Three recent developments have left the Virginia men’s basketball team looking even more unfamiliar several months after Sean Singletary graduated and moved on to the NBA.
Virginia fans received both positive and negative news Aug. 18,. Senior center Tunji Soroye was granted a fifth year of eligibility by the NCAA after experiencing medical hardship last season. Soroye played in only two games last season but proved to be a strong inside presence his previous three years, even leading the team in blocked shots with 37 in 2005-06.
The news of Soroye returning to strengthen the Cavaliers’ post play was perhaps magnified by the announcement that senior forward Lars Mikalauskas will not be returning to the team. Coach Dave Leitao was mostly silent on the issue, just saying Mikalauskas did not meet the standards to play on the Virginia basketball team. Mikalauskas, always the fan favorite, blossomed into his own, averaging 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game during his shortened season.
The Cavaliers will also lose junior forward Will Harris; the program announced Aug. 15 that he will be transferring out of the Virginia program. Harris missed several games last year because of an injury and did not have a year up to par with his more successful freshman campaign. Harris averaged 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game last season but appeared to be a promising freshman in 2006-07, when he averaged 3.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.