Fear always arises following the departure of star players and it was no exception with guard Joe Harris and forward Akil Mitchell after the 2014 season. Both ended up on NBA rosters — Harris to the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 33rd pick in the draft and Mitchell signing and playing with the Houston Rockets in the D-League soon after.
However, many of the underclassmen from the 2014 ACC Championship team (which also made it to the Sweet 16) were able to step up and play larger roles for Virginia in the 2014-15 season. Junior guard Justin Anderson, for example, was a huge presence defensively in addition to averaging 12.2 points per game his final season and making 45.2 percent of his three-pointers. The lone starting senior of the team, forward Darion Atkins, also made significant marks, most notably on defense — his work led to him being named ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
But following the team’s loss to Michigan State in the Round of 32, Anderson declared early for the draft, and was later drafted 21st by the Dallas Mavericks as Virginia’s first first-round NBA draft pick since Cory Alexander 20 years earlier. Atkins later signed with the Knicks and is currently practicing with their D-league team.
Virginia head coach Tony Bennett could not be more proud of his former players and the success they have found on the professional level.
“[The other night,] I got to see Joe play against Justin,” Bennett said. “That was so awesome for them, I was so proud of them, and for our program. [...] And certainly seeing Darion, you know, he has gotten out there a few times, but just to be there on the bench with the Knicks is certainly good.”
When asked about the effects of losing these professional-caliber players from his roster, he noted the team’s amazing presence on defense.
“Justin and Darion brought some things that were special,” Bennett said. “They could defensively erase mistakes. You know Darion could block those shots, Justin could do that definitely.”
Sophomore forward Isaiah Wilkins, who is expected to step up in big ways and help fill the voids these two departed players have left, indicated a similar idea.
“You have to be sound, we have to be together,” Wilkins said. “[Atkins] and [Anderson] really helped clean up a lot of the mistakes that we made, so we have to be more tight defensively; less room for error.”
Henceforth, both coach and players have focused their transition on stepping into the defensive shoes of both Atkins and Anderson.
“In transition, we have talked about that a lot so I think that puts a premium defensively on us to try and be sounder, better positioned, because you know you don’t have guys like that,” Bennett said. “We have guys who can block some shots and certainly do some things, so that will be a replacement certainly.”
Having lost two great defenders, senior forward Anthony Gill said the team needs to be ready defensively and be better on the perimeter.
“You know, we are going to be a different team this year,” Bennett said. “I say that every year, but our personnel is different [...] we will not be a clone of last year — certain things will look the same, but again, different personnel. [...] everyday are we becoming who we have to become — that does not change [...] but our guys have a lot of experience.
Experience is most definitely something the Cavaliers have. With four returning scholarship seniors, including two returning fifth-year seniors in Gill and guard Malcolm Brogdon, who was named an All-American following last season, nearly every player eligible to step onto the court has had experience in the NCAA Tournament.
Additionally, Brogdon, the identifiable leader of the team, worked over the summer with the younger team members to help them improve their game.
“I think it is great for guys on the team to work out together, to get to know each other better, [and] to understand each other’s games better,” Brogdon said.
From these workouts, Brogdon says he feels that he has seen many of these newer guys show potential to emerge in big ways to help fill their gaps from the departures to the pros.
“I think it could be a lot of guys [who step up],” Brogdon said. “I think Isaiah is a huge piece for us defensively, offensively [...] [sophomore guard] Darius [Thompson], no one has seen him yet, extremely talented. [Freshman guard] Devon [Hall] has played really, really well up until this point, and [sophomore guard] Marial [Shayok] has gotten a lot better. He showed a lot of promise last year and he has gotten a lot better. So I think that a few guys will step up for us.”
As November is upon us, prepare not only to see some familiar faces in new places among the ranks of the NBA — also prepare to see new faces taking on new roles on the floor at John Paul Jones Arena.
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