Virginia basketball season preview

Morgan State at No. 6 Virginia, 7 p.m. Friday; ESPN.3.com

Oh, glorious day it is basketball season! My football teams, Virginia and the Cowboys, are a combined 5-12, so I am definitely ready for some hoops. The Cavaliers come into the year ranked No. 6 in the AP poll.

Probably not until after the first game of the season, I will do my annual game-by-game predictions.

For now, let's get to who's gone, who's back, and who's new.

Losses

UVa lost only one scholarship player to graduation, Darion Atkins. He was a defensive stalwart --recorded nearly a block per game -- who really blossomed in his senior season and also had some pretty good offensive numbers. Atkins averaged 7.6 points and 6 rebounds last year. He was great filling in for Akil Mitchell as the hedger in the Pack-Line defense. He wasn't much of a vocal leader, but he is an example of hard work paying off. He started to have a breakout year in 2012-13 when he got hurt. He never really could earn regular time again until last year. He's now on the New York Knicks' NBDL team, the Westchester Knicks.

EDIT: How do I forget him? I think I was overlooking him because I didn't want him to be gone. My friend JP reminded me I completely forgot about one Justin Anderson, he of high-flying dunks and come-from-behind blocks. He decided to leave school with one year of eligibility remaining and the move ended up paying off, literally, as he was selected with the 21st pick in the NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks. He's had a nice year for so far, seeing minutes in all but one game and even scoring 11 points against the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 10. For Virginia, he was always an energy guy but last year, he also provided lethal 3-point shooting for the first half of the year (ended the year at 45.2 percent). Then he hurt his finger, missed a few games, and came back but was never the same. Still, Virginia will miss his athleticism and ability to take the top off defenses and pump up the crowd.

B.J. Stith decided to transfer after not receiving much time last year. He's now at Old Dominion, where his dad, UVa legend Bryant Stith, is an assistant coach. Whether the spotlight got to him or he just wasn't ready, Stith must have grown impatient and sought playing time elsewhere. He was a good teammate and UVa fans wish him well. He averaged 4.8 minutes and 1.6 points in 2014-15.

Gains

Last year, I put only freshmen in this spot, but I'm going to include a transfer and redshirt freshman from last year, too, which seems to make sense, since this will be the first year he is able to play.

Darius Thompson

The transfer is Darius Thompson, who came to UVa after playing his freshman season at Tennessee. As a Vol, the 6-foot-4 196-pounder put up 2.6 points, 2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. As a Cavalier, he is expected to be the primary backup at point guard for London Perrantes. He is said to be athletic and able to slash to the basket. He's able to find open teammates. His shot, as of last year, needed some work. We will see how that has progressed.

Jack Salt is coming off his redshirt year and ready to contribute. The big 6-foot-11 250-pounder from New Zealand is physical down low and will provide relief for Anthony Gill, Mike Tobey, Isaiah Wilkins, and Evan Nolte. I was pleasantly surprised with his agility and offensive moves during the Blue and White Scrimmage a couple weeks ago. He is also said to be a good shot blocker.

This year's scholarship true freshmen are 6-foot-9 195-pounder Mamadi Diakite, a forward from Guinea who attended Blue Ridge School in Greene County, and Jarred Reuter, a 6-foot-7, 243-pound forward from Massachusetts. One thing you should already be able to tell is the difference in thickness of these two guys. Diakite is a project for the 'Hoos. He possesses superior athleticism and can play away from the rim, but needs to put on more pounds and will probably redshirt this season.

Jarred Reuter

Reuter looks massive when you watch practice videos and does not look like a freshman. He is short for playing down low but his strength should help out. He will add depth to the forwarders and probably be someone that comes in for defense and fouls. He is also said to be a good passer.

They're back

The man with seemingly unlimited potential, center Mike Tobey, has one more year to break out and be a star for UVa. He's averaged between 6 and 7 points every year of his career, but took a jump last year in rebounding, collecting 5 per game, better than his rate of 3.7 per game the year before. During the scrimmage, he looked to be more physical and dunked the ball a couple times, something Virginia fans have always wanted him to do more. Coach Tony Bennett said at the UVa media day that there have been preseason practices where Tobey has been unstoppable. Let's hope this is the year where he finally starts to look dominant.

Mike Tobey

Forward Evan Nolte could very well start Friday despite two sub-par seasons in a row. Like Atkins, he was starting to find a rhythm early in his career. He averaged 5.7 points his freshman year and I remember him being on fire at Virginia Tech in particular that year, hitting 5 of 9 3-pointers. He couldn't miss. He flashed some of that again vs. Coastal Carolina in the NCAA tournament two seasons ago, making two big 3s, and last year he had a four-game stretch to close the regular season where he made 9 of 18 from beyond the arc. Still, his 3-point percentage has dropped each year (38.9, 33.3, 27.6). He did see a small bump in his ppg last year over two years ago, mostly because he played more minutes once Justin Anderson hurt his finger. If there is anyone that is due some good shooting and a stellar senior campaign a la Darion Atkins, Akil Mitchell, Mike Scott, etc., it is Nolte. Despite the poor shooting recently, he is valued a glue guy that doesn't turn the ball over and understands the defense.

Forward Anthony Gill is one of the most underrated players in the country. You don't seem to hear much about outside the ACC, where he was picked as a preseason second-teamer. He transferred from South Carolina two seasons ago and made an instant impact. He averaged 8.6 ppg two years ago and 11.6 last year. His rebounding increased from 4 per game to 6.5 per game. Using a new side-saddle style of shooting, his performance at the free throw line improved, as his percentage went up from 62.7 to 67.7. Any increase in his averages will just make Virginia that much better. He is valuable especially on the offensive end where he has several nice post moves.

Anthony Gill

Hopefully, he can develop more of a jump shot, too. He's shot just over 58 percent both of his seasons in Charlottesville.

Isaiah Wilkins was a freshman last year who showed flashes of what he could become as a post player. The stepson of Dominique Wilkins, Wilkins showed athleticism both on the offensive and defensive end. He is a little undersized at 6-foot-7, but made up for it by blocking 18 shots. He also showed some nice range, making 2 of 3 3-pointers. That is a small sample size, but his shooting form looked nice and polished for a young forward. He averaged 1.9 ppg, scoring his most of the year, 8, against JMU in the season opener in 19 minutes. He played more minutes than that one other time, 23, against Wake Forest.

Guard Marial Shayok was the best all-around freshman on the team last year, displaying speed, quickness, athleticism, and shot-making ability. He averaged 3.8 points and almost 2 rebounds per game. He made 38 percent of his 3-point shots. He also had 19 steals. He has the ability to slash toward the rim or make a long-distance shot. He is the most likely person to start if Nolte does not get the nod.

Devon Hall was a guard who redshirted two years ago and then last season played in 23 games and it seems like most fans think he should have played more. He did not appear in the final five games. I think some fans questioned why Bennett didn't try him against Michigan State when the offense was stumbling. He had scored 9 points on 3 field goals fairly recently, too, Feb. 25 vs. Wake Forest. He only averaged 1.8 ppg but he shot 40 percent and 33.3 percent from 3. Usually when a player isn't playing as much as you think he should under Bennett, it has to do with defense. Let's hope Hall can contribute more this year. I think he has the potential to be a nice scorer for the 'Hoos.

Malcolm Brogdon

Malcolm Brogdon is the one Cavalier who gets praise from national media. He is on several preseason All-America teams. You probably know all about him by now. This is his fifth year in the program and he is very smart and a leader on the court and probably one day will be leading a company or a non-profit, maybe even the USA. Anyway, he's steady and does lots of things well. He will bring the ball up the court on occasion. He can make 3s, though his percentage did go down from 37 to 34.4 last season. He can drive to the hoop and has a sturdy frame that can take a beating and also helps in rebounding. He also has shot slightly better than 87 percent each of the past two seasons at the free throw line, so he is the Cavs' closer when up by single digits in the final minute. Finally, he is a lockdown defender that often guards the opponents' best perimeter player.

Finally, Brogdon's running mate and co-floor general, London Perrantes, is the team's main point guard. He scored more last year, 6.4 ppg compared to 5.5, but his 3-point percentage took a huge hit, falling from 43.7 his freshman season to 31.6 last year. He will be looking to get that back on track this season. His main strength, though, is calming the 'Hoos down, maintaining the pace they want, and feeding the ball to finishers and shooters. He averaged more assists (4.6) than his freshman campaign (3.8), but did commit slightly more turnovers. His free throw percentage went down as well, from 86 to 77.8. As he continues to be the motor for the Cavs, he will look to polish up his offensive game this year Bennett has said he would be OK with Perrantes hunting for his shot more.

Transfer

Let's not forget about Austin Nichols, the forward transfer from Memphis. He is ineligible to play this year, but might be the most talented player on the team as a former five-star recruit. We will look forward to hearing more about his development as the season goes on.