After taking an official visit to Virginia two weekends ago, Oklahoma transfer Jacob Groves gave his commitment to Tony Bennett and Virginia last Tuesday.

The 6-foot-9 forward, who will enter his fifth and final year of eligibility after playing two years at Eastern Washington and two at OU, said the relationship he immediately made with Bennett is what really drove his decision.

“After talking with Coach Bennett and the coaching staff and finally getting to campus, it was just one of those places that I just felt was the perfect fit,” he told CavsCorner. “Talking to Coach Bennett and the plan he had for me and the relationships that I have built with him already, I feel like I have known him for years now and we have only been talking for a month so again just the relationship I have with him and the rest of the coaching staff was really special.

“They also just have such a storied, winning program and that was something that I was looking for in making my decision,” he added.

Groves went on to explain more about the plan Bennett and the staff have for him.

“One thing that Coach Bennett loves about me is my versatility on offense and my ability to stretch the floor and shoot the deep ball,” he explained. “I also have some experience posting up and doing some stuff of that nature so he just really loves a bigger guy in the front court that can really stretch the floor and shoot the ball really well.

“He has had a lot of success with people like me in the past,” Grove said, “so I really believe in his skill development and I really think this last year is going to be my best year so I am really looking forward to it.”

Given where he’s from, Groves has known about Bennett for a while and he’s seen his teams, both at Washington State and also from recent seasons at UVa.

“I have watched a little bit of Virginia over the years and I have watched some old games when he coached at Washington State because I grew up in Spokane which is about a hour away,” Groves said. “His emphasis is on the defensive end with the pack-line defense and that was something that I thought I could be really effective in and Coach Bennett thought that as well.

“The winning tradition they have had there is really something,” he added, “and it seems like they are always in the hunt to win the ACC Championship so all of that winning is something I wanted to be a part of but also make an impact.”

In an interesting twist of fate, Groves will be one of the oldest players on the team next year, so he knows what’s in front of him in terms of the larger group.

“I was able to meet some of the guys when I took my visit but I am so excited to get out there and continue to build those relationships,” he said. “I am hoping to step into a leadership role just because I am a fifth-year guy and have had experience in winning and losing but overall just have a lot of experience in different games. I want to help the young guys along the way and just continue the winning ways of this storied program.”

In addition to looking forward to getting on Grounds, Groves is also excited for Virginia fans to see him in action.

“The Virginia fans are going to see how much fun I have when I am playing,” he said. “I am hoping to make a lot of shots but especially this last year I am just ready to work my butt off. I will rebound hard, I will defend hard, and just leave everything I have out there. I have one year left and it is now or never. I want to help us win as many games as possible next year.”