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14 CAVALIER CORNER McKneely played more as a first-year than did Dunn. He appeared in all 33 games and shot a team-high 39.2 percent (51 of 130) from three-point range. In a supporting role, McKneely shined, but he went into this sea- son knowing he'd have to be more productive. "His talent is unique to the team," San- chez said. "He has an ability to make shots. Sometimes we talk about our pillar of servanthood. If he's not doing that for the team, then he's not serving our team. "So he has to understand that his role is to take the parking brake off, take those shots, demand those shots, ask for those shots. That's important for us to have that." The 6-foot-9 Groves is also an accom- plished outside shooter. Unlike McKneely, though, he wasn't a heralded recruit coming out of high school. "His story is a great one," Bennett said. Groves' older brother, Tanner, enrolled at Eastern Washington on a basketball schol- arship in 2017. Two years later, Eastern Washington's coaches invited Jake Groves to join the team as a walk-on. He averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 re- bounds per game as a first-year and, after being awarded a scholarship, 9.3 points and 4.2 rebounds as a second-year. He had a breakout performance in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, scoring 23 points and pulling down 9 rebounds in Eastern Washington's first-round loss to Kansas. After the 2020-21 season, the Groves brothers decided to continue their college careers elsewhere, and they entered the transfer portal. Both landed at Oklahoma and played there in 2021-22 and 2022-23. Jake Groves averaged 4.6 points per game for the Sooners as a junior and 6.8 points per game last season. Because of the CO- VID-19 pandemic, he had another year of eligibility. He entered the transfer portal again and soon heard from UVA's coaching staff. Had forward Isaac Traudt stayed at Virginia, Groves would have ended up else- where. But Traudt's decision to transfer after last season sent the Hoos looking in the portal for a player with a similar skill set. Groves shot 38.1 percent from three-point range in 2022-23, and he'd played AAU ball for coaches Bennett knew well and trusted from his tenure at Washington State. "I just said, 'We've got to get a skilled 4-man with some experience to stretch the floor and shoot it, because we're so inexperienced [at that position],' " Bennett recalled. "We just said, 'Jake's tough and knows how to play, and we have a need.'" The 6-foot-8 Minor, who was the North- east Conference Co-Player of the Year for Merrimack last season, has added depth in the Cavaliers' frontcourt. Rohde, a 6-foot-6 swingman, came out of the preseason as a starter. He was the Summit League Freshman of the Year for St. Thomas in 2022-23, and he's a well- rounded player with excellent size and solid ball-handling skills. The 6-foot-11 Buchanan is still lean at 225 pounds, but his mobility and quickness have helped him thrive in Virginia's Pack Line defense. He totaled 18 points in 7 minutes off the bench in UVA's 73-70 win over Florida, a performance that earned him a starting job. Bond has provided a spark off the bench, and his outgoing personality and high-en- ergy style of play have made him a fan favor- ite at JPJ. In his UVA debut, he contributed 12 points and 9 rebounds in a one-sided win over Tarleton State at JPJ, and he scored 16 points against North Carolina A&T. Against West Virginia, he had 8 points and 7 boards, the last an offensive rebound with eight seconds left that helped the Hoos secure a hard-earned victory. Bond has yet to develop a consistent three-point shot, but his wingspan and jumping make his mid- range jumper difficult to defend. "Leon is deadly there," Dunn said. " You just keep plugging and know what you are now is not going to be what you are at the end of the year, and I think there's a lot of room for growth. HEAD COACH TONY BENNETT Second-year forward Ryan Dunn is off to a hot start this season, leading the Cavaliers in rebounds (7.0 per game) and blocked shots (2.5), and tying for first with Reece Beekman in steals (2.8). (Photo courtesy UVA)