Recapping Virginia Basketball's April Recruiting Spree

The Cavaliers reconstructed their roster with commitments from three transfers and one high school recruit in the month of April

Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

In the 15 days that followed Virginia's season-ending loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, it became abundantly clear that the UVA men's basketball program was experiencing a drastic changing of the guard, as the Cavaliers lost eight scholarship players by the end of March. 

Some of the departures were expected, like the graduations of Kihei Clark, Jayden Gardner, and Ben Vander Plas. Some of the others were more surprising, but as has become standard in this era of social media, rumors and speculation lessened the shock value when the news eventually came of Francisco Caffaro, Isaac Traudt, and Kadin Shedrick entering the transfer portal and Reece Beekman and Armaan Franklin declaring for the NBA Draft, although Beekman has maintained the option of returning to college for another year and has until May 31st to withdraw from the NBA Draft. 

The outcome of this exodus was that the Cavaliers were left with only seven guaranteed scholarship players for the 2023-2024 season, a group which consisted of just four returning players, two incoming freshmen, and the midseason transfer Dante Harris. In desperate need of reinforcements, UVA was inevitably going to be an active player in the transfer portal market. 

But while many transfers quickly found new homes and many programs around the country loaded up on early transfer commitments in the first couple of weeks of the offseason, the program with as much need for transfers as any maintained its typical 'slow and steady wins the race' motto reflected in Virginia's pace of play on the court. Tony Bennett and the UVA coaching staff were patient and methodical in identifying their top targets from among the thousands of available players in the portal, building relationships with a select few, getting them on Grounds, and eventually, securing the commitments they needed. 

With the exception of Robert Jennings, who seemed to have a heavy interest in transferring to Virginia before ultimately deciding to return to Texas Tech without ever taking a visit to UVA, the Cavaliers experienced a high rate of success in winning the commitments of their top priority targets. All three transfers who visited Virginia in April ended up committing to UVA shortly afterwards and then the Cavaliers also added a high school commitment to their 2023 recruiting class at the end of the month. 

Here's a recap of Virginia's April recruiting spree: 

Jordan Minor

It began with Merrimack transfer Jordan Minor, who was named both the Co-Player of the Year and the Defensive Player of the Year of the Northeast Conference after a fantastic 2022-2023 season that saw him average career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks. Minor had visits scheduled to Virginia, Florida Gulf Coast, Iowa, and Seton Hall over a two-week period. He took the visits to UVA and Florida Gulf Coast, then quickly decided that he had seen enough and announced his commitment to the Cavaliers on April 13th. At 6'8", 240 pounds and with 107 career games played, including 76 starts, Minor has the size and strength as well as the experience to slide right into the starting lineup and fill a big hole in the Virginia front court, either at power forward or as a small-ball center, with the latter being the more likely outcome given UVA's roster construction. 

What Tony Bennett said about Jordan Minor: “We are excited to add Jordan to the Virginia basketball family. He is a great athlete with a strong work ethic. Jordan had an excellent four-year career at Merrimack, and we look forward to him joining our program.”

What Jordan said about coming to Virginia: “I think UVA was a no-brainer for me. The amazing coaching staff and winning culture is something that’s important to me. I believe in Coach Bennett’s vision for the team and myself, and we want to be back in the Final Four competing for a national championship.”

Andrew Rohde

On April 18th, the same that day UVA announced the official signing of Jordan Minor, the Cavaliers reeled in their second transfer portal commitment from Andrew Rohde, a 6'6" guard from St. Thomas in Minnesota. Rohde started all 31 games as a true freshman and averaged 17.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.7 steals per game, earning the Summit League Freshman of the Year award. Although his season-long three-point percentage of 32.0% doesn't jump off the page, his perimeter shooting improved significantly later in the season and a great number of his three-point attempts came off the dribble or from well beyond the arc, shots with a much greater degree of difficulty than the looks he'll be expected to get at UVA. The most exciting element that Rohde brings to Virginia is his size as a big guard. At 6'6", Rohde has the size to guard up to three positions on the defensive end and he has the ball-handling and passing skills to be a traditional point guard as well, drawing comparisons to Ty Jerome in terms of his fit in UVA's system. 

What Tony Bennett said about Andrew Rohde: “We are excited to add Andrew to the Virginia basketball family. Andrew is a talented guard, who had a terrific freshman season at St. Thomas. We look forward to him joining our program.”

What Andrew said about coming to Virginia: “I knew UVA was the right fit from the start. Coach Bennett and the rest of the staff have developed such an amazing culture with great people. I can’t wait to be a part of such an amazing program and play with this group of guys. I am ready to get to work!”

Jake Groves

One week later, the Cavaliers struck again in the transfer portal with the commitment of Oklahoma forward Jake Groves on April 25th. A 6'9", 210-pound forward originally from Spokane, Washington, Groves played in 116 games over a four-year college basketball career that began with two seasons at Eastern Washington. In 2021, Groves transferred to Oklahoma, where he spent the last two seasons. Groves has had many high-scoring performances against a high level of competition, beginning with a 23-point, nine-rebound performance in Eastern Washington's near upset over Kansas in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. He also tallied 15 points against Baylor and 17 points against Texas during Big 12 play last season. His career-high is a 26-point showing against Central Arkansas last season. The most intriguing part of his game is his ability to stretch the floor from the forward spot. Groves shot 38.1% from three-point range for the Sooners last season. Having a forward with a reliable perimeter shooting game should benefit UVA's offensive spacing greatly. 

What Tony Bennett said about Jake Groves: “We are excited to add Jake to our program. Jake is a skilled forward and excellent 3-point shooter. He also brings leadership and experience, and we look forward to him joining the Virginia basketball family.”

What Jake said about coming to Virginia: "I felt at home when visiting UVA right away. They provided me with an opportunity to get a high-level master’s degree, be part of a winning culture and play for a future Hall of Fame coach in Coach Bennett. I was welcomed with open arms and can’t wait to get on Grounds and get to work this summer!”

Anthony Robinson

Finally, Virginia secured a late addition to its 2023 high school recruiting class from Anthony Robinson, a 6'10" forward/center from Peachtree City, Georgia. Robinson was previously signed with South Florida, but was granted a release from his National Letter of Intent after the Bulls underwent a coaching change. Multiple major conference programs were interested in Robinson, including Virginia, Georgia, and Vanderbilt, as he had just come off of an impressive senior season that saw him average a double-double while leading Christ School (Arden, NC) to a 31-4 overall record and a state championship. UVA hosted Robinson and his family for a visit last week and he announced his commitment to the Cavaliers on April 29th. At 6'10", 238 pounds, Robinson has college-ready size and athleticism, but his long-term upside is what really excites Tony Bennett and the UVA coaching staff about his future at Virginia. 

What Tony Bennett said about Anthony Robinson: “We are excited to add Anthony to our basketball program. He has good size, strength and physicality. Anthony is a hard worker with great upside. He and his family value a degree from the University of Virginia.”

What Anthony said about coming to Virginia: “I chose Virginia because it’s a great program with great culture. The coaches are great and are invested in my development and I’m excited to see what the future holds. I like the emphasis on academics and the Grounds are beautiful. Plus, the basketball facilities are world class!”

READ MORE: Will Reece Beekman Stay in the 2023 NBA Draft?

Summary

April's recruiting haul helped Virginia address significant areas of need on the roster. The transfers of Jordan Minor and Jake Groves give the Cavaliers two experienced front court pieces who respectively provide strength, athleticism, and interior finishing in the case of Minor, and skill and three-point shooting ability in the case of Groves. Andrew Rohde can fill a variety of roles in the UVA back court, but most importantly, gives the Cavaliers a major scoring boost after they lost their five leading scorers from last season. Anthony Robinson has the size to potentially contribute early in his career, but he will definitely be a core piece in the UVA front court for years to come. 

Here's a summary of what Virginia is losing, gaining, and returning for the 2023-2024 season: 

Losses

• Graduates: Kihei Clark, Jayden Gardner, Ben Vander Plas
• Transfers: Francisco Caffaro, Isaac Traudt, Kadin Shedrick
• NBA Draft: Reece Beekman* (could return), Armaan Franklin

Additions

• Georgetown transfer guard Dante Harris
• Merrimack transfer forward Jordan Minor
• St. Thomas transfer guard Andrew Rohde
• Oklahoma transfer forward Jacob Groves
• 2023 forward Blake Buchanan
• 2023 guard Elijah Gertrude
• 2023 forward/center Anthony Robinson

Returners

• Junior guard Taine Murray
• Sophomore guard Isaac McKneely
• Sophomore forward Ryan Dunn
• Redshirt freshman forward Leon Bond III

Virginia currently has filled 11 of its 13 scholarship spots for the 2023-2024 season, 12 if Reece Beekman withdraws from the NBA Draft and returns next year. 

Stay updated on all the latest Virginia basketball recruiting news, including offers, visits, and commitments here: Latest Virginia Basketball Recruiting News and Updates

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