Leon Bond III Shows Redshirting Still Works for Virginia in Strong Debut

After redshirting last year, Leon Bond III saw his hard work and patience pay off in a dazzling collegiate debut

The concept of redshirting has been a central theme of the discourse surrounding the Virginia men's basketball team as the season got underway this week. While the Cavaliers had no trouble dispatching their first opponent Tarleton State by a final score of 80-50 and looked very strong in doing so, one of the focal talking points coming out of Monday's game was the news that not one, but three of UVA's four true freshmen are planning to redshirt this season, as Elijah Gertrude, Anthony Robinson, and Christian Bliss are expected to sit out this year. 

Many UVA fans have become disillusioned with the idea of redshirting after what happened with Isaac Traudt. A highly-touted four-star recruit, Traudt spent one year at Virginia but never played, redshirting his first season and then transferring to Creighton in his home state of Nebraska. While Traudt redshirting last season robbed us of a chance to see him on the floor in whatever limited action he would have gotten, it seems to be the case that Traudt would have transferred at the end of the season regardless of how much he played, as he cited homesickness as the main reason for that decision, saying, "I realized that nothing means more to me than home." Therefore, it would be shortsighted to attribute Traudt's departure to Virginia's continued use of the redshirt tactic. 

On the same night that we learned about the redshirt status of Gertrude, Robinson, and Bliss, Leon Bond III delivered tangible evidence that the redshirting process still works for Virginia. Like Traudt, Bond sat out his first season at UVA. He finally made his collegiate debut on Monday night and he was outstanding, tallying 12 points on 4/5 shooting, nine rebounds, including five offensive rebounds, two steals, zero turnovers, and zero personal fouls in 17 minutes of action. After a year of waiting in the wings, Bond was clearly ready for the moment and played a near flawless game. 

"I was really nervous coming in. I'm not gonna lie," Bond said after the game. "I had no expectation. I just went out there and was just hoping to score, so it was surreal."

Bond also delivered the highlight play of the game, skying for a rebound off of a missed three and throwing down a one-handed putback dunk that brought the entire crowd at John Paul Jones Arena to its feet. 

“I got lucky. The ball happened to be in the right spot," Bond said of the dunk. "So then I had to let out a little scream because I got lucky and I was excited.”

Several players made their Virginia debuts on Monday night, including four transfers and true freshman Blake Buchanan. But Bond had the strongest game by far, a testament to the hard work he put in and the progress he made during his redshirt year. It seems Bond is well on his way to having a big impact for the Cavaliers in his first year on the floor. 

"It was nice to see him out there giving us a lift that way," Tony Bennett said of Leon Bond III. "So I was real happy for him. I know those guys worked hard last year to get themselves as ready as they can, so that was good that he made the most of his minutes."

Bond isn't the first Virginia player to experience success coming off of a redshirt year. Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers have utilized the redshirt strategy to their advantage several times, with players like De'Andre Hunter, Jay Huff, Mamadi Diakite, Devon Hall, and others going on to have prosperous collegiate and professional careers after redshirting their first season at UVA. Leon Bond III is looking to be the latest to follow that path. 

After seeing his patience and hard work pay off in a brilliant collegiate debut, Bond offered some advice to Gertrude, Robinson, and Bliss, who are just beginning the redshirt process. 

"I just have been telling them - attack every day," Bond said. "Understand that it's a slow grind and don't get discouraged because discouragement is a loss of perspective. I told them that you got to understand these workouts are not for nothing and they're all just going to add up. So when you touch down the first game, it'll pay off."

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