Sportswriter Doug Doughty writes regularly for Cardinal News. Want to keep up? Sign up for our free daily email newsletter.
Headed to Virginia Tech off the transfer portal is Robbie Beran, a 6-foot-9 post player from Northwestern who graduated from Collegiate School in Richmond.
Beran averaged a career-high 7.5 points this past season, while playing 25.8 minutes per game. He also had been linked with Virginia and Miami.
UVa has added a men’s basketball commitment, its third off the transfer portal, this one from Jacob Groves, a 6-9, 215-pounder who averaged 6.8 points at Oklahoma this past season. He began his career at Eastern Washington.
One of Groves’ teammates at Oklahoma was Joe Basimile, who began his career at Virginia Tech before transferring to George Washington. Groves played in 32 games, with 22 starts, for Oklahoma this past season. Basimile played in 21 games.
Radford picks up a transfer
Josiah Harris, a 6-8 forward from Wilmington, Del., has transferred to Radford after averaging 9.2 points and 8.8 rebounds last season for St. Francis of Brooklyn. N.Y., which finished 14-16.
Harris also blocked 39 shots.
Virginia’s Shedrick heads to Texas
Former Virginia center Kadin Shedrick announced Sunday that he would suit up for Texas after also considering Xavier. Shadrack, once linked with Duke before ACC Rookie of the Year, Kyle Fililpowski, announced he was coming back for his sophomore season, started 15 of 30 games for the Cavaliers, averaging 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds.
“I’m looking forward to playing in a free offense while still playing defense at a high level,” Shedrick was quoted by national recruiting expert Joe Tipton. “I feel like I can show more of what I can do on both ends of the floor at Texas.”
Two Tech back-up quarterbacks enter portal
Two of Virginia Tech’s back-up quarterbacks, Tahj Bullock and Devin Farrell, have entered the transfer portal. Grant Wells is returning as the Hokies’ starting QB, with Baylor transfer Kyron Drones and freshman “Pop” Watson behind him.
ACC women hoopsters enter portal, too
ACC defensive player of the year and first-team all-conference selection Celeste Taylor of Duke is transferring to Ohio State.
N.C. State’s Diamond Johnson is back in the portal after beginning her career at Rutgers. Two of her Wolfpack teammates have plans to go elsewhere, one of them to Maryland.
UVa quarterback throwing strikes for baseball team
Jay Woolfolk, a candidate to start at QB for UVa’s football team, has a 2.49 earned-run average, a 2-0 record and 24 strikeouts in 21 and 2/3 innings for the Cavaliers’ baseball team.
Woolfolk started for the UVa football team when an injury prevented Brennan Armstrong from facing Notre Dame in 2021, when he was the first Cavaliers’ freshman to start at QB since 1977.
Longtime lacrosse coach retires
Dom Starsia, who won four NCAA men’s lacrosse championships as the head coach at Virginia, has retired after a stint as the head coach at the Blue Ridge School outside Charlottesville. Much earlier, he was the Division I men’s lacrosse coach of the year three times while at Virginia and at Brown.
VMI’s Strake slugging .406
Jason Strake, a junior third baseman and catcher on the VMI baseball team, has a team-high .406 batting average for the Keydets, with 10 home runs and 47 RBI in 41 games. He is a redshirt junior from Prince George.