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College basketball transfer portal: How coveted ex-Virginia big man … – 247Sports
Virginia transfer big man Kadin Shedrick’s stats are not gaudy, but the list of coaches who have contacted him sure is. Dozens of high-major programs have reached out to Shedrick after he totaled 6.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game for Virginia this past season.
But Shedrick’s playing time fluctuated all year. In mid-November, the 6-foot-11, 231-pound center played 32 minutes and scored 17 points in Virginia’s 86-79 win over then-No. 5 Baylor. During the middle of ACC play, Shedrick was buried on the bench. When Ben Vander Plas suffered a season-ending hand injury, Shedrick stepped back into the UVA starting lineup and dominated Furman with 15 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia’s efficiency numbers on both ends of the floor ballooned with Shedrick in the game. Opponents shot 57% at the rim against UVA when Shedrick was on the bench, according to Hoop Explorer. The effectiveness at the rim dipped dramatically to 48.3% when Shedrick was in the game. Shedrick’s 10.5% block rate and 3% steal rate makes for lights-out stuff on the defensive end.
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Shedrick sliced down his list, according to Stockrisers’ Jake Weingarten. Here is how Shedrick would fit with the schools that are in the mix.
Georgetown: Ed Cooley is involved with a ton of really high-level big men. Shedrick might not be as sexy as Hunter Dickinson, but he can impact winning right away. But expecting him to be a lights-out, back-to-the-basket scorer is probably not super realistic. Georgetown would definitely need to pair him with a strong decision-maker in pick-and-rolls.
Xavier: Shedrick’s path to a big role at Xavier is easy to project. If both Jack Nunge and Zach Freemantle depart as expected, Xavier will have lots of minutes to sell. Shedrick would set bone-crushing screens and be a strong rim protector and post-up defender for Sean Miller to utilize. He has a lot of the same traits that Miller coveted in Christian Koloko when he was at Arizona.
Kansas State: Kansas State needs to add more raw strength to its frontcourt, and Shedrick has plenty of it. Shedrick’s nose for the ball on defense would fit right in with Jerome Tang’s love for forcing turnovers and wreaking havoc. Shedrick just gets so many deflections.
Rutgers: Tough to foresee a scenario where Rutgers is a major player for Shedrick if Cliff Omoruyi opts to return to school. But if he stays in the 2023 NBA Draft, Shedrick is a hand-in-glove fit for Rutgers. The defense, the shot-blocking, the havoc defense and the ability to rim run and finish through contact? Yes, please.
Penn State: New Penn State coach Mike Rhoades recently reached out to Shedrick and that makes perfect sense. To survive in the Big Ten, you could use a big man who can bang with the likes of Zach Edey, Julian Reese or Omoruyi. If Rhoades keeps his turnover-forcing defense at Penn State, Shedrick would be a strong addition.
Houston: Kelvin Sampson’s defense is centered around putting opposing offenses in crisis. Shedrick fits right into that. He’s also so versatile with how he guards both ball screens and post-ups. If Sampson wants to keep trapping the post relentlessly, Shedrick’s sticky hands, long arms and competitive streak on defense would be a strong fit.
Vanderbilt: Liam Robbins is out of eligibility and Quentin Millora-Brown entered the transfer portal Wednesday, so Vanderbilt is in dire need for frontcourt help. Shedrick was effective in the pick-and-roll game at Virginia, but Bennett didn’t run a ton of ’em. That would change significantly in Jerry Stackhouse’s ball-screen-heavy offense.
Florida: Colin Castleton was one of the SEC’s most-impactful defenders, and Shedrick is on that same level defensively. Obviously, he wouldn’t carry the same load on the offensive end that Castleton owned, but Shedrick has untapped potential on that end that a smart coach like Todd Golden could unlock.
Missouri: If Missouri coach Dennis Gates wants to shore up the Tigers’ miserable two-point defense, then Shedrick is the target. Missouri ranked 283rd in the country in two-point defense. There’s plenty of playing time available after Mohamed Diarra entered the transfer portal.
Florida State: Shedrick would instantly become FSU’s best all-around frontcourt defender. When Leonard Hamilton-coached teams have been at their best, FSU has had a rim-protector like Shedrick. A Shedrick-Cameron Corhen frontcourt duo would be pretty vicious.
Oklahoma: Porter Moser could have some fun dialing up some defensive wrinkles with Shedrick looming around the rim. Oklahoma really struggled to force turnovers in 2022-23, but if the Sooners want to get back to generating easy buckets in transition, Shedrick’s ability to kickstart the break with deflections, steals and blocks could certainly help. Shedrick could immediately step into the starting lineup to replace Tanner Groves.
Iowa: Iowa has not had a single player with a double-digit block percentage on its roster during the Fran McCaffery era, per KenPom. Shedrick has had a double-digit block percentage in each of the last two seasons. Iowa has playing time to sell at center, and Shedrick would completely change Iowa’s rim defense, but he wasn’t asked to be an offensive hub at Virginia. He’s way more of a play-finisher, but it’s easy to see how a Tony Perkins-Shedrick pick-and-roll combo could have some teeth.
Illinois: If Coleman Hawkins returns, the Illini could sell Shedrick on forming one of the most-intimidating frontlines in the country. Hawkins-Shedrick would be a phenomenal defensive duo, but Dain Dainja’s return could complicate things. Splitting 80 frontcourt minutes between Hawkins, Dainja, Shedrick and prized incoming freshman Amani Hansberry would require some innovation and some sacrifice. That’s easier said than done.
Cincinnati: Cincinnati is clearly trying to add some frontcourt depth alongside emerging sophomore Viktor Lakhin. Shedrick would be a high-level get for Wes Miller and company.
Colorado: Colorado might be out of the mix for Shedrick now that it has landed TCU transfer center Eddie Lampkin Jr.
Kansas: Plenty of pick-and-roll sets are centered around playing 2 on 2. Doing that against a potential Kansas duo of Shedrick and Dajuan Harris would be a losing formula. Shedrick fits the mold of a Bill Self big man who can run the floor like a deer and be a nasty defender. But Shedrick never earned a lot of post-up chances at Virginia, and he is not much of a jump shooter. Sounds an awful lot like K.J. Adams who averaged a career-high 10.6 points per game thanks to Harris’ wizardly decisions in ball screens.
Indiana: Replacing a legend like Trayce Jackson-Davis will not be easy, but adding a defensive menace like Shedrick to a frontcourt that already has Ball State transfer Payton Sparks and emerging soon-to-be-sophomore Malik Reneau could help lessen the sting. Reneau projects to be a bucket-getter on the block, and he got some experience playing in two-big lineups this past season. A world where Shedrick and Reneau play 25ish minutes with Sparks rotating as a multi-positional backup could give Indiana plenty of options in a deep frontcourt picture.
Michigan: Juwan Howard’s willingness to play two bigs at the same time last year despite shooting concerns would be something to watch with Shedrick. On paper, playing bulldozing big man Tarris Reed Jr. and Shedrick together could create a logjam, so to speak. But Shedrick would be a massive defensive upgrade over Hunter Dickinson. With some minute-massaging, it’s not unrealistic to see the vision where Reed and Shedrick both get theirs in Ann Arbor. But it would certainly take some creativity.
Texas: If Texas wants a nasty defensive frontline, adding Shedrick to replace Christian Bishop makes oodles of sense. Shedrick wouldn’t detract from Dylan Disu at all, but the spacing could be a concern if Dillon Mitchell returns, too.
Duke: Dereck Lively II is off to the 2023 NBA Draft, so Duke’s sell for a transfer center is pretty self-explanatory. Shedrick is a brick wall at the rim who can provide elite contests. He’d also be more than fine with a Likely-like role on offense. Catch lobs, hunt offensive rebounds, set good screens and make good decisions? It’s not a bad job to have at all.
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