Editor's note: I guess this is what I get for waiting a bit too long to do this post. I began writing this one in between the Casey Morsell and Jabri Abdur-Rahim transfer announcements. I suppose you could say it has allowed me to have even more perspective in looking back at the season. I do address the transfers, but the majority of this post is about highlighting the best parts (though not just that) of the season.
Photo credit: Gerry Broome/Associated Press
First came the news Thursday that sophomore shooting guard Casey Morsell entered the transfer portal. This was not totally unexpected, but I was holding out hope that he would stay and end up blossoming into a great player for UVa. A former four-star recruit, the expectations were for Morsell to make an instant impact. With the early exit of guards Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy to the NBA after winning the national title, Morsell got thrown into the deep end as a true freshman in 2019-20 and started many games, though he came off the bench for the season's final 10 contests. He flashed impressive on-ball defense but struggled mightily on offense.
Photo: Morsell battles against Ohio. (Grant Halverson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
No doubt, fans and coaches were hoping Morsell would break out in his second season, but it just never happened. The Fort Washington, Md., native started just three games and barely upped his shooting percentage, still making less than 30% of his shots from beyond the arc. At times, he displayed a nice pull-up midrange jumper and finishing ability driving to the hoop, but those qualities did not shine through enough. Ironically, one of his better games came in the finale when many of his teammates were not playing well in the loss to the Bobcats. He made 3 of his 5 shots, including one 3-pointer, to score 7 points while adding three rebounds and a block.
I guess by the end of the season, it was obvious that a parting of ways could be mutually beneficial for Morsell and the 'Hoos. He needs a fresh start in a different offense, and there would be no guarantee he could begin next season ahead of rising sophomore Carson McCorkle and incoming freshman Taine Murray.
Morsell was heavily recruited out of high school by Maryland, Virginia Tech, Penn State, and Florida, among others. I hope he does not end up with a rival of the Cavaliers, but he appears to be a good kid and a good teammate, and I will root for him wherever he lands.
The second bit of news was not shocking at all. Sharpshooting senior Sam Hauser said he will end his UVa career after one year and go pro. Because of the pandemic, the NCAA made this a free year that does not count against anyone's eligibility, so he had the option to return, but it was widely expected he would not. Jay Huff and Tomas Woldetensae also are expected to try to make it professionally and forgo their extra years, but they have yet to make official announcements.
Perhaps the most disheartening news came Monday. True freshman guard/forward Jabri Abdur-Rahim is transferring as well. This was more surprising than the Morsell news, though not necessarily shocking. Abdur-Rahim, the son of former NBA star Shareef Abdur-Rahim, entered as one of the top recruits of the Tony Bennett era. But he barely played.
Abdur-Rahim only saw action in eight games, scoring 7 points and recording two rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block in 37 minutes. Supposedly, his dad was impressed with how Bennett was able to develop De'Andre Hunter, who is now blossoming in the NBA, after his redshirt season and was on board with Bennett taking a similar approach with his son, especially because JAR was coming off an injury in his senior year of high school.
Obviously, who knows how much truth was in that to begin with, but perhaps the thinking changed as the year went on -- especially as UVa began to struggle on offense. JAR may have begun to think, hey, why not give me a shot? Maybe his dad preferred he stay at UVa, but JAR was ready to leave, and his dad had to support him.
Whatever the case, it's not a good development when a four-star, top-50 recruit decides after one year to pull the plug. There was playing time to be had next season, and for whatever reason, JAR decided not to be a part of the puzzle. At the same time, you can understand his disappointment in not playing more. Perhaps he was on board with the plan discussed above, but maybe he still thought he'd be seeing more than 37 minutes.
Photo: Abdur-Rahim tries to take the ball from Gonzaga's Aaron Cook on Dec. 26. (Associated Press)
I'm sure there will be much more offseason news to come, so without further ado -- and before something else happens -- let me get to the primary point of this post.
This campaign was definitely a bit disappointing for Virginia, especially because we have become so spoiled by Bennett teams outplaying their expectations. But there were still some standout performances this year, and before 2020-21 gets too far in the rear view mirror, I'd like to hand out my ninth annual postseason awards to several Wahoos. (Check out my awards for last season here, and 2018-19 here.) However, there are two ... uhh ... negative awards given out each year as well.
MVP: Sam Hauser. An argument could be made for Huff, but I am giving the Marquette transfer the top award. Hauser, who went to the same high school as Bennett (Stevens Point in Wisconsin), is the main reason why the offense took a step up this season from last season. The 'Hoos offense obviously did not finish as well as it started, but it would have been in a bad way without Hauser, and the 2019-20 team could have really used his services.
This year, Hauser led the team with an average of 16 points (career high), and he shot 59.6% on 2-pointers (career high), 41.7% on 3-pointers (third on the team and below the 44.5% he shot in three years at Marquette but still very good), and 89.6% at the free throw line. Despite a reputation as being a little soft, Hauser, at 6-foot-8, was second on the team in rebounding at 6.8 per game (and led with 6 defensive rpg), and he also averaged 1.8 assists. His defense was nothing special, and he struggled in the Pack Line, especially early in the season, but it is widely accepted that he improved on that end of the court as the year progressed.
Bennett recruited Hauser out of high school. Had Hauser been a four-year Cavalier, his defense would have been even better as a senior. I also think it is likely he would have been one of the best scorers to come through UVa, especially under Bennett. His shooting stroke was pure, and his fadeaway 2-pointer in the lane nearly unstoppable. I wish Virginia had utilized it more. It is just too bad the 'Hoos only got him for one year, and that year included no fans.
Past MVPs: 2013: Joe Harris. 2014: Malcolm Brogdon. 2015: Brogdon. 2016: Brogdon. 2017: London Perrantes. 2018: Devon Hall. 2019: Ty Jerome. 2020: Kihei Clark.
Most improved: Jay Huff. The lovable, lanky, bearded goofball from Durham really developed into something special during his five seasons in Charlottesville. He was an instant fan favorite even though he didn't play much during his redshirt freshman season of 2017-18 (hard to believe at this point that he actually sat out his first year with none other than Hunter in 2016-17). Fans begged for Bennett to play him more during much of his first two years on the court. He had a few good games during the championship season, but was absent for much of the NCAA tournament run. He finally had his breakout season in 2019-20, showing off his all-around development with a game for the ages (15 points, 10 blocks, 9 rebounds) as the Wahoos beat Duke at home.
This year, he was a vital piece, contributing 3-point shooting, rebounding, blocked shots, and seasoned leadership. He was incredibly important to the defense, because the perimeter defense was not as good as normal, and without his shot-altering ability, the team would have struggled even more. Only Ralph Sampson ended his Virginia career with more blocks (462) than Huff's 166, 10 more than Mamadi Diakite in third. This year's output was Huff's best in almost every statistical category with two exceptions, 2-point shooting and 3-point shooting, though he of course put up many more shots as his career progressed. Here are his career stats, starting with his redshirt freshman season and finishing with this season: points (3.4 ppg, 4.4, 8.5, 13), 2-point shooting (83.3%, 67.7%, 65.6%, 69%), 3-point shooting (28.6%, 45.2%, 35.8%, 38.7%), free throw shooting (62.5%, 66.7%, 54%, 83.7%), rebounding (1.9 rpg, 2.1, 6.2, 7.1), blocks (1.2 bpg, 0.7, 2, 2.6), and assists (0.3 apg, 0.2, 0.8, 1).
Oh, and did you hear he got married and chopped wood last offseason?
Past most improved: 2013: Akil Mitchell. 2014: Brogdon. 2015: Darion Atkins. 2016: Perrantes. 2017: Jack Salt. 2018: De'Andre Hunter. 2019: Mamadi Diakite. 2020: Diakite.
Best freshman: Reece Beekman. Competition was expected to be intense for this award with a star-studded group of four-star true freshmen entering, including Abdur-Rahim and McCorkle.
But Beekman, a point guard and native of Wisconsin who played his high school ball in Louisiana, ran away with it, the only one of the three to earn significant court time. Showing faith in him early, Bennett started Beekman for a struggling Clark in the third game of the season against St. Francis (Pa.). In the fifth game, Clark re-entered the lineup against William & Mary and started every game the rest of the way, but Bennett didn't put Beekman on the bench completely. After dabbling with the idea for a couple games, Bennett started Beekman and Clark together full time beginning with the Jan. 6 Wake Forest matchup, a move that ended up being controversial.
Beekman averaged 4.7 points, 3 assists (1.2 turnovers), 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals over the course of the season. He struggled shooting the ball, especially from deep, making just 24.3% of his 3-pointers, though he made arguably the biggest of the year in the ACC tournament victory over Syracuse. He displayed some ability attacking the rim, especially on fast breaks, and ended up shooting 45.2% on 2s. He was a solid passer and developed a reputation for being a good on-ball defender.
However, Beekman definitely had some growing pains. He struggled to find his way in the half-court offense and was too passive at times. Virginia's offense really began to bog down as defenses dared Beekman and Clark to shoot and stuck with Hauser, Huff, and Trey Murphy III. The prevailing belief came to be that the Beekman-Clark combo was not working as well as hoped on offense. I was envisioning a Jerome-Clark 2019-type effectiveness, but it was far from that. Beekman started 14 games in a row, but after the Cavaliers lost three straight in late February, Bennett briefly dropped Beekman from the starting lineup in favor of Woldetensae in the March 1 Miami game. However, Beekman actually played 28 minutes in that matchup to Woldetensae's 15, and Beekman was back in the lineup for the last three games of the season, two of which saw the offense looking rejuvenated. At the end of the Ohio game, Beekman was playing with noticeable urgency, which contrasted with the team as a whole.
Beekman did some great things as a true freshman, but he was playing out of position because he was not playing as the primary point guard. Bennett did not trust Morsell or Woldetensae enough to play them extended minutes, and so he opted to have Beekman play with Clark, and Clark usually initiated the offense. Bennett ended up taking some heat for this. It worked at times, but also clogged the offense. Going into his sophomore season, Bennett will have a decision to make. Does he stick with Clark, who will be in his fourth year, as the primary point guard and start Beekman alongside him again, bring Beekman off the bench and try to develop a different off-ball guard, or start Beekman and demote Clark? I think the best answer may be the hardest one: Beekman has more of his future in front of him, and he also brings more offensive upside -- and size -- than Clark. Giving him the keys has some nice possible positives. But I could see Bennett not wanting to do this (although he did bench Clark for a couple games this year). I think next year opens with them starting together.
I went off on a tangent there, but my original point remains: Beekman played well for a true freshman, but he did not take the college basketball world by storm. He displayed nice vision and an unexpected ability to finish fast breaks but struggled shooting the ball. Bennett has some choices to make in how he wants to utilize Beekman next season. If he's given the keys to the car and can improve his shot, watch out -- I think an unleashed and confident Beekman starting at the point is how we can see the best Beekman.
Past best freshmen: 2013: Justin Anderson. 2014: London Perrantes. 2015: Marial Shayok. 2016: None. 2017: Guy. 2018: Marco Anthony. 2019: Clark. 2020: None.
Best surprise: Trey Murphy III. This kind of goes without saying, because Murphy was not expected to play. The original idea was that the Rice transfer would sit out this season and then have two years of eligibility remaining beginning next year. But when the NCAA ruled all transfers immediately eligible, everything changed. So though that rated as a surprise on its own, Murphy did play really well and earned this accolade.
Murphy burst out of the gate with a 21-point performance versus Towson in the opener off the bench, and though he never scored that many points again, he was a consistent force throughout the season, reaching double figures 17 times. He finished the year as the team's best 3-point shooter at 43.3%, though for much of the season, he was closer to 50%. He led the team in free throw percentage at an incredible 92.7%, and, thanks to several baseline dunks, came in second to Huff in 2-point accuracy at 62%. He was third on the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game and also averaged 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists. At times, Murphy struggled on defense, but I think he progressed in that area. He also had a tough time creating his own shot, though notably, he showed progress with this skill against Louisville.
Murphy was so impressive, there is even a chance he won't be back. NBA teams love his potential, so even though we know there are things he can do better, the professional game could come calling. But at this point, I think and hope he may test the waters and go through pro workouts, but ultimately return to Virginia.
Past best surprises: 2013-15: Award not given. 2016: Devon Hall. 2017-19: Award not given. 2020: Huff.
Most disappointing: Casey Morsell. Unfortunately, this season was unlike many others in Bennett's tenure. There were some other disappointments that were considered. I hate piling on someone who seems like a good kid, but this is my first answer. From his first to his second year, Morsell was only able to make small statistical strides on offense: points (from 4 to 4.4), 2-point shooting (38.3%, 47.1%), and 3-point shooting (17.6%, 26.3%). His free throw shooting decreased (85.7%, 63.6%), though he only had 11 attempts. Combine it all, and it wasn't enough to keep him at UVa.
Other contenders for this "award":
- Abdur-Rahim hardly playing. I began writing this bullet point before the announcement he was leaving, so now with that knowledge, I can pretty much delete everything I was going to say about hoping and expecting him to develop in 2021-22. Part of me believes if he was really special, he would've seen the floor more. However, Hunter ended up being really special, and he did not play right away. I can keep going in circles arguing with myself like that, but now the point is moot -- JAR did not like the situation or his perceived future as a 'Hoo and is moving on.
- Woldetensae did not make a jump in his second full year of playing Division I basketball, though I don't know if it was entirely his fault. Compared with last year, he actually shot better on 2-pointers (from 30.2% to 39.1%) and 3-pointers (36.1%, 41.8%), but he played way less. The Italian's minutes per game dwindled from 27.1 to 13.5, and thus his scoring decreased from 6.6 ppg to 4.4 ppg. Last year, he started 22 games; this year, only five. I think Bennett should have given him a longer leash. In the Ohio game, when the team couldn't hit anything, Woldetensae played just four minutes.
- The illnesses of Kody Stattmann and Kadin Shedrick kept them off the floor for the majority of the season. Stattmann was going into his junior year and was expected to contribute, if not start, after starting 10 games in 2019-20. He ended up playing significant minutes in just three games before getting shut down for basically the rest of the year, though he was on the court for the last minute of the loss at Florida State. In those three games, Stattmann played 33 minutes, scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and had two assists. With Virginia looking like less than a juggernaut for most of the season, it would have been good to see what Stattmann could have added. Shedrick was coming into his redshirt freshman season and had a pair of nice games in pre-ACC play, recording 12 points and eight boards against St. Francis (Pa.) and 10 points and seven rebounds versus William & Mary. He impressed with his bounce and energy, and he provided some much-needed toughness, which was lacking later in the season. However, Bennett said at the beginning of the year that Shedrick was coming off a battle with mononucleosis and getting his weight and strength back up, and then later suggested that he was sick again. Whatever the reason, his disappearance from the rotation was mysterious. Shedrick played in all six nonconference games, getting at least 10 minutes in three. He only saw time in five of 17 ACC games, and never more than six minutes. Early on, he definitely outplayed Francisco Caffaro, but Caffaro played a bit more at the end of the season, though far from a lot. I just hope they all decide to return.
Past most disappointing: 2013: Jontel Evans. 2014: Atkins. 2015: Evan Nolte. 2016: Jarred Reuter. 2017: Darius Thompson. 2018: Huff. 2019: Marco Anthony. 2020: Morsell.
Best win: Clemson on the road. I don't think you'd be wrong in selecting the Syracuse ACC tournament buzzer-beater, but I'll reach back a little further and pick the Clemson game. As far as quality of play, this had to be the peak for UVa, defeating then-No. 12 Clemson 85-50. The defense and offense were clicking. Hauser and Woldetensae both had 14 points and four 3-pointers, and five Cavaliers scored in double figures. Virginia made 15 of its 27 3-point attempts and shot 60.7% overall. The 'Hoos held Tigers star Aamir Simms to 2 points. No Clemson player scored in double figures, and two starters didn't score. The Tigers shot just 40.4% from the field. That was part of a 7-0 start to the ACC campaign that also saw the Cavaliers crush Syracuse 81-58. For a while, it looked like Clemson was going to completely fall apart after Virginia destroyed it, but the Tigers rebounded for a 16-8 season (10-6 ACC) and made the NCAA tournament, thus justifying this selection as the best victory of the year for UVa.
Past best wins: 2013: Duke at home. 2014: Duke in ACC tournament final. 2015: Notre Dame on the road. 2016: Iowa State in Sweet 16. 2017: UNC at home. 2018: Duke on the road. 2019: Purdue in Elite Eight. 2020: Florida State at home.
Worst loss: Duke on the road. Unfortunately, there are more choices than usual for this "award" as well. Certainly you wouldn't be wrong in choosing the Ohio NCAA tournament loss. Rarely would a Duke loss on the road rate as bad, but I think this one might. First, it was a crushing, close loss, 66-65. Second, this was one of the worst Duke teams in years, so it didn't feel like a "quality" loss, as it usually might. Third, Cameron Indoor was empty. You're not going to find that environment any less hostile than that. And finally, it came right after Florida State butchered Virginia, so it would have been a nice bounce-back victory. Instead, it was the middle of a three-game losing streak. The 'Hoos bottomed out with an ugly home loss to N.C. State. I think the argument can certainly be made that beating Duke would have carried over to the next game, and the 'Hoos might have defeated the Wolfpack. Instead, the hangover effect took another win away. Even though Duke was down, beating the Blue Devils still would have been psychologically uplifting, and you can say with that win and maybe one more (N.C. State), Virginia could have been a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, and maybe drawn an opponent worse than Ohio. Considering the possible ripple effects, the Duke loss may have hurt more than any other.
Past worst losses: 2013: Delaware at home. 2014: VCU at home. 2015: Michigan State in NCAA second round. 2016: Syracuse in Elite Eight. 2017: Florida in NCAA second round. 2018: UMBC in NCAA first round. 2019: Florida State in ACC tournament. 2020: Boston College on the road.
There you have it. OK, now I am officially ready for the offseason to begin. What's that? It already has??
In case you haven't noticed -- and if you pay attention to college hoops, that's impossible -- it's going to be a wild offseason with the transfer market heating up more than ever now that the NCAA has officially adopted the rule whereby a player may transfer one time during his career and not sit out a year at his new school.
Virginia has already seen two players transfer out, so let's see if there are more, and then the better part will be seeing who decides to join the program.
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