Cavaliers Now

Virginia Point Guard Dante Harris Enters Transfer Portal

Matt Newton

Dante Harris handles the ball during the Virginia men's basketball game at Florida State.
Dante Harris handles the ball during the Virginia men's basketball game at Florida State. / Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

Virginia redshirt junior point guard Dante Harris has entered the transfer portal, as first reported by On3's Jamie Shaw on Friday evening. Harris, who served as UVA's backup point guard this season, is the second Cavalier to enter the transfer portal this offseason, joining Leon Bond III.

A 6'0" redshirt junior guard from Washington, D.C., Harris joined the Virginia men's basketball program as a mid-year transfer from Georgetown during the 2022-2023 campaign and redshirted the rest of that season. Slated to be UVA's backup to Reece Beekman before possibly taking over as the team's lead point guard moving forward, things didn't quite pan out for Harris, who missed 10 games from late November to mid-January with an ankle injury.

Even when Harris was on the court, he didn't quite live up to his own or Virginia's expectations for the Most Outstanding Player of the 2021 Big East Tournament. After averaging 11.9 points and 4.1 assists as Georgetown's starting point guard in 2021-2022, Harris struggled to get into a rhythm as a Cavalier, averaging career-lows of 2.5 points and 1.4 assists. Even his three-point percentage, which was never a strength for Harris (shooting 27.5% on 3.5 attempts per game in 2021-2022), cratered to 10.0% on less than one attempt per game.

Ultimately, it appears that the fit wasn't quite right at Virginia for Dante Harris, who goes back into the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining.

Harris's decision to enter the transfer portal might signal that the Cavaliers are making progress on their efforts to add another point guard to the roster. Virginia has been in contact with several guards in the transfer portal and UVA is also hosting class of 2024 four-star point guard and McDonald's All-American Trent Perry for an official visit this weekend.

With Dante Harris entering the transfer portal and Reece Beekman declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft, Virginia has only one true point guard on the roster in Christian Bliss, who redshirted his first season at UVA. The Cavaliers now have four open scholarship spots for the 2024-2025 season.

Here's Virginia's current scholarship roster for the 2024-2025 season sorted by position and including details on each player's eligibility remaining:

PG: Christian Bliss (4 years)
SG: Isaac McKneely (2 years), Elijah Gertrude (3 years), Ishan Sharma (4 years)
SF: Andrew Rohde (2 years), Taine Murray (1 year)
PF: Jacob Cofie (4 years)
C: Blake Buchanan (3 years), Anthony Robinson (4 years)

More Virginia Men's Basketball News and Content

Virginia Guard Reece Beekman Declares for 2024 NBA Draft
What's Next for Virginia After Ryan Dunn's Departure for the NBA Draft?
Virginia Forward Ryan Dunn Declares for 2024 NBA Draft
Virginia to Host UIC Transfer Wing Toby Okani for Official Visit
Could Trent Perry be the Solution to Virginia's Point Guard Problem?
Saint Mary's Transfer Forward Joshua Jefferson Schedules Visit to Virginia
Virginia Basketball Transfer Portal Contact Live Tracker

Published
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.