Though senior guard Sean Singletary is the face of the Virginia men's basketball team, a group of players behind him is ready to step into the limelight. After the graduation of Jason Cain and J.R. Reynolds, Virginia coach Dave Leitao will be looking to them to take the burden off Singletary and help lead a team through a tough season schedule.
The leading scorer from the returning group of five sophomores and two juniors is junior forward Mamadi Diane, a player who looks to assert himself as a leader and dynamic scorer this season. Last year Diane averaged 9.6 points per game and seems likely to increase that total given the departure of star guard Reynolds. When asked about stepping into a scoring role, however, Diane declined to take credit and stressed the importance of scoring as a team.
"It's just something we'll have to wait and see," Diane said. "A lot of guys have shown improvement -- all our freshmen from last year have gotten better."
Diane will be helped offensively by another emerging star, sophomore forward Will Harris. Harris earned significant playing time last season by demonstrating his physicality and ability to score in spurts. Although he only averaged 3.6 points per game last season, Harris had several standout performances and will almost certainly improve on his point production in the coming year.
"I feel like I have to produce more," Harris said. "But we have a lot of scorers on our team, and every night someone else is going to have to step up. It's not just going to fall on one person's shoulders."
Two of Harris' classmates, sophomore forwards Jamil Tucker and Solomon Tat, will also look to increase their roles. Last season, Tucker and Tat saw significant action and often swung the balance in Virginia's favor in key situations. Tucker proved his scoring ability last season by stepping in and hitting shots in critical situations. Tat proved to be an excellent defender and used his length and speed to shut down explosive opponents. This year, both players should see expanded roles offensively and defensively.
"I think they all have the ability, and hopefully they've had the experiences that will allow them to do well," Leitao said.
Down low in the post, the Cavaliers return two big and physical players who will help stabilize things defensively. Junior forward Laurynas Mikalauskas and sophomore forward Jerome Meyinsse will attempt to step up and fill the low post scoring and rebounding threat that departed with Cain.
The biggest point of emphasis for the Cavaliers heading into the season, however, is defense. Leitao is known as a defensive expert, and he has made his presence known at Virginia during the last two years. This year Leitao will strive to make Virginia into a defensive powerhouse in the ACC. Last season the Cavaliers surrendered an average of 70.8 points per game. The loss of significant scoring from Reynolds will force the Cavaliers to clamp down defensively to find success with their difficult schedule. The return and development of Diane, Harris, Tucker, Tat, Mikalauskas and Meyinsse should help Virginia improve its defensive capabilities.
"We ran a lot, and we knocked down a lot of threes," Singletary said. "But we always hit home defense and rebounding, and we're definitely going to do that again this year"
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