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UVA Basketball Guard Jalen Warley to Enter Transfer Portal

Matt Newton

Virginia Athletics
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Virginia basketball senior guard Jalen Warley is reportedly entering the transfer portal and will redshirt the 2024-2025 season while looking for a new school for next season, as first reported by On3's Joe Tipton on Tuesday morning. Warley, a transfer from Florida State who has one year of eligibility remaining, is the first Cavalier to enter the transfer portal during this 30-day window opened by Tony Bennett's surprise retirement on October 18th.

Virginia interim head coach Ron Sanchez confirmed that Warley is transferring out of the program in a press release, but Sanchez made no comment on Warley's departure.

Warley's decision to enter the transfer portal comes a little over a week before the season is set to tip off and just one day after the UVA basketball team held its media day at John Paul Jones Arena. Virginia interim head coach Ron Sanchez was asked about the point guard position during his press conference, as the Cavaliers are looking to replace Reece Beekman, and he said that Warley, Kansas State transfer Dai Dai Ames, and redshirt freshman Christian Bliss would handle the point guard duties "by committee." That seems to imply that Warley's decision was not made until the last 24 hours.

"I think it's going to be by committee. All those guys are going to have to contribute," Sanchez said of UVA's point guard position. "I do think that they all bring a different style to the position. [Jalen] Warley is more of a long defender, taller. Dai Dai [Ames] has more dynamic, kind of boogie to his game, so we have to allow him to be him. We want those guys to play to their strengths. We don't want to recreate their basketball personae. They have to be comfortable playing the positions within their own talents."

A 6'7" guard from Philadelphia, Warley was the first transfer to commit to Virginia this offseason. In three seasons at Florida State, Warley played in 96 career games and made 58 starts. In the 2023-2024 season, Warley averaged a career-high 7.5 points to go along with 2.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. At UVA, he projected as one of the team's main ball handlers and offensive facilitators given his 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio last season, as well as a key piece on the defensive end given his versatility to guard multiple positions at 6'7".

The timing of Bennett's retirement guaranteed that none of the players on this year's Virginia roster could enter the transfer portal without having to sit out this entire season because the academic year had already started. Though things were quiet for the first 10 days following Bennett's announcement, the 30-day transfer portal window lasts until November 17th, so there was always a chance a player might decide to enter the portal at some point.

For Jalen Warley, who has just one year of eligibility remaining, this move makes some sense as the opportunity to play for Tony Bennett for his final season of college basketball was likely a top factor in his choosing Virginia back in May. Now, Warley will reset the deck and look for a new home to end his college basketball career.

The only other player on the roster who is in his final year of eligibility is Taine Murray, who has demonstrated that he places a high value on the education he is receiving from the University of Virginia. While it's still possible for other players to enter the transfer portal, the fact that all of the other Cavaliers have multiple years of eligibility makes it more likely that they'll stick it out for at least this season before reconsidering their options next spring.

More Virginia Basketball News & Content

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UVA Basketball Head Coaching Candidates: Is It Ron Sanchez's Job to Lose?

Why Did Tony Bennett Retire? UVA Basketball Coach Explains Decision

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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.