“Finally.”
Whether they read the news at 2:32 a.m. late Saturday night/early Sunday morning or when they woke up at a more reasonable time later on, that’s what more than a few UVa fans probably thought when four-star New Zealand shooting guard Taine Murray announced his commitment to the Cavaliers.
That’s not because Murray had delayed the inevitable or anything. His time on Virginia’s board, relative to other targets, was reasonably short.
No, the exhale was more about UVa having picked up its first 2021 commitment in September, which is somewhat odd for most teams but especially for a program that typically does most of its heavy lifting early.
Murray, a 6-foot-5 wing whose game has drawn plenty of comparisons to Joe Harris, gives UVa a much-needed piece both on the court and on the “big board.” He chose Virginia over Stanford and Maryland, though others were certainly involved. In the end, the Wahoos had to get by the Cardinal in order to secure the commitment, a development that’s largely closed in the past week or two sources say.
Murray is a guy who can clearly play the game at a high level, as evidenced by the 17.5 points he scored a game for the Auckland Huskies in the NZNBL. A 44-percent shooter from deep in that professional league, he’ll not only bring a developing skillset but also a mature mindset with him when he enrolls next year.
The commitment gives Virginia a guard with length who can knock down the outside shot and judging from the roster and the pieces in place, it’s fair to look ahead at what Murray means for the rest of 2021.
The Hoos had three scholarships to use and as associated head coach Jason Williford told us back in the spring, the focus was always to go after a big guard, an athletic big, and then the best available. One piece is in now in place, meaning 2021 comes into better focus.
Look at the roster as it would currently look when Murray and the 2021 recruits arrive on Grounds:
A few things with noting:
First, it’s entirely possible that Murphy, the highly-touted transfer from Rice, may not exhaust his eligibility. His pro potential is off the chart. The same could be said for Abdur-Rahim, though it seems likely that he’d play at least two years in Charlottesville. So, in essence, this roster is still very much just a projection.
Second, it’s clear to see how full things are. Which makes one wonder about five-star guard Trevor Keels. Sources have said for some time that UVa wanted both Keels and Murray and that will not change. Their pursuit will not shift and the tea leaves seem to indicate that Keels won’t be impacted much by Murray’s decision.
Third, if you thought that four-star forward Trey Kaufman was the biggest "big" on the board then Murray's decision makes that even more true. That spot was likely the biggest, clearest need that UVa had going into the cycle and that's even more clear now. Keels will get a lot of the attention and rightly so but in terms of Virginia's 2021, getting a kid like Kaufman might be even more important.
Lastly, this commitment also allows Bennett and Co. to have a better feel for what their needs will be in 2022, a class where offers have been hard to come by. That’s as much a function of the lack of travel ball as anything but it’s also a function of not knowing what the 2021 class would look like. With Murray in the fold, how the Cavaliers use the two scholarships they would project to have—if they did indeed land a guard and a big in 2021—will be impacted by Murray’s presence in the fold. Bennett, like a lot of coaches, likes to have one piece in place before he starts to really put the pedal to the floor. Now that the Kiwi is in, it’s fair to think UVa will not only build around him in 2021—as in, identity skillsets that fit—as well as in 2022, a class where the staff is likely to have the least amount of live evaluations of any in program history.
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