First, let me introduce myself: I am a fan and an alum of UVA who is supremely envious of your football program, who misses the days when out football program was respectable, and who has really enjoyed Virginia basketball under Coach Tony Bennett, who I think has been easily our best basketball coach, and my time at the school date back almost to Ralph Sampson.
All that brings me to Key, whom I'm sure many of you know is Sampson's nephew. Whenever someone new comes to UVA basketball, whether that be a recruit or a transfer, I enjoy researching that player, seeking out full-game videos rather than highlights because the latter can make anyone look good.
There's not a lot of fill-game video I could find -- just a couple of games early in Key's freshman year, including against Clemson, and a couple after he returned from a knee injury as a sophomore. That's not a big sample size. That said, I came into those games with no clear impression of your coach, Avery Johnson, other than I liked him as a player in the NBA. I walked away after seeing those videos thinking that Johnson has really struggled as a coach and his shortcomings seemed to stunt Key's potential.
On offense, your team showed very little movement off the ball, which is especially perilous for a team that has some excellent athletes but not shooters. I saw a lot of ineffective high screens that were not executed well - neither the ball handler or the screener seemed to have a clear sense of where to go after the screen. I saw some efforts to work the ball from the wing to players in or just outside the lane. But mostly, I saw a lot of wasted time followed by ISO moves. In saying that, I emphasize the two games I saw were early in the season, so perhaps there was significant improvement.
It seemed to me the way Johnson coached your offense was especially poorly suited for Key, who when given the chance (and there were not that many chances) showed good court vision and passing as well as an ability to touch paint and either shoot or dish. That was more evident he first year when he handled the ball more and less evident after you brought in a future NBA player in Sexton. In high school, Key was dominant because of skills, basketball IQ and athleticism; in college, his athleticism doesn't stand out nearly as much, so he seems best suited for a team that can make use of his skills and basketball IQ.
The defensive assignments and expectations under Johnson also seemed less than clear; it looked like a basic, 2-3 zone, but players didn't seem to know where to rotate as the ball and opponents moves. Your defense was still strong, but that seemed more the product of having good athletes than a cohesive approach, though that too may have improved as the season went on. To my eyes, Key showed the ability to be a versatile defender, especially his first year before the knee injury, but sometimes seemed confused by the rotations.
All my observations are based on very limited viewing, so I am curious what you all think. Was Key stunted by coaching (or not)?
I know Key's transfer was influenced by family -- most of his extended family live in Virginia. But I also believe he may be a much better fit for UVA and Bennett than he was for Johnson and Alabama. At Virginia, he will be surrounded by players who believe in selfless play, who will give up a good shot for a better shot, and he will be surrounded by a lot of very good shooters - Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome and De'Andre Hunter are already established 3-point shooters while Jay Huff, who was mostly stuck on the bench as a freshman, is a 7-footer stretch-4 with a great shooting touch. I also think UVA's packline is well suited to Key: It creates clear responsibilities, values versatility and placed a greater premium on players who are long and play under control (with good balance) rather than on players with quickness.
All that brings me to Key, whom I'm sure many of you know is Sampson's nephew. Whenever someone new comes to UVA basketball, whether that be a recruit or a transfer, I enjoy researching that player, seeking out full-game videos rather than highlights because the latter can make anyone look good.
There's not a lot of fill-game video I could find -- just a couple of games early in Key's freshman year, including against Clemson, and a couple after he returned from a knee injury as a sophomore. That's not a big sample size. That said, I came into those games with no clear impression of your coach, Avery Johnson, other than I liked him as a player in the NBA. I walked away after seeing those videos thinking that Johnson has really struggled as a coach and his shortcomings seemed to stunt Key's potential.
On offense, your team showed very little movement off the ball, which is especially perilous for a team that has some excellent athletes but not shooters. I saw a lot of ineffective high screens that were not executed well - neither the ball handler or the screener seemed to have a clear sense of where to go after the screen. I saw some efforts to work the ball from the wing to players in or just outside the lane. But mostly, I saw a lot of wasted time followed by ISO moves. In saying that, I emphasize the two games I saw were early in the season, so perhaps there was significant improvement.
It seemed to me the way Johnson coached your offense was especially poorly suited for Key, who when given the chance (and there were not that many chances) showed good court vision and passing as well as an ability to touch paint and either shoot or dish. That was more evident he first year when he handled the ball more and less evident after you brought in a future NBA player in Sexton. In high school, Key was dominant because of skills, basketball IQ and athleticism; in college, his athleticism doesn't stand out nearly as much, so he seems best suited for a team that can make use of his skills and basketball IQ.
The defensive assignments and expectations under Johnson also seemed less than clear; it looked like a basic, 2-3 zone, but players didn't seem to know where to rotate as the ball and opponents moves. Your defense was still strong, but that seemed more the product of having good athletes than a cohesive approach, though that too may have improved as the season went on. To my eyes, Key showed the ability to be a versatile defender, especially his first year before the knee injury, but sometimes seemed confused by the rotations.
All my observations are based on very limited viewing, so I am curious what you all think. Was Key stunted by coaching (or not)?
I know Key's transfer was influenced by family -- most of his extended family live in Virginia. But I also believe he may be a much better fit for UVA and Bennett than he was for Johnson and Alabama. At Virginia, he will be surrounded by players who believe in selfless play, who will give up a good shot for a better shot, and he will be surrounded by a lot of very good shooters - Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome and De'Andre Hunter are already established 3-point shooters while Jay Huff, who was mostly stuck on the bench as a freshman, is a 7-footer stretch-4 with a great shooting touch. I also think UVA's packline is well suited to Key: It creates clear responsibilities, values versatility and placed a greater premium on players who are long and play under control (with good balance) rather than on players with quickness.