliers depth behind starting point guard London Perrantes, who will be a junior when Thompson becomes eligible. Should Malcolm Brogdon still be on the team in 2015-16 (he has redshirted already and that would be his fifth year and Brogdon is a smart kid who will have graduated) it will allow him to continue to play more as a shooting guard. He struggled at times last year as the backup point guard and adding a better ball handler will play to Brogdon's strengths.
Thompson did not shoot well a year ago, but he might not be asked to score much in Charlottesville based on the personnel the Cavaliers have and could have down the line. He led the Vols in steals last year and was second in assists so he seems to have great value other than just shooting. Bennett has shown he likes tall guards that can fill passing lanes in his Pack-Line defense. Every player on next year's roster (at least scholarship players) will be at least 6-foot-5 except for Perrantes, who is still about 6-foot-2.
Adding Thompson meant the Cavaliers probably felt like they were out of the running for Ukrianian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and sure enough, the 16-year-old 6-foot-6 guard announced today he is headed to Kansas in the fall.
Men's tennis: The Wahoos lost to USC, 5-1, on Monday in the NCAA tournament semifinals. USC went on to win the title Tuesday, 4-2, over Oklahoma. The Trojans have won the tournament five out of the last six seasons. UVa is the only other team to win it in that span, last season. USC beat UVa in the finals back-to-back years in 2011 and 2012. It also beat the Cavs in the semifinals in 2010 and in the quarterfinals in 2009. While the 'Hoos have had lots of trouble with the Trojans, UVa did get the better of the Trojans in the 2007 NCAA quarterfinals and also defeated them in the 2013 National Indoor championship.
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| Darius Thompson |
Thompson gives the Cavaliers depth behind starting point guard London Perrantes, who will be a junior when Thompson becomes eligible. Should Malcolm Brogdon still be on the team in 2015-16 (he has redshirted already and that would be his fifth year and Brogdon is a smart kid who will have graduated) it will allow him to continue to play more as a shooting guard. He struggled at times last year as the backup point guard and adding a better ball handler will play to Brogdon's strengths.
Thompson did not shoot well a year ago, but he might not be asked to score much in Charlottesville based on the personnel the Cavaliers have and could have down the line. He led the Vols in steals last year and was second in assists so he seems to have great value other than just shooting. Bennett has shown he likes tall guards that can fill passing lanes in his Pack-Line defense. Every player on next year's roster (at least scholarship players) will be at least 6-foot-5 except for Perrantes, who is still about 6-foot-2.
Adding Thompson meant the Cavaliers probably felt like they were out of the running for Ukrianian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and sure enough, the 16-year-old 6-foot-6 guard announced today he is headed to Kansas in the fall.
Men's tennis: The Wahoos lost to USC, 5-1, on Monday in the NCAA tournament semifinals. USC went on to win the title Tuesday, 4-2, over Oklahoma. The Trojans have won the tournament five out of the last six seasons. UVa is the only other team to win it in that span, last season. USC beat UVa in the finals back-to-back years in 2011 and 2012. It also beat the Cavs in the semifinals in 2010 and in the quarterfinals in 2009. While the 'Hoos have had lots of trouble with the Trojans, UVa did get the better of the Trojans in the 2007 NCAA quarterfinals and also defeated them in the 2013 National Indoor championship.
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