The Commitment: Amid a run of transfer commits for the Wahoos, Elijah Saunders committed to Virginia last Monday. He was UVa’s second pledge in a span of a few hours after Duke forward TJ Power committed earlier in the evening.
Saunders comes to UVa after two years at San Diego State and chose the Cavaliers over Washington and Clemson with many other schools showing interest. One of three scholarship transfer additions for the Hoos and one of two projected to play in the frontcourt, the Arizona native was a three-star prospect in the 2022 class and chose the Aztecs over several power-conference offers, including Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Miami. Saunders comes to Virginia with two years of eligibility remaining.
What it means for UVa: Along with Power, Saunders fill one of UVa’s two biggest needs in the offseason: the power forward spot. With Ryan Dunn going pro and Leon Bond having transferred out, UVa was left with no returning options who could conceivably play the 4 and incoming freshman Jacob Cofie potentially asked to take on a much-larger role than UVa’s staff had planned for him. But with Saunders, Tony Bennett and Co. add an experienced player who has the potential to either start at the 4 or play significant minutes off the bench, as he did for the Aztecs in 2023-24.
Saunders also brings a lot of upside to UVa. He took a major leap in playing time and production from his freshman to sophomore seasons at SDSU and has been part of two runs to the Sweet 16 and a Final Four as a freshman. He also brings a ruggedness and athleticism combo that this roster desperately needs, as the staff looks to strengthen the offense while replacing the two best defensive players who were also UVa’s two best athletes in the regular rotation. Saunders can’t make up for all of that by himself but his addition is a step in the right direction.
What he brings: While there is overlap with Power in terms of their skillset and the position they project to play, Saunders does have some unique skills to add to the mix. The former Aztec has more collegiate experience and has played more around the rim. His sophomore year showed that he can play high-level college basketball in a borderline-starter role and that he has the skill to help on the offensive end and athleticism to be a plus-defender.
Power is going to be more of an offensive weapon while Saunders could end up playing a lot if he can pick up the pack-line. Saunders is a solid athlete with good size at 6-foot-8, 225 pounds and should be able to defend positions 3 through 5 in UVa’s defense. Saunders could end up playing at the 5 in a smaller lineup but there’s certainly plenty of flexibility, too.
And while Saunders could end up being a quality defender at Virginia, he has an offensive game, too. As a sophomore, he averaged 6.2 points per game, and hit double digits a few times, including a career-high 16-point effort against Washington. Saunders got a lot of opportunities for 3s in SDSU’s offense and took 3.3 per game, making 32.2 percent of them. If he can improve that number or at least keep it there, it will be difficult for defenses not to take Saunders seriously as a stretch-4 that can knock down shots when left open.
The Projection: Saunders isn’t as much of a projection as Power because he’s played a lot more college basketball. But UVa still needs Saunders to be better in Charlottesville than he was at San Diego State if this is going to work out. Saunders ended up relegated to the bench as his sophomore season wore on, and while he did play plenty, he didn’t really break out on the offensive end. Bennett needs to hope that UVa is getting Saunders on the way up and he has untapped potential that he’ll realize on Grounds.
Saunders went from barely playing as a freshman to being a key contributor as a sophomore. If he can take a similar leap into his junior year, then UVa might have something.
At a minimum, it seems like Saunders can help UVa and will play quite a bit, and potentially end up as a defense-first option with some offensive upside.
All-in-all, UVa needed someone with Saunders’ skillset, experience, and potential, so this addition makes a great deal of sense for the Hoos.
