Notebook Plus: Looking toward next year
GREENSBORO, N.C. — The North Carolina State team that seriously damaged Virginia’s NCAA Tournament hopes is just one of several ACC squads that have talented transfers sitting out this season.
The Wolfpack is picking up Ralston Turner, a 6-foot-6 wing player who started 59 games in two seasons at Lousiana State and averaged 12.4 points as a sophomore in 2011-2012.
Turner, familiar with State coach Mark Gottfried from Gottfried’s days as the head coach at Alabama, hit 99 3-point field goals in two seasons at LSU and is seen as a likely successor to Scott Wood, who hit seven 3-pointers Friday in a 75-56 victory over Virginia.
Turner will be one of three 2013-2014 ACC newcomers who spent the 2011-2012 season in the Southeastern Conference, along with Virginia’s Anthony Gill (South Carolina) and Duke’s Rodney Hood (Mississippi State).
Maryland, in its last season in the ACC, will be adding Evan Smotrycz, a 6-9 transfer from Michigan, where he averaged 7.7 points as a sophomore in 2011-2012. So, as a senior in 2014-2015, Smotrycz will be playing in the same league in which he began his career as Maryland moves to the Big Ten..
A similar circumstance will occur when 6-7 Alex Dragicevich begins play for Boston College. Dragicevich sat out this season after transferring from Notre Dame, where he scored 6.6 points per game in 2011-2012.
Next year, he’ll be facing his old team with Notre Dame’s entry into the ACC.
Virginia Tech will add a transfer, too, in Adam Smith, who averaged 13.7 points as a freshman at UNC-Wilmington in 2011-2012.
In addition to the transfers and recruits, whose names are available on a host of websites, Virginia is among the schools that have had players sitting out this season as redshirts.
The Cavaliers’ Malcolm Brogdon, the prize of UVa’s 2011 signing class, has resumed practicing after complications from foot surgery kept him from beginning the season. He will be a sophomore next season.
Clemson will gain the services of two players who already are on campus, top 2012 signee Jaron Blossomgame, a 6-7 forward, and 6-2 guard Devin Coleman, who played in 23 games in 2011-2012.
Garrius Adams, a 6-6 guard from Apex, N.C., who started 37 games in his first three seasons, sat out this season at Miami and theoretically could return as a fifth-year senior in 2013-2014.
ALSO AFFECTING the 2013-2014 ACC basketball release will be this spring’s NBA Draft and which ACC underclassmen will make themselves eligible.
Maryland’s 7-foot-1 sophomore, Alex Len, is listed as a top-10 pick and maybe even top five. Other first-round possibilities include North Carolina sophomore James-Michael McAdoo, Duke freshman guard Rasheed Sulaimon and North Carolina State juniors C.J. Leslie and Lorenzo Brown.
Every time I see Len, I’m less impressed, particularly when he had three of his shots blocked at Virginia last weekend, and McAdoo isn’t close to ready. Leslie and Brown may be the most NBA ready based on what I’ve seen.
Miami sophomore point guard Shane Larkin, who was terrific Friday against Boston College, has said he is remaining in college. So is Virginia’s Joe Harris, according to what he was telling fans Wednesday in Greensboro.
March 15, 2013 - 8:42 PM
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Would love to know if UVA plans to use Brogdon at the point or 2 position, because if he can run it, it would give us an offensive threat there that we haven’t had for a while. I would think that they should be about as deep as they have been in a long long time.
Virginia also has Gill a starter at USC east who transferred an will be Red shirt 2nd year.
I just saw that you tweeted that this is entertaining basketball, referring to unc v miami. Why do you hate the way Virginia plays? Didnt you go there? I mean I guess maybe youre not really a bball fan if you really dont find playing good D and shutting people down entertaining. Watching the shot clock run down, getting blocks, holding opponents to well below their average? That’s not fun to watch? That’s crazy.
Yeah virginia also has Gill chief, you missed that
Hopefully Brogdon will play Jespersons position because that guy STINKS!
J: even thought this guy calls himself the “uva insider” he usually sacastic sounding in anything he writes about UVA. he’s as much a hokie homer as all the others on this paper’s sports staff. With his thinly veiled support, I don’t know why he even bothers to write about uva sports.
Next season should be even better for UVA basketball…………Incoming freshman Devon Hall at point guard and Malcolm Brogdon and South Carolina transfer Anthony Gill adding depth in the frontcourt, it should be a “heck-UVA” season in 2013…….
Very happy to see Harris returning, also!!
I believe we will see a much more prolific scoring offense out the Hoos next year. First of all, whoever plays PG, the opponent will have to cover him on the perimeter. Mitchell, Tobey, Gill and Atkins will provide a solid inside game. Harris, Brogden,Anderson, Jesperson, Nolte, Barnette and Jones will be able to score. An inside out game should emerge. D should remain solid. The future appears to be very bright.
Just a comment on the story which suggested UVA was “snubbed” by the NCAA. There was NO snubbing! Simple truth is that Virginia did not deserve the invitation and they came mighty close to proving it against Norfolk State. They were predicted to be a rather high seed about three weeks before the ACC tourney. Losses to BC and FL State changed all that. They then were picked to be either last 4 in or first 4 out. In retrospect, they HAD to win those two late season games and had they also beat Miami AT Miami they would have been a lock and maybe as high as a #6 seed. (And a solid beating by NC State was another big nail) There are certainly some poorer quality teams in the field BUT they did what they had to do in their season and tournaments. Take Ole Miss for example.
Simple fact is UVA shows is strong tradition of highly inconsistent play and failure to get the job done. DEFEATED is a word they must know very well. The school has had some solid players and some proven coaches but still ALWAYS comes up as underachievers. Don’t you just have to wonder how a school like Miami can win the regular season AND the tournament is such a short time after a new coach arrives? (A coach who was in the UVA shadow for years.) Are they not the only ACC team to never win an ACC tournament? (Forget that one back after TJ died.)
Sorry boys. UVA is where they belong and any NIT wins from here on is a gift. I would not bet on them if they played the Stuarts Draft girls team.
And just a side comment. How about that VT program. Seth must be wondering, “Miss me now??
Regarding the word “snubbed,” I’m not sure if it applies but it’s the verb that seems to be mentioned most commonly with the teams that did not make the field.
My guess is that Brogdon will be the starting point guard in the opener. Think that would be their best opportunity to get their five best players on the floor.
I gotta hand it to the UVA supporters. They always seem to look forward to next year. Forget today’s failures and think positive. Next year the league picks up three Duke caliber teams followed by another in 2014. I don’t know what the $$ factor is but it might be wise for VA (and VT) to consider joining a different league along with maybe a few other ACC duds. I’ll pick the bottom 3 for 2013. UVA, VT, FL State/Wake
OK, so I forgot VT never won an ACC tourny either but it’s just hard to think of the ACC and include VT!