Last Monday, Virginia won its first national championship with an 85-77 victory over Texas Tech in Minneapolis.
A week later, Monday was again busy for the Cavaliers.
As expected, Ty Jerome and De'Andre Hunter announced they have hired agents and will enter the NBA draft. There is a new rule that allows athletes to hire an agent and still return to school, but that isn't expected to be the case for either of the now-Wahoos legends. Hunter is going to be a lottery pick (top-14 pick), and Jerome could be selected at the end of the first round. Hunter has no reason to
come back to UVa, and Jerome probably would have a hard time improving his stock after having a really good regular season and NCAA tournament. He was able to play himself into being a prospect who appears to have a good shot at being selected among the top-30 picks.
Both announced their intentions in Instagram videos that the school edited and produced, and Tony Bennett released a statement:
"De'Andre and Ty leave Virginia with tremendous legacies. They were outstanding players and role models, and I'm so proud of the men they have become. We won a lot of games and championships with De'Andre and Ty, and they are ready to realize their life-long dreams of playing in the NBA," the statement read.
It's a bittersweet time for fans, but these were the right decisions. They went out on top, and it was a storybook ending. A chance at a repeat title was there, but that would've been so, so tough, and both guys are looking to make millions at the next level. Completing the redemption story from losing to UMBC to winning it all was just the perfect way to end their careers. The fact that two Virginia players might get selected in the first round of the NBA draft is terrific exposure for Bennett on the
recruiting trail.
Kyle Guy has to announce what he is doing. He's not expected to be a first-round pick, and isn't really expected to be drafted at all. He could potentially return and improve some areas of his game, or take a chance he could latch on to a team willing to take a chance on an undersized shooting guard who is mostly a shooter. Guy needs to work on his defense and ability to create his own shot. No one is disputing his 3-point ability, though. If his career is over, he finishes as UVa's all-time 3-point percentage leader. What many people seem to expect from Guy is for him to go through the NBA assessment process and then return to Virginia for his senior season. Mamadi Diakite is probably a good candidate to do that as well. We will have to see what happens. It is probably tempting for Guy to return and leave, and I'm sure it's a tough decision, especially after finishing this season in the most perfect way.
The above news was expected at some point following the championship celebration. The following news was not.
Justin McKoy, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound three-star forward from Cary, N.C., announced that he has committed to Virginia. In the fall, he verbally committed to Penn State, but backed out once his stock blew up during his senior season. North Carolina and N.C. State were among schools to show interest, and UNC even offered him. This is a very solid pickup by Bennett.
McKoy joins Class of 2019 incoming freshmen Casey Morsell (6-2, 195-pound guard) and Kadin
Shedrick (6-11, 200-pound center).
Rounding out Monday's news cycle was a rumor. Sam and Joey Hauser, talented brothers who played this past season for Marquette, announced they will transfer. Reportedly, Virginia and Wisconsin are among the schools expected to land them. Sam is a 6-8, 225-pound junior forward who posted 14.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for the Golden Eagles in 2018-19. He shot 40.2 percent from beyond the arc. He'd have one year of eligibility remaining after sitting out a season if he came to UVa. Joey is a 6-9, 230-pound freshman forward who averaged 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in this past season. He shot 42.5 percent on 3-pointers. Like Sam, he'd have to sit out a year if he decided to come to Virginia, but he'd have three seasons left starting in 2020-21.
Two expected departures, an unexpected arrival, and now, apparently Charlottesville is the place to be if you're a college basketball player. Turns out winning a title and producing NBA players is attractive. Virginia is also in need of a guard, so it could turn to the transfer market a couple of times in the offseason. Even though the Wahoos are losing talent, next season could be very exciting.
A week later, Monday was again busy for the Cavaliers.
As expected, Ty Jerome and De'Andre Hunter announced they have hired agents and will enter the NBA draft. There is a new rule that allows athletes to hire an agent and still return to school, but that isn't expected to be the case for either of the now-Wahoos legends. Hunter is going to be a lottery pick (top-14 pick), and Jerome could be selected at the end of the first round. Hunter has no reason to
 |
| De'Andre Hunter is assuredly an NBA draft lottery pick, and he could even sneak into the top five. |
Both announced their intentions in Instagram videos that the school edited and produced, and Tony Bennett released a statement:
"De'Andre and Ty leave Virginia with tremendous legacies. They were outstanding players and role models, and I'm so proud of the men they have become. We won a lot of games and championships with De'Andre and Ty, and they are ready to realize their life-long dreams of playing in the NBA," the statement read.
It's a bittersweet time for fans, but these were the right decisions. They went out on top, and it was a storybook ending. A chance at a repeat title was there, but that would've been so, so tough, and both guys are looking to make millions at the next level. Completing the redemption story from losing to UMBC to winning it all was just the perfect way to end their careers. The fact that two Virginia players might get selected in the first round of the NBA draft is terrific exposure for Bennett on the
 |
| Ty Jerome is joining De'Andre Hunter as an early entrant into the NBA draft. |
Kyle Guy has to announce what he is doing. He's not expected to be a first-round pick, and isn't really expected to be drafted at all. He could potentially return and improve some areas of his game, or take a chance he could latch on to a team willing to take a chance on an undersized shooting guard who is mostly a shooter. Guy needs to work on his defense and ability to create his own shot. No one is disputing his 3-point ability, though. If his career is over, he finishes as UVa's all-time 3-point percentage leader. What many people seem to expect from Guy is for him to go through the NBA assessment process and then return to Virginia for his senior season. Mamadi Diakite is probably a good candidate to do that as well. We will have to see what happens. It is probably tempting for Guy to return and leave, and I'm sure it's a tough decision, especially after finishing this season in the most perfect way.
The above news was expected at some point following the championship celebration. The following news was not.
Justin McKoy, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound three-star forward from Cary, N.C., announced that he has committed to Virginia. In the fall, he verbally committed to Penn State, but backed out once his stock blew up during his senior season. North Carolina and N.C. State were among schools to show interest, and UNC even offered him. This is a very solid pickup by Bennett.
McKoy joins Class of 2019 incoming freshmen Casey Morsell (6-2, 195-pound guard) and Kadin
 |
| Justin McKoy chose to attend Virginia over North Carolina, among other schools. |
Rounding out Monday's news cycle was a rumor. Sam and Joey Hauser, talented brothers who played this past season for Marquette, announced they will transfer. Reportedly, Virginia and Wisconsin are among the schools expected to land them. Sam is a 6-8, 225-pound junior forward who posted 14.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for the Golden Eagles in 2018-19. He shot 40.2 percent from beyond the arc. He'd have one year of eligibility remaining after sitting out a season if he came to UVa. Joey is a 6-9, 230-pound freshman forward who averaged 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in this past season. He shot 42.5 percent on 3-pointers. Like Sam, he'd have to sit out a year if he decided to come to Virginia, but he'd have three seasons left starting in 2020-21.
Two expected departures, an unexpected arrival, and now, apparently Charlottesville is the place to be if you're a college basketball player. Turns out winning a title and producing NBA players is attractive. Virginia is also in need of a guard, so it could turn to the transfer market a couple of times in the offseason. Even though the Wahoos are losing talent, next season could be very exciting.
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