Tony Davis/Virginia Athletics
Former Virginia Center Kadin Shedrick Announces Transfer Decision
Former Virginia center Kadin Shedrick has come to a decision on where he will play basketball next season. And aside from the slim possibility that he could return to the Cavaliers, it's one of the best possible options from the perspective of UVA fans.
Kadin Shedrick announced his commitment to Texas on Sunday night, becoming the first transfer to commit to Rodney Terry, who was recently promoted to full-time head coach after leading the Longhorns to the Big 12 Tournament Championship and an appearance in the Elite Eight in an interim role this season.
That Shedrick is transferring to Texas should come as somewhat of a relief for Virginia fans, as the rumors over the last few weeks suggested that Duke was the frontrunner to land a commitment from the Holly Springs, North Carolina native. Instead, Shedrick chose the Longhorns over Duke, Missouri, Kansas State, and Xavier. Unless UVA faces Texas in postseason play, it is unlikely that the Cavaliers will play against Shedrick next season.
In an interview with On3's Joe Tipton, Shedrick seemed to take a slight dig at Tony Bennett and the UVA coaching staff, saying, "I chose Texas because I trust the vision that Coach Terry has for me. I’m looking forward to play in a free offense while still playing defense at a high level. I feel like I can show more of what I can do on both ends of the floor at Texas.”
Shedrick began each of the last two seasons as UVA's unquestioned starting center, but foul trouble always plagued him throughout his career and resulted in his minutes being restricted significantly. While there was inconsistent play on both ends of the floor, there were likely other issues occurring behind closed doors within Virginia's program that led to a drastic decline in Shedrick's playing time. Any details about those problems would be pure speculation at this point, but there did seem to be a major disconnect between Shedrick and the UVA coaching staff. Shedrick didn't appear in either of Virginia's last two regular season games before playing a major role in the team's run in the ACC Tournament and first round loss in the NCAA Tournament following an injury to Ben Vander Plas.
It's undeniable that Shedrick needed a fresh start at a new school and Rodney Terry and the Texas Longhorns are certainly hopeful that they can maximize Shedrick's potential next season. Meanwhile, Virginia fans can breathe a sigh of relief that they don't have to see another former Cavalier transfer to an ACC rival, least of all Duke.
All three of UVA's outbound transfers have now found their new homes: Isaac Traudt transferred to Creighton, Francisco Caffaro is headed to Santa Clara, and Kadin Shedrick is Texas bound.
Keep track of all of Virginia's movement in the transfer portal here: Virginia Basketball Transfer Portal Updates
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