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8 CAVALIER CORNER cavalier sports After playing two seasons each at Eastern Washington and Okla- homa, graduate transfer Jake Groves knew immediately where he wanted to play his last collegiate season. "I felt at home when visiting UVA right away," Groves said. "I think part of it was just the winning culture, the winning tradition that they have here. Having an opportunity to play for this coaching staff and for a school that obviously wins a lot was a big draw for me. "And so that's something that I really wanted to prioritize, espe- cially coming into my last year of college hoops." The Spokane, Wash., native grew up in a basketball family. His mom, Tara, starred at Whitworth University in Spokane. His grandfa- ther, Jim Groves, played and coached at Shadle Park High School in Spokane. Jake's brother, Tanner, was his high school teammate at Shadle Park and collegiate teammate at Eastern Washington and Oklahoma. His father, Randy, also played in college. Tanner currently plays professionally in Poland. "It was just something that was in my family," Jake Groves said. "Both my parents, my brother, just really all my family has been huge into basketball for forever. Both my parents played, and so it was just one of those things that I grew up doing." Groves, who stood only 6-foot-1 when entering high school, also excelled in baseball and football growing up in Spokane. He gave up football after his sophomore year to focus solely on basketball. Groves hit his stride and growth spurt in basketball during his senior year, averaging 17.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. He would follow Tanner, who was on scholarship, as a walk-on at Eastern Washington. "Tanner was a 'hoopaholic,'" Groves said. "That's something that I've learned from him. Just being the little brother, I'm not going to sit there and let him go to the gym and get better without me." Jake would earn a scholarship his sophomore season in 2020-21, and his season was highlighted by a 23-point, 9-rebound perfor- mance in Eastern Washington's first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Kansas. The Groves brothers played two seasons together at Oklahoma. Jake averaged 6.8 points and 2.5 rebounds for the Sooners in 2022-23. He shot 43.8 percent from the field, including 38.1 per- cent from three-point range. He reached double figures in scoring in nine contests, including a career-high 26 points on 10-of-13 shoot- ing against Central Arkansas and 17 points in the Big 12 opener against then-No. 6 Texas. "Jake's fit as a skilled forward with the ability to pass, catch, dribble and shoot makes him an excellent fit for the offensive style of play here at Virginia," associate head coach Ron Sanchez said. "Jake's ability to stretch the floor, shoot the three, has been a staple of Tony Bennett's offensive's teams. His improvement areas are re- bounding and guarding on the perimeter. His high IQ for the game and understanding of spacing will give him an opportunity to be suc- cessful as a defensive player within our defensive system." Groves, who earned his bachelor's degree in business administra- tion from Oklahoma, enjoys hanging out with friends, golfing and fishing away from the court. The 6-foot-9 sharpshooter has made 81 career three-pointers, shooting 34.6 percent for his career from three-point range. Groves sought a more expanded role for his final collegiate stop at Virginia. He also seeks a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. "I hope to get an ACC championship ring and make a good run in March Madness," Groves said. "Win a lot of games. And then school- wise, I'll graduate hopefully with my master's in educational psychol- ogy. I think that degree is incredibly valuable for one day when I want to go get a job." Groves added that the best part of his short time on Grounds has been getting to know all of his teammates and coaches as well as meeting some of the awesome fans. Groves is a tough kid who makes shots and does whatever it takes for his team to win. Individually, Groves would like to join former Cavalier and current New Orleans Pelican Trey Murphy III as a member of 50-40-90 club, which is shooting 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three- point range and 90 percent from the free throw line in the same season. "I never thought that basketball would take me here and onto a stage like this," Groves said. "I've really found a new love for the game in the past couple years." — Erich Bacher Groves averaged 6.8 points and 2.5 rebounds for Oklahoma in 2022-23. He shot 43.8 percent from the field, including 38.1 percent from three-point range. (Photo courtesy UVA) getting to know Men's Basketball Graduate Student Jake Groves