Virginia will be hosting Merrimack transfer Jordan Minor later on today for an official visit that will go until Friday.

The 6-foot-8 forward will be the first transfer visitor that UVa has hosted this offseason. Minor has one more year of eligibility and is coming off a great year at Merrimack where he was named the Co-Player Of The Year from the NEC conference after averaging 17.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.

The relationships that he has built with Tony Bennett and Orlando Vandross are a big reason why he will be heading to Charlottesville today.

“I have built a really good relationship with Virginia,” Minor told CavsCorner. “I am especially close with Coach Bennett and Coach Vandross. I remember the first time Coach Bennett and I talked, we talked for almost 20 minutes and then at the end was something really cool as we are both really religious and we told each other Christian songs and gospel music, and that is just something that you don’t get from coaches nowadays as it is usually just straight business.

“I really enjoyed that the conversation I had with him was a lot more than basketball,” he added, “and that really got me over the hump about having them at the top of my list and why I wanted to go out and take a visit.”

Minor also said that he has really felt like a important piece of the puzzle for the Wahoos ever since his first conversation with the staff.

“I mean I have really just been talking with Coach Bennett and Coach Vandross and they have been really genuine to me and they have definitely made me feel like a priority so that combination has made me feel comfortable with them and that is why I want to go out and see them,” he explained.

When talking with UVa’s head coach, Minor says he’s enjoyed listening to Bennett explain the way he sees thing for his players.

“Coach Bennett has been talking about the freedom that he has for his guys,” Minor said. “He has expressed how confident he wants his players to be. He has been really talking to me about how he just teaches his players to always do the right thing and that is what every player wants in a coach.”

Getting the chance to catch a couple of Virginia games on TV this past season, he has been studying the Cavaliers since his name went in the portal.

“I was able to watch a couple of their games this year and I have been watching a lot of film on them recently,” he said. “I am familiar with their style of play as they run the pack-line on defense and is something I know we will talk about more when I get there for my visit.”

When Minor arrives on Grounds, another thing he will be discussing with Bennett and his staff is how he would fit in with the Hoos.

“I think defense is the biggest thing that jumps out to me as all of the offensive stuff will come,” he said. “I think defense is something that I have really developed and been good at and if I were to go to Virginia, I think I could get steals and block shots in the Virginia defensive system and be able to guard multiple positions.

“On the offensive side, I think just my effort and my relentlessness is something I will always bring to the table,” Minor added. “I will always be a willing passer and score the ball whenever I need to.”

There are a few other schools he said he thinks he’s also like to see in addition to UVa.

“After Virginia, I am going to Florida Gulf Coast University this upcoming Saturday and leave on Sunday, then I will go to Iowa on the 14th through the 15th and then take a visit to Seton Hall on the 17th through the 18th.”

When asked about a potential decision, he said, “It is kind of up in the air right now. If I go somewhere and completely love it and see myself there, I don’t really think there is a point in going [on other visits] and wasting a school's time. At the same time, I don’t want to let this process take longer than it should be so I kind of just have those visits lined up right now.”