Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics
Seven Observations from the Virginia Basketball Blue-White Scrimmage
The Virginia men's basketball team held its annual Blue-White Scrimmage on Saturday, giving fans their first taste of live UVA basketball since March. CavaliersNow was at JPJ for the scrimmage and we've collected our thoughts on what we saw from the Hoos on Saturday and what it could mean for the upcoming season.
Watch the video below for full highlights from the scrimmage and then continue reading for our seven observations from the Virginia men's basketball Blue-White Scrimmage:
1. These Wahoos can shoot
Last season, UVA shot 32.3% from beyond the arc as a team, which ranked 252nd out of 350 total Division I men's basketball teams for the 2021-2022 season. The Cavaliers were simply terrible shooting from distance and their inability to knock down open perimeter shots or space the floor was solely responsible for several of their losses last year.
That will not be the case in 2022-2023. We'll go through several individual players who stood out during the scrimmage, but Virginia as a whole shot the lights out at JPJ during Saturday's scrimmage. Unofficially - there were no official stats kept - the Cavaliers combined to make 15 of 32 three-point attempts for a team three-point shooting percentage of 46.9%. It's an admittedly small sample size, but that would have ranked first in all of college basketball last season. It's even more impressive that the Hoos were able to do this against themselves, considering the sound fundamental defense that Tony Bennett's teams bring to any setting, including an intrasquad scrimmage. Both the Blue team and White team offenses were able to generate open looks from three and knock down contested perimeter shots as well - two things that were in short supply a season ago. Shooting will not be the weakness of the 2022-2023 Virginia Cavaliers.
2. Armaan Franklin is primed for a big-time bounce back year
The Most Improved Player is not one of the awards that the media votes on in the ACC preseason media poll. But if it was, I would have cast my vote for Armaan Franklin. His three-point shooting percentage plummeted from 42.4% at Indiana in 2020-2021 to 29.6% at Virginia last season. After a summer of tirelessly working on his shot with former UVA star Justin Anderson - a player who knows a thing or two about drastically improving his shot between seasons - Franklin looked like a completely different player on Saturday.
It started from the very beginning of the scrimmage. On one of the first few possessions, Franklin was passed the ball with just a few seconds left on the shot clock. He used a dribble move and crossover to create some space from his defender Leon Bond III, and then stepped back and shot a deep three-pointer that hit nothing but net. That's a shot that Franklin wouldn't even attempt during his shooting slump last season. Franklin made four of his six three-point attempts, including a few catch-and-shoot triples from the corner. He also had a nice driving layup, showing how his all-around game developed last season when he could no longer rely on his three-point shot, and finished with 14 points, the second-most by any player during the scrimmage. Franklin looked smooth and confident shooting the rock, a strong sign that he could be returning to his sharpshooting form this season.
3. The Isaacs will play
Isaac McKneely and Isaac Traudt are as talented as advertised and they might just be even more ready to play on opening night than we anticipated. McKneely finished with nine points on 3/7 shooting from beyond the arc and Isaac Traudt had 12 points, making four out of his five three-point attempts.
McKneely is the closest thing we have seen to Kyle Guy from a pure sharpshooting perspective. He has a quick release, moves well without the ball, and is money on catch-and-shoot threes from the corner. The difference between McKneely and Guy is that McKneely is a good two or three inches taller and has quite a bit of an edge in strength and athleticism. McKneely showed off his hops and snatched a few rebounds out of the air and looked more than capable of keeping up in on-ball defensive situations. He wasn't as successful putting the ball on the floor to drive to the rim and he had a layup attempt blocked by Ryan Dunn, so there is certainly some room for growth, but it was a solid first showing for the two-time West Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year. Tony Bennett said earlier this week that the Cavaliers were going to need McKneely to play due to his ability to shoot from the guard position. It seems he'll be able to contribute more than just reliable shooting in his first season in Charlottesville.
With Isaac Traudt's offensive skillset - shooting, ball-handling, and athleticism - combined with his size at 6'10", 229 pounds - we knew it was going to be difficult for Tony Bennett to keep him off the floor even with his track record of not playing freshmen much. The only concerns were how quickly he could settle into the UVA defensive scheme and if he has the strength and physicality to battle in the paint with opposing big men. With Francisco Caffaro missing the scrimmage, it was up to Isaac Traudt to defend against Kadin Shedrick down low for almost the entire time. And although Shedrick ended the scrimmage as the leading scorer with 15 points, none of it came easy. Traudt more than held his own in the post and on the boards, and Shedrick had a difficult time gaining ground on the true freshman in the paint. Traudt did have some foul trouble - something that is not at all uncommon for UVA big men, especially the ones currently on the roster - but overall Traudt did well on the defensive end. Offensively, he is everything the Cavaliers hoped he would be. We didn't get to see him drive at all, since his defender usually gave him some space on the perimeter when he had the ball, a decision which Traudt punished by knocking down 4/5 three-pointers. He shot with confidence and without hesitation and also made himself a very appealing option in the pick and roll.
4. Speaking of the Pick and Roll
UVA's offense has gone through a gradual evolution over the years as Bennett and the coaching staff have made marginal adjustments to reflect changes in personnel and skillset on the roster. The base offense - blocker-mover or 'sides' as Virginia calls it - has remained the same. UVA ran sides a ton during the scrimmage as usual, but the Cavaliers also implemented a lot of ball screens, using an almost endless combination of ball-handlers and screeners. We haven't seen this amount of on-ball screen action since the 2019 championship run and I think it's a testament to the level of depth and versatility the Hoos have on the roster this year in terms of offensive playmakers.
Reece Beekman ran an effective pick and roll with Kadin Shedrick and Jayden Gardner at times last year. This season, the additions of Ben Vander Plas and Isaac Traudt give the Cavaliers the option to have either of those bigs "pop" to the three-point line instead of rolling to the basket, something that simply wasn't in the repertoire of the Virginia offense last season. UVA also has more choices with who handles the ball in those situations, as we saw Beekman, Kihei Clark, Isaac McKneely, and even Taine Murray initiate a pick and roll during the scrimmage. For anyone who has closely followed the Virginia offense during the Tony Bennett era, this is a very exciting development.
5. Aggressive Kadin Shedrick
As we mentioned before, we did not get to see Kadin Shedrick go head-to-head with Francisco Caffaro, as the Argentinian center was in street clothes and ruled out of the scrimmage with an undisclosed injury. Instead, Shedrick battled freshman Isaac Traudt down low and occasionally Ben Vander Plas. Shedrick led all scorers with 15 points on 5/9 shooting, including a 5/7 clip from the free throw line. It was far from a perfect game for the redshirt junior, as he still needs to work on his finishing in the post and on being more relaxed and smooth in the paint. But Shedrick was very aggressive in hunting for his shot and fought hard for rebounds as well, earning his way to the free throw line seven times. We had heard rumors of Shedrick developing his outside shot - apparently he splashed a three-pointer during one of the exhibition games in Italy - but we did not see him attempt a jumper in the scrimmage, so it seems there's another aggressive gear for Shedrick to reach. On the other end of the floor, Shedrick flexed his protection abilities, rejecting Armaan Franklin on a drive to the rim early in the scrimmage. A breakout season is still possible for Kadin Shedrick with a little more refinement on the offensive end.
6. Ben Vander Plas makes an impact
Back in June, I wrote about how Ben Vander Plas could be the latest in a long line of transfer success stories under Tony Bennett - starting back with Anthony Gill, continuing with guys like Braxton Key, Trey Murphy, and Sam Hauser, and most recently with Jayden Gardner and Armaan Franklin. In Vander Plas, the Cavaliers knew they were getting an experienced veteran capable of having a big impact on the game - UVA got some direct proof of that when Vander Plas scored 17 points to lead Ohio to a first round upset over No. 4 seed Virginia back in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
From an X's and O's standpoint, the addition of the 6'8" Vander Plas ideally gives UVA an option at forward that can stretch the floor with his perimeter shooting, something that the Cavaliers were sorely missing last season. Vander Plas also potentially gives Virginia a taller option than the 6'6" Jayden Gardner to defend against opposing forwards. What Vander Plas showed in the Blue-White Scrimmage was very encouraging on both of those fronts. Vander Plas knocked down three of his four three-point attempts and dished out three assists, looking very comfortable operating in UVA's offensive system despite joining the program just a few short months ago. The trip to Italy certainly helped with that. On the defensive end, Vander Plas did more than enough to show his value, even doing a respectable job guarding against Kadin Shedrick - who has three inches on Vander Plas - in the post. It will be interesting to see what lineups Tony Bennett runs with Vander Plas, but the possibilities are quite enticing.
Speaking of transfers, former Wahoo Nigel Johnson, who transferred to UVA from Rutgers and helped the Cavaliers win the 2018 ACC Tournament title, was recognized during the scrimmage. Johnson was tragically struck by a car on the side of the road while stranded with a flat tire and suffered serious injuries that required extensive surgery. He is on the mend but has a long road to recovery ahead of him. UVA men's basketball provided a link to a gofundme page where fans can support Johnson in his recovery.
7. Reece Beekman and Kihei Clark show good chemistry with the new guys
After sharing point guard duties for most of the season last year, Virginia's tandem of point guards got to operate their own offensives for nearly the entirety of the scrimmage. Kihei Clark and Reece Beekman scored just four points each and neither hit a three-pointer, but other than that, it was an extremely efficient and effective offensive day for both Clark and Beekman running their respective offenses. Clark dished out 12 assists and Beekman had seven assists. Many of those assists involved the new faces on the team, showing that Clark and Beekman have already developed a solid chemistry with Vander Plas and the freshmen throughout the offseason and the trip to Italy.
One play that stood out was a drive and kick from Beekman, who penetrated the lane and dished a cross-court pass to Isaac McKneely, who splashed the open catch-and-shoot three with ease. That play was very reminiscent of a play UVA ran a lot with Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy back in the day, a play that has not been open in the UVA playbook very much of late because of the team's spacing issues and lack of perimeter scoring threats. With more reliable shooting on the floor, Beekman should be able to thrive on plays like this, as he forces opposing defenses to help off of knockdown shooters like McKneely, or risk letting Beekman get to the rim for easy baskets.
It's still very early and Tony Bennett certainly made it clear in a brief message he gave to the crowd at JPJ after the scrimmage that his Cavaliers have a lot of work to do to get ready for the start of the season in a few weeks. But, based on the product we saw on Saturday, this is shaping up to be a very exciting Virginia men's basketball season.
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