The countdown is on for the beginning of the 2022-2023 faculty basketball season. Only one week stays till a brand new season of faculty hoops suggestions off. With that in thoughts, it is time to preview the roster for the 2022-2023 Virginia males’s basketball staff. CavaliersNow can be going by means of the UVA roster player-by-player in preparation for the season, which begins on Monday, November seventh towards NC Central at John Paul Jones Enviornment.

Right this moment, we analyze freshman ahead Ryan Dunn. 

Click on on the hyperlinks beneath to learn our participant previews for the remainder of the UVA males’s basketball roster:

Armaan Franklin

Kihei Clark

Isaac Traudt

Ben Vander Plas

Taine Murray

Francisco Caffaro

Maybe probably the most athletic of Virginia’s star-powered quartet of freshmen, Ryan Dunn arrives in Charlottesville bursting with potential. The 6’8″, 208-pound ahead already possesses the athleticism and dimension to have the ability to compete on the faculty stage. Like most freshmen at UVA, it could take him a while to earn vital enjoying time. However when he does, he has celebrity potential. Spending time with Mike Curtis within the weight room will solely elevate Dunn’s ceiling. 

Given the make-up of UVA’s roster this season, and particularly with so many starters getting back from final yr’s staff, it appears unlikely that Dunn will get substantial minutes in Virginia’s rotation in his first season. Nevertheless, from what we’ve seen from him each throughout the staff’s exhibition tour in Italy and the Blue-White Scrimmage, there’s nonetheless an opportunity Tony Bennett may give Dunn some alternatives to show himself all through this season. 

Within the three video games he performed in Italy, Dunn averaged 5.3 factors, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals per recreation. That included a strong efficiency towards Stella Azzurra during which he recorded 9 factors, seven rebounds, and a steal. Maybe most significantly, Dunn was a featured participant in a few of UVA’s finest defensive lineups throughout the tour. His capability to protect opposing wings and forwards could possibly be the important thing to Dunn cracking the rotation in his first yr at Virginia. 

Dunn additionally confirmed his worth as a two-way participant throughout the Blue-White Scrimmage. He recorded 10 factors on 5/7 capturing, a number of rebounds (not sure of the precise quantity), and a steal and a block. Watch Dunn’s full highlights from the scrimmage within the video beneath:

The primary play within the video above is a superb instance of the flexibility Dunn brings on the defensive finish of the ground. Dunn is matched up with Isaac McKneely, who’s smaller and faster together with his ft than Dunn. McKneely comes off of a display screen set by Ben Vander Plas and receives the go from Beekman. Dunn does nicely to get across the display screen and recovers to get again to McKneely’s hip as he begins to drive in direction of the paint. McKneely has little or no room to get a shot off and his floater hits the entrance of the rim. He is ready to get the offensive board, however Dunn makes use of his size and a really fast second soar to simply reject McKneely’s putback try. The truth that Dunn was ready to stick with McKneely coming round a ball display screen is a superb signal of Dunn’s utility as a defender. 

Within the second play, Dunn cuts from the nook simply as Kihei Clark drives baseline. He caught Leon Bond III ball-watching and timed his minimize completely to get the dish from Clark, ending simply with a two-hand dunk. 

Within the third clip, Dunn is now guarding the 6’10” Isaac Traudt, once more displaying his capability to defend a number of positions. Traudt flashes to the left elbow and will get the go, however earlier than he may even take into consideration capturing, passing, or placing the ball on the ground, Dunn has already used his fast palms to poke the ball away from Traudt. The turnover results in a simple bucket for Dunn’s staff as Beekman lobs for Leon Bond III, who finishes the alley-oop flush. 

The fourth clip reveals Dunn’s finest offensive play of the sport. With Taine Murray guarding him, he units a ball display screen for Reece Beekman. Murray begins to hedge the display screen, however Dunn rapidly rolls to empty house above the free throw line. Beekman rapidly feeds Dunn the ball and earlier than Murray can fully get better, Dunn drives to the basket and finishes with a pleasant spin transfer and a layup. 

In a scrimmage setting like this, it is arduous to make it really feel like a real-game surroundings. However we bought about as near a late-game state of affairs as doable because the fourth quarter of the scrimmage was tied at 17-17 within the closing minute. Reece Beekman drove into the paint after which fired a go out to the proper nook to Ryan Dunn, whose defender McKneely had began to inch in direction of the paint to assist on the drive. McKneely recovered nicely and was up on Dunn by the point he obtained the go, however Dunn nonetheless managed to drive previous McKneely with a left-handed dribble drive, attending to his spot near the basket and elevating for a brief floater that touched all web. That ended up being the final basket of the scrimmage, as Dunn was credited with the “game-winner” for the white staff. 

Dunn did some good issues on the offensive finish as a slasher/driver throughout the scrimmage. He did not take many jumpers and missed his solely three-point try, however he had quite a lot of success capturing from the perimeter in highschool, together with a pair of seasons during which he shot 44% from the past the arc. It would take a while to get it to hold over to the school recreation with its prolonged three-point line, however there’s loads of cause to consider that Dunn’s jumper will progress and that he’ll turn into a really helpful all-around offensive participant. 

Within the meantime, Dunn’s capability to defend towards a number of positions –  which we noticed as he appeared simply as succesful defending a guard like McKneely as he did towards a ahead like Traudt – makes him a particularly interesting possibility for the UVA teaching workers as somebody they’ll insert to protect numerous gamers in particular recreation conditions. It is unsure how a lot he’ll play in yr one, however the sky is the restrict for Ryan Dunn over the course of his profession at Virginia. 

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See extra Virginia males’s basketball information and content material: Virginia Males’s Basketball on Sports activities Illustrated

See extra Virginia sports activities information and content material: Virginia Cavaliers on Sports activities Illustrated