Patience Pays Off for Jordan Minor in Breakout Game Against Virginia Tech

After spending most of the season on the bench, Minor delivered a breakout performance to lead the Cavaliers over the Hokies

It seems fitting that Jordan Minor's best game in a Cavalier uniform (so far) came on the night he was introduced as a starter for the first time at John Paul Jones Arena. It was his second-straight game cracking the starting five, but this was the first time he was announced as a starter in front of the UVA fans before opening tipoff. 

And it was a long time coming. 

After four years at Merrimack College, where he enjoyed a standout career and was the Northeast Conference Co-Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year as well as a three-time all-conference selection, Minor transferred to Virginia, where he hoped to prove that he could play at the highest levels of college basketball. He was also joining a program in desperate need of his contributions as the Cavaliers lost most of their front court depth from the previous season and were looking to Minor to fill that void, likely as their starting center. 

Instead, Minor spent most of the first two and a half months of this, his final season of college basketball, riding the bench. While Virginia's undersized and relatively inexperienced front court struggled to contend with the forwards and centers of their opponents, Minor barely saw any time on the floor, essentially playing only insignificant minutes in the waning moments of blowouts. His play in that limited action didn't offer much evidence to suggest that he should earn more playing time, leaving the Cavaliers with no other choice but to play through their severe vulnerabilities in the front court. 

It was in one of those recent blowouts, a 76-60 loss at NC State on January 6th, that the tides began to shift for Minor. He played just seven minutes, but made both his field goal attempts, both his free throws, and recorded six points and three rebounds. Tony Bennett identified his performance as perhaps the lone bright spot of the game for the Cavaliers. 

Bennett later reported that Minor followed that game up with solid and consistent play in practice and he was rewarded with his first start in a UVA uniform in last Saturday's game at Wake Forest. The game itself, as has been the case whenever the Cavaliers have gone on the road this season, ended poorly in a 66-47 defeat. But Bennett was once again pleased with the contribution he got from Minor, who set a season-high with nine points to go along with five rebounds, one block, and one steal in 22 minutes of action. 

"When we played NC State and we were getting beat badly at the end, I put him in at the end," Bennett said of Minor. "And all of those possessions matter. I evaluate and I said 'don't waste these opportunities' and I thought he gave us a lift, though we were down 18, 20, 25, whatever it was. And he had been practicing better."

And so the stage was set for Jordan Minor's sudden and unexpected emergence as Virginia welcomed its in-state rival Virginia Tech to John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday night for the Commonwealth Clash. While the Cavaliers have been excellent at home all season, now boasting the longest active home winning streak in all of men's college basketball at 20 games, home court advantage can only be given so much credit as UVA came away with a 65-57 victory thanks largely to an incredible individual performance from Jordan Minor on both ends of the floor. 

Minor started the game hot, scoring four of Virginia's first six points, and carried that momentum throughout the game as he finished with 16 points on 5/8 shooting from the floor and 6/8 from the free throw line. He collected five rebounds and posted two assists and two steals and was +4 in 26 minutes of action. Minor performed his role quite well on the offensive end, finishing strong at the rim (including three dunks) and setting solid screens, but his impact was even more important on the defensive end. 

Virginia Tech center Lynn Kidd came into the game averaging 14.8 points per game and shooting 67.2% from the floor. Virginia opportunistically double-teamed Kidd throughout the game, but most of the time left Minor to defend Kidd one-on-one. Kidd finished with only two points on 1/3 shooting. 

Unlike at times earlier this season, when Minor would look lost or slow in his limited time on the floor, he was rarely caught out of position and delivered the much-needed physicality in the paint that Virginia has been lacking all season long. 

"It's a big adjustment. He came from a really well-coached place, but he played four years of zone... and so his ability to anticipate, move his feet, think a little quicker, I saw that and he just kept working," Bennett said of Minor's development throughout the season. "He's always been one of the most joyful guys, even when he wasn't playing, though it hurt him. But he never gave up. We needed some real legitimate man strength down there and he's got that." 

Minor's ability to deliver that "man strength" in the paint could be the missing piece to the puzzle for the Cavaliers. Of course, their problems go beyond their weaknesses in the front court, but having a center capable of holding his own one-on-one in the paint on defense and finishing strong at the rim when the ball comes his way on offense would be hugely beneficial for Virginia moving forward, if he can keep it up. And if his debut at a UVA postgame press conference is any indicator, Minor certainly has the right attitude to do just that. 

When asked if his patience was tested at all when he wasn't playing, this was Minor's answer: 

"I would definitely say that I'm a patient person. This experience has just opened my eyes and has blessed me. I thank God for this experience. Even though it was hard at times, knowing that He put me in the right place despite what was going on, knowing that He surrounded me with amazing coaching staff and amazing teammates was something that I'm blessed to say I've experienced. They've kinda helped me stay encouraged, just leaning on my faith has helped me stay encouraged. It's definitely taught me a lot. Just keep going each and every day, laying a brick, day by day, just knowing that when your number is called, you gotta be ready. And I just wanted to be ready for my team."

Minor and the Cavaliers are well aware that Wednesday's win over Virginia Tech was just one game and that it's imperative that they carry their success with them on the road, where they're 0-4 in true road games so far this season. 

"I think we've still got some things to figure out as a team," Minor said after the game. "I think we were much more disciplined today than we have been in the past, but we've still got some steps to go, so I think it's definitely a step in the right direction." 

Virginia's next chance to take another step in the right direction will come Saturday, back on the perilous road, as the Cavaliers head down to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech at 6pm. 

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