With Ryan Dunn’s selection in the first round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday night, Tony Bennett and the Virginia Cavaliers have now produced 10 NBA Draft picks since the legendary head coach took the reins in 2009. Dunn is also the fifth first round pick in the Bennett era.
Dunn (the No. 28 overall pick) joins De’Andre Hunter (No. 4), Trey Murphy (No. 17), Justin Anderson (No. 21), Ty Jerome (No. 24), Joe Harris (No. 33), Malcolm Brogdon (No. 36), Mike Scott (No. 43), Devon Hall (No. 53), and Kyle Guy (No. 55) as Bennett-era ‘Hoos who’ve been drafted.
He’s also the 12th Virginia player all-time to go in the first round joining Barry Parkhill (1973), Wally Walker (1976), Jeff Lamp (1981), Ralph Sampson (1983), Olden Polynice (1987), Bryant Stith (1992), Cory Alexander (1995), Anderson (2015), Hunter (2019), Jerome (2019), and Murphy (2021).
While it’s a shame that UVA only got two years out of Dunn, it’s awesome to see such a quality player and person rewarded. And – while it will hurt the team in the short term – Dunn maintaining the Virginia-to-NBA pipeline matters for the future of the program.
The Wahoo staff has proved that it can take players with elite traits and make them NBA ready in just a couple seasons. Anderson (three years), Hunter (three years), Murphy (one year), Jerome (three years), and Dunn (two years) all left early and became first round picks.
For a program that often gets knocked for its redshirting tendencies and Bennett’s typical predisposition for playing veterans, continuing to churn out NBA draft picks is important on the recruiting trail. And, beyond that, it’s really cool to keep seeing Cavaliers playing at the next level.