Breaking down Virginia basketball’s senior class

Less than a month remains until Virginia basketball returns to the court.  But the players will not be the only ones setting foot in John Paul Jones Arena come November.  Fans will also be making their reappearance in JPJ, and they will be present in large quantities when the ball is tipped to signal the start of the season.

This year promises to be another fun one full of low-scoring games, clutch shooting, and perhaps another run at an ACC title.  Here’s the first of four class breakdowns, in preparation for Virginia’s season opener against Navy on November 9.

Kihei Clark

Back for his fourth and final year as the diminutive leader of Virginia’s backcourt, Kihei is hoping to improve upon a tumultuous 2020-21 season.  Last year was his second as the primary ball-handler, yet by all measures his improvement in production was negligible.  The source of his struggles was a shaky record from behind the arc, as he mustered only a 32.3% three-point percentage, his worst in three years at Virginia.  Kihei told Brian Hamilton of The Athletic that his shooting has improved, saying that “this is the most productive summer I’ve had individually.”  Hopefully that work will be reflected by an increase in the amount of his shots that find the net.

A commonly-expressed sentiment among UVA fans last season was that the offense appeared to stagnate when Kihei was joined by Reece Beekman in the backcourt.  Individually, both are good players, but their shared woes from deep limited the offensive potential.  The hallmark of a good guard duo is that the two players compliment each other, and that was just not the case last year.  If Kihei’s shooting has indeed improved, it will bode well for a team that’s come to rely on his affinity for assists.

Jayden Gardner

Virginia was in dire need of reinforcements after losing its three best players to the NBA draft at the end of last season (not to mention losing three transfers), and the cavalry has arrived—well, maybe not the cavalry, but certainly some heavily armored foot soldiers—in the form of Jayden Gardner’s transfer from East Carolina.  The 6-6, 240 pound fourth year, who averaged 18 points and 8.7 rebounds against mostly AAC opposition last year, should add another dimension to the offense.  

Gardner has been talked about positively on the defensive side of the ball, and a smooth adjustment to the packline defense should be anticipated.  Gardner’s prowess on the boards should be noted as well, his 8.3 rebounds per game last season sure to be a useful addition.  There’s only one letter separating the AAC and the ACC, but traversing the divide is still a difficult step.  Gardner’s ability to effectively make the transition will be crucial to this team’s success.

Kody Stattmann

A “non-COVID-19 related cardiac issue” (per virginiasports.com) sidelined Stattmann for most of the 2020-21 season.  He only played in four games, making it difficult to predict what he will look like this season.  The mystery can be solved somewhat by looking at his production two seasons ago, when Stattmann averaged an uninspiring 3.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in 21.5 minutes.  That was a different team, though, and Stattmann will have another chance to prove himself, this time as an upperclassman.

At 6-8, 200 pounds, the Australian has the potential to produce more than what we’ve seen from him thus far.  He might be an enormous asset, he might be a non-factor.  His future is blurred, something that can be said for this Virginia squad as a whole.

Image – Virginia Athletics