Jersey Numbers Revealed for Virginia Basketball's Newcomers in 2024-2025

See the jersey numbers and official height and weight listings for each of the seven newcomers on the 2024-2025 UVA men's basketball roster

Matt Newton | Jun 21, 2024

Dai Dai Ames handles the ball during the Kansas State vs. Iowa State Big 12 Tournament basketball game in Kansas City. / Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA

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Virginia Cavaliers

The Virginia men's basketball team has updated its official roster for the 2024-2025 season, revealing the jersey numbers for each of the newcomers joining the team for next season.

Florida State transfer Jalen Warley will wear #1, the same number he wore at Florida State for the last three seasons. Dante Harris was wearing the #1 at Virginia, but he entered the transfer portal and then reportedly withdrew and was expected to return to UVA as a walk-on, though that has not been confirmed and he is not currently listed on the roster. The #1 was worn by Jayden Gardner at UVA before Harris and most notably by Justin Anderson.

San Diego State transfer Elijah Saunders is set to wear #2, inheriting it from Reece Beekman, who wore it for the last four seasons. The #2 was also worn by Braxton Key and J.R. Reynolds at Virginia. Saunders wore the #25 at San Diego State and in high school, but moves to #2 now.

Jacob Cofie, a first-year forward from Seattle, will wear #5, worn most recently by walk-on Desmond Roberts and most notably by Kyle Guy and Curtis Staples. Roberts entered the transfer portal after one season at UVA, but might be coming back as he's now listed on Virginia's 2024-2025 roster at #13. Cofie wore #5 in his high school career at Eastside Catholic School.

Kansas State transfer Dai Dai Ames is set to wear #7, taking advantage of an NCAA rule change permitting players to wear jersey numbers 6-9 for the first time since 1957. Ames wore #4 at Kansas State and in high school, but Andrew Rohde is wearing that number at Virginia, so Ames will switch to #7.

Similarly, first-year guard Ishan Sharma will make use of that NCAA rule change and wear #9 at Virginia. Sharma, who hails from Milton, Ontario, wore #6 at Fort Erie Academy, but will be the first Cavalier in decades to wear #9.

Duke transfer TJ Power will wear #23 at Virginia. That number wasn't worn by any Cavalier last season, but was worn most recently by Isaac Traudt in the 2022-2023 season and most significantly by Mike Scott and Justin Anderson in his freshman year. Power wore #12 at Duke, a number which is currently worn by Elijah Gertrude at UVA, but Power was #23 in his high school career at Worcester Academy.

Vanderbilt transfer and Charlottesville native Carter Lang will wear #35, the same number he wore at Vanderbilt last season and the same one he wore in his high school career at St. Anne's-Belfield. Leon Bond III wore #35 the last two seasons at Virginia, the first Cavalier to wear that number in the Tony Bennett era, before he transferred to Northern Iowa this offseason. The most notable player to wear #35 at UVA is Travis Watson, a three-time All-ACC selection who played at Virginia from 2000 to 2003.

Senior walk-on guard Bryce Walker is switching from #42 to #8 and fellow walk-on Desmond Roberts, who entered the transfer portal but appears to be returning to UVA, will inherit #13 from the NBA Draft-bound Ryan Dunn. It still remains to be seen what is happening with Dante Harris, but if he is indeed coming back to Virginia next season, it will be as a walk-on and he will have to find a new number.

The 2024-2025 roster also includes official size measurements for each of the newcomers:

Jalen Warley: 6'7", 205 pounds
Elijah Saunders: 6'8", 225 pounds
Jacob Cofie: 6'10", 230 pounds
Dai Dai Ames: 6'1", 185 pounds
Ishan Sharma: 6'5", 185 pounds
TJ Power: 6'9", 216 pounds
Carter Lang: 6'9", 235 pounds

Click here to see the official 2024-2025 Virginia men's basketball roster.

Published Jun 21, 2024

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.