Busting Brackets
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Virginia Basketball: Setting 2019 offseason priorities for the Cavaliers

By Lukas Harkins

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers cuts down the net after his teams 85-77 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers cuts down the net after his teams 85-77 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 08: Hauser Bros of Marquette celebrate. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 08: Hauser Bros of Marquette celebrate. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Determine the scholarship plan.

For the sake of analyzing this area of Virginia’s future, I am going to look at the situation both without and with Diakite in the fold. This will give a better overview of where scholarships stand and how they may be distributed over the next months. For the time being, it is impossible to know if he is planning on staying in the draft and that makes diving into the scholarship situation a bit murky.

If Diakite elects to remain in the NBA Draft, this has two main effects. For starters, the team’s floor for next season drops significantly as they lose an experienced and talented frontcourt piece. This would obviously hurt but there is a redeeming factor. This comes in the form of increased flexibility for the coaching staff moving forward. With three scholarships available, they could target another 2019 recruit while also seeking out proven sit-out options.

Starting with these sit-out options, it is clear that Hauser Brothers should be at the top of the priority list. Joey (at least two years left) and Sam (one year left) both put together extremely effective seasons at Marquette during this past year and are among the top transfers in the nation this offseason. They are expected to commit to Wisconsin, Virginia, or Michigan State as a package deal. If the Hausers were to join the Cavaliers, the ceiling for 2020-21 would skyrocket to way-way-way-way-way-way-too-early preseason No. 1 in the nation.

https://twitter.com/CPolenta/status/1126155222991155202

The Hausers are the main reason why flexibility is a big deal. With three open scholarships, the Cavaliers could land the brothers and still attempt to lure an immediately-eligible player to help right away at a major position of need for the next four years (incoming freshman). With Jay Huff and Shedrick already on the roster for this coming season, Diakite’s presence is not as necessary as potentially adding another wing.

If Diakite was to stay with the program, the team instantly rises up the early rankings a bit compared to where they are now. With that said, though, their level of flexibility drops as the coaching staff would have to choose between present and future because they could still use another wing or playmaker for next season. With only two available scholarships, they could focus on building another championship-caliber roster by targeting two more immediately-eligible players at positions of need.

They could also, though, land the Hausers and roll out the roster they currently have even with a couple of holes in the rotation. This would hurt their ceiling for the coming campaign but would springboard the potential of 2020-21. This would certainly be a difficult decision for the program to make if Diakite decides to return.

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