Meet the 2018-19 Virginia men's basketball team
Nov 3, 2018
Kihei Clark - PG - Fr.
» Height: 5-9
» Weight: 155
» Position: Guard
» Year: Freshman
» Hometown: Woodland Hills, California
» Last season: Averaged 19.4 points, 7.2 assists and 2.9 steals as a senior at Taft Charter High School.
» The skinny: The California native begins his first season with the Virginia basketball program. Clark, who was impressive in the Blue-White scrimmage, could see some meaningful minutes in the backcourt, potentially as point guard Ty Jerome’s backup. Coach Tony Bennett called him a “pest” and meant it as a compliment.
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#5 - Kyle Guy - SG - Jr.
» Height: 6-2
» Weight: 175
» Position: Guard
» Year: Junior
» Hometown: Indianapolis
» Last season: Was a first-team All-ACC selection for the Cavaliers after leading the team in scoring (14.1 ppg). Was named ACC Tournament MVP after averaging 16.7 points a game and leading the Cavaliers to the tournament championship.
» The skinny: After helping lead Virginia to one of its best seasons in school history, Guy is poised to have another big season for the Cavaliers. The Indianapolis native shot 39 percent from 3-point range and 82.4 percent from the free throw line last season and could improve on those numbers this season. How well Guy performs will play a big part in how successful the Cavaliers are as a team.
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#11 - Ty Jerome - G - Jr.
» Height: 6-5
» Weight: 195
» Position: Guard
» Year: Junior
» Hometown: New Rochelle, New York
» Last season: Jerome started all 34 games for the Cavaliers, averaging 10.6 points and 3.9 assists per game to garner All-ACC third team honors. Jerome scored in double figures in 18 games, including a career-high 31 points against Boston College.
» The skinny: Jerome and Guy combine to form one of the top backcourts in college basketball. The Cavaliers’ offense runs through Jerome, who led Cavaliers with 132 assists last season and dished out four or more dimes in 17 games. The junior also has a knack for hitting big shots, such as the late 3-pointer he hit in the Cavaliers’ road win over Duke last season. He will likely get a chance to bolster that reputation even more this season as Virginia defends its ACC championship.
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De’Andre Hunter - G - So.
» Height: 6-7
» Weight: 225
» Position: Guard
» Year: Sophomore
» Hometown: Philadelphia
» Last season: After a redshirt season, Hunter emerged as one of the Cavaliers’ top players down the stretch, earning ACC Sixth Man of the Year honors. Hunter, who averaged 9.2 points per game, also made the ACC All-Freshman Team. Hunter missed the Cavaliers’ NCAA Tournament loss to UMBC with a wrist injury.
» The skinny: After a strong freshman campaign, Hunter is poised to have a breakout year with the Cavaliers. The redshirt sophomore showed flashes of greatness last season, leading UVa in scoring times while averaging nearly 11 points per game in ACC play. If he chooses to go pro after this season, Hunter could potentially be a lottery pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
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Mamadi Diakite (GUI) - PF - Jr.
» Height: 6-9
» Weight: 228
» Position: Forward
» Year: Junior
» Hometown: Conakry, Guinea, Africa
» Last season: Played in all 34 games for the Cavaliers, averaging 5.4 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.
» The skinny: Diakite, one of the most athletic players on the team, could become more of an impact player this season and move into the starting lineup following the graduation of Isaiah Wilkins. Diakite, who played high school basketball at nearby Blue Ridge School, scored in double figures in five games last season and has shown progress on the offensive end. Diakite’s bigger impact will likely come on defense, where he can use his athleticism and length to block shots and create turnovers.
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Braxton Key - G - Jr. (former So. Alabama)
» Height: 6-8
» Weight: 225
» Position: Guard
» Year: Junior (former So. Alabama)
» Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
» Last season: Averaged 7.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals at Alabama.
» The skinny: Key, the nephew of Virginia legend Ralph Sampson, transferred from Alabama to Virginia during the offseason. Thanks to a waiver from the NCAA, Key is eligible to play this season and should be an impact player for the Cavaliers. As a freshman at Alabama, Key averaged a team-high 12 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and was named to the SEC’s All-Freshman Team.
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Jack Salt (NZ) - C - Sr.
» Height: 6-10
» Weight: 250
» Position: Center
» Year: Senior
» Hometown: Auckland, New Zealand
» Last season: Salt started all 34 games for the Cavaliers last season, averaging 3.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
» The skinny: Salt’s contributions to the Cavaliers often don’t show up in the box score. The big man is known for setting punishing screens for Virginia’s wing players and playing stout defense and crashing the boards in the post. Salt has steadily improved his offensive game during his time in Tony Bennett’s program but must improve on his free throw percentage (38 percent).
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Francesco Badocchi (ITA) - F - Rs/Fr.
» Height: 6-7
» Weight: 205
» Position: Forward
» Year: Redshirt freshman
» Hometown: Milan, Italy
» Last season: Redshirted during his first season at Virginia.
» The skinny: After helping Bishop Miege High School win two Kansas high school state championships, Badocchi spent last season learning the Cavaliers’ Pack Line defense during a redshirt season. Badocchi is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the program due to medical reasons. He will remain in school during his time away from the program.
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Kody Stattmann (AUS) - G - Fr.
» Height: 6-7
» Weight: 187
» Position: Guard
» Year: Freshman
» Hometown: Bentley Park, Queensland, Australia
» Last season: Played high school basketball at St. Augustine’s College.
» The skinny: The Australia native is a strong shooter and hit his only 3-point attempt in the recent Blue-White Scrimmage. With the Cavaliers’ stacked backcourt, Stattman is a strong candidate to take a redshirt year to improve on his size and strength while learning the Cavaliers’ Pack Line defense.
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Francisco Caffaro (ARG)
» Height: 7-0
» Weight: 233
» Position: Center
» Year: Freshman
» Hometown: El Trebo, Santa Fe, Argentina
» Last season: Participated in the National Basketball Association’s Global Academy in Canberra, Australia.
» The skinny: Caffaro is the latest international player to join the Cavaliers’ roster, joining Jack Salt (New Zealand), Francesco Badocchi (Italy), Mamadi Diakite (Guinea) and Kody Stattman (Australia). The big man has experience playing international basketball. He has represented Argentina on five separate occasions in FIBA tournaments at the national team level.
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Jayden Nixon - local boy
» Height: 6-3
» Weight: 189
» Position: Guard
» Year: Freshman
» Hometown: Charlottesville
» Last season: Played a postgraduate season at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut, where he averaged 17 points, five rebounds and three assists per game.
» The skinny: Nixon, a Charlottesville native and a former St. Anne’s-Belfield standout, returns home to become part of the Cavaliers’ program. Nixon joined the program as a preferred walk-on.
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Austin Katstra - local boy
» Height: 6-6
» Weight: 217
» Position: Forward
» Year: Sophomore
» Hometown: Charlottesville
» Last season: Katstra played in 10 games for the Cavaliers as a freshman, including four ACC contests.
» The skinny: The former Albemarle High School great joined the Virginia basketball program as a walk-on last season. The son of former Virginia basketball player Dirk Katstra. He is one of two local players on the team. Jayden Nixon (STAB) is the other.
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Jay Huff
» Height: 7-1
» Weight: 232
» Position: Forward
» Year: Sophomore
» Hometown: Durham, North Carolina.
» Last season: Huff played in 12 games last season, averaging 3.4 points per game.
» The skinny: The 7-footer had Wahoo fans salivating last season after registering 16 points, five blocks, four rebounds and two assists in his collegiate debut against Austin Peay. After a dazzling debut, Huff did not make much of an impact the rest of the season and rarely saw the floor. Entering his third season in the program, the redshirt sophomore hopes to be a more consistent contributor this season.
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Marco Anthony - TX
» Height: 6-4
» Weight: 212
» Position: Guard
» Year: Sophomore
» Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
» Last season: Anthony played in 13 games for the Cavaliers in 2017-18, shooting 35.7 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from 3-point range.
» The skinny: Anthony did not see much playing time as a freshman, but the Texan showed a glimpse of the impact he could potentially make for UVa when he scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in a conference game against Louisville. Anthony hopes to see more floor time for the Cavaliers during his second season in Charlottesville.
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