Virginia Hosting San Diego State Transfer Forward Elijah Saunders

Elijah Saunders reacts after hitting a three during the San Diego State men's basketball game against UNLV at Viejas Arena.
Elijah Saunders reacts after hitting a three during the San Diego State men's basketball game against UNLV at Viejas Arena. / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Fresh off of landing their first transfer commitment of the offseason, Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers are looking to keep the momentum going as they host another transfer portal target on Grounds. San Diego State transfer forward Elijah Saunders arrived at Virginia on Sunday for an official visit.

Saunders visited Washington on Friday and Saturday and is scheduled to take a visit to Clemson on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A 6'8", 225-pound forward from Phoenix, Arizona, Saunders was a late entrant into the transfer portal last week. He played in 53 games over the last two seasons at San Diego State, including 21 starts. This season, Saunders started 21 of 37 games and averaged 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in a little over 20 minutes per contest. He shot 32.2% from beyond the arc on 3.3 three-point attempts per game. His best game came in a win over Washington as he tallied 16 points and went 3/3 from beyond the arc. He also had eight points and a couple of threes in San Diego State's win over Yale in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

With the addition of Florida State transfer guard Jalen Warley, who announced his commitment to Virginia on Saturday, the Cavaliers added depth and experience to their backcourt and gave themselves another ball-handler and playmaker on offense and a versatile defender who can guard multiple positions. Now, UVA looks to find its replacement for Ryan Dunn at power forward and is making that case to Elijah Saunders to fill that role over the next two days.

Saunders is in the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining. Virginia currently has three scholarship spots remaining for the 2024-2025 season.

More Virginia Men's Basketball News and Content

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Virginia Basketball Lands First Transfer Commitment From FSU Guard Jalen Warley
Still Empty-Handed, Where Does Virginia Go Next in the Transfer Portal?
Virginia's Updated Scholarship Picture With Dante Harris Transferring Out
Virginia to Host Four-Star Point Guard Trent Perry for Official Visit


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Matt Newton

MATT NEWTON

Managing Editor and Publisher, CavaliersNow Email: mattnewton@virginia.eduTwitter: @mattynewtssWebsite | LinkedIn | Instagram Matt Newton is the managing editor and publisher at CavaliersNow. He has been covering UVA athletics since 2019 and has been the managing editor at CavaliersNow since launching the site in August 2021. Matt covers all things UVA sports, including Virginia basketball and football news and recruiting, former Wahoos in the pros, and coverage of all 23 of the NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. A native of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Matt grew up a huge Philadelphia sports fan, but has also been a UVA sports fanatic his entire life thanks to his parents, who are alums of the University of Virginia. Matt followed in his parents' footsteps and attended UVA from 2017-2021, graduating with a degree in Media Studies and a minor in Economics in May of 2021.