The college basketball season winds ever closer, and with its approach comes the second of four installments breaking down Virginia’s roster. This time we’re looking at the Juniors, a class composed of a transfer, an Argentinian international, and an aspiring coach. In other words, it’s an interesting group.
Here are some thoughts on UVA’s three juniors.
Francisco Caffaro
In 17 games last year, Caffaro played an average of 7 minutes and tallied 1.2 rebounds per outing. He’s spent the entirety of his UVA career in Jay Huff’s shadow, but will finally emerge this season—all seven feet and 242 pounds of him—as a presence in the frontcourt. But the new starting center could not be more different than the old one; while Caffaro tends to use his prodigious size in the low post, the lanky Huff insisted on operating outside the arc.
Tony Bennett was using them in tandem by the time last March rolled around, and it will be interesting to see what type of on-court relationship develops between Caffaro and Kadin Shedrick, the 6-11 sophomore. Certainly Caffaro’s hulking stature will continue to be enlisted down low. He may not contribute to the scoreboard much, but if he can fulfill his duties as a rebounder and pick-setter, the offense will be better for it.
Armaan Franklin
Franklin’s decision to travel east from Bloomington was an important one for Virginia’s backcourt depth. On a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team last season at Indiana, Franklin started all but two games, averaging 11.4 points and a fiery 42.4% from three. The best thing about him is that he’s a different player than Kihei Clark and Reece Beekman, who handled the brunt of the ball-handling duties last season. Franklin has over 20 pounds of bulk on either of Beekman or Clark and his three-point percentage last season was 10% better than Beekman’s and a staggering 20% better than Clark’s.
Franklin should be an important contributor from the guard position, and his athleticism and length will ease the adjustment to the packline. Those two physical attributes will serve him well with the ball in his hands as well, with his two seasons at Indiana having made him fairly adept at getting to the rack. It should also be noted that Franklin has that intangible “clutch gene.” His smooth jumper from 15 feet in the closing seconds sunk then #8 Iowa a year ago. Franklin brings a lot to the table, and should be cause for excitement going into the season.
Chase Coleman
Coleman, a recruited walk-on who has spent two years on the UVA roster, endeared himself to the UVA fanbase last year with his boundless energy. The sparse playing time he saw last season will likely be replicated, as a result of the depth Virginia possesses at the guard position (Clark, Beekman, Franklin, Stattmann, McCorkle, Murray). He’ll remain on the sideline, where his impact on the game will be felt in different ways than the box score.
Coleman’s stated goal is to become a basketball coach. This has been evident throughout his career even without his explicit confirmation, the 5-9 guard often pulling teammates over between plays, appearing to be demonstrating some principle of the packline or the current offensive scheme. As a sort of player-coach, Coleman will look to contribute in whatever way possible this season.
Image – Virginia Athletics
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