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This Week in Virginia Basketball News - August 19th

Catch up on all the latest news and storylines around the UVA men's basketball program

Matt Newton

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Kadin Shedrick dunks the ball during the Virginia men's basketball game against KK Mega Basket in Rapallo, Italy.
Catch up on all the latest news and storylines around the UVA men's basketball program / Virginia Athletics

The Virginia men's basketball team completed its four-game exhibition tour in Italy on Friday with a thrilling double overtime victory over KK Mega Basket in Rapallo. Read on for a quick recap of all four of UVA's exhibition games this week as well as quick hits on the latest recruiting news and a note about Virginia's non-conference schedule for the 2023-2024 season.

Here's a summary covering all of the latest headlines surrounding the UVA men's basketball program this week: 

Virginia began the tour with a dominant performance against an outmatched Stella Azzurra team in Rome, winning 76-24. Virtually every player who got minutes in the opening game turned in a solid statline. Kadin Shedrick led the way with 13 points and seven rebounds, while first-year Leon Bond III joined him in double figures with 10 points, four rebounds, and two blocks. Ryan Dunn contributed nine points and seven rebounds, Reece Beekman had nine points, five rebounds and seven assists, and Isaac Traudt recorded eight points, four rebounds and three steals. 

UVA followed that up with a thirty-point victory over Orange1 Basket in Florence, as Isaac Traudt led the Cavaliers to a 71-41 win and recorded 19 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in the process. It was a strong game for Virginia's centers as well as Kadin Shedrick chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds and Francisco Caffaro had 12 points and five boards. 

A few other items of Virginia basketball news surfaced before the team played its final two games in Rapallo. 

2023 recruiting target Freddie Dilione (Raleigh, NC), who had previously included UVA in his top 10, announced his commitment to Tennessee on Tuesday. Dilione, who is now rated a four-star and one of the top prospects in North Carolina, was offered by Virginia back in May when he was still a three-star and took a visit to UVA shortly after. Virginia has offers out to six remaining targets in the class of 2023. 

One of those class of 2023 prospects, four-star combo guard Elmarko Jackson (South Kent, CT) cut his list to 11 schools on Wednesday and included Virginia along with Kansas, Maryland, Louisville, Notre Dame, VCU, Texas, UCLA, Villanova, Miami, and Michigan. In addition to Jackson, fellow 2023 prospects TJ Power, Taison Chatman, Andrej Stojakovic, and Elijah Gertrude have included Virginia in their most recent cut lists. 

On Wednesday, Jon Rothstein reported that the 2023 Fort Myers Tip-Off non-conference tournament will feature Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and SMU, giving us an early look at UVA's non-conference slate for the 2023-2024 college basketball season. 

The third game of Virginia's Italy tour presented the Hoos with a significant challenge, as they faced KK Mega Basket, a Serbian professional basketball team featuring several talented players with multiple years of professional basketball experience. KK Mega Basket's offensive sets were too much for the UVA defense, which yielded nearly 100 points in a 92-73 loss in Rapallo. One bright spot for the Cavaliers was Kadin Shedrick, who scored in double figures for the third consecutive game, recording 19 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks. 

Less than 24 hours later, the Hoos got a chance for redemption as they faced KK Mega Basket again looking to bounce back with a better performance. Virginia led for nearly the entirety of regulation, but a one-footed buzzer-beating jumper from KK Mega Basket's Malcolm Cazalon tied things up to send the game to overtime. Two overtime periods were needed to determine a victor, but Virginia managed to pull away in the second overtime behind a brilliant closing performance from Kihei Clark, who scored 10 of his 23 points in the final five minutes of the game. Reece Beekman had 21 points, five assists, and four rebounds, Isaac McKneely, added 15 points, and Virginia was able to end the Italy tour on a high note with a 94-87 double-OT victory. 

The exhibition tour in Italy, and in particular the last two games against KK Mega Basket, provided some extremely valuable experience for the Cavaliers as they begin to prepare for the upcoming season. 

Last week's UVA basketball news: This Week in Virginia Basketball News - August 12th

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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