UVA Basketball: How Jalen Warley’s Departure Affects Virginia’s PG Situation

The hits keep on coming for Virginia men’s basketball. Only seven days out from their first game, the program has lost its fifteen-year anchor in Coach Tony Bennett in and now a presumed starter at point guard in senior Jalen Warley followed by a prized recruit as four-star point guard and Charlottesville native Chance Mallory announced his decommitment from Virginia, the latest of blows suffered within the past two weeks. With Warley gone to the portal, what will Virginia’s point guard room look like? Also, with Mallory no longer in the fold (although he hasn’t ruled out the ‘Hoos as he reopens his recruitment), how dire is Virginia’s future at the point guard position?

Firstly, Warley’s absence won’t be felt as much from a scoring standpoint. The 6’7” senior was slated to take a leap in a system more tailored to his defensive strengths, yet it remained to be seen whether he would grow more confident as a shooter. However, his strength as a passer (2.8 APG in ‘23-24) and as a slasher would have given Virginia some multi-dimensionality outside of its multiple catch-and-shoot options. Don’t get me wrong — he will be sorely missed as an elite wing defender and a veteran within a much younger group, as guard Taine Murray is now the lone senior on the roster. A circulating theory has some legs considering Warley’s change of heart and interim head coach Ron Sanchez’s comments in a press conference two days ago.

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“I think it’s going to be by committee,” said Sanchez in response to a question about the point guard minutes would shake out. “Warley is more of a long defender, taller. Dai [Dai Ames] has more dynamic, how kind of boogie to his game, so we have to allow him to be him.”

Well, Warley transferred shortly after, and neither freshman Christian Bliss nor junior Andrew Rohde are mentioned.

It’s entirely possible that Sanchez leaned towards Ames, while Bennett preferred Warley. Of course, Bennett’s departure is also enough evidence for a transfer decision within this 30-day period. Perhaps unsure of his position in the pecking order, Warley will now search out an option in which he can learn a new system for a year before playing in ‘25-26, a process akin to old transfer rules. Ames will likely receive the keys to the offense albeit showcasing a bit of rawness in the Blue/White Scrimmage.

Ames has plenty of potential, but perhaps Bennett thought it wise to give Warley the edge as a veteran in the ACC and a tried-and-true defender who would know his role offensively. The Kansas State transfer did play second fiddle last season alongside a ball-heavy guard in Tylor Perry (15.5 PPG), yet he nonetheless started 16 games in America’s best conference and averaged 2.0 APG in 20.1 minutes per game. His role, moreover, will be elevated with Warley’s absence. There’s some playmaking ability and craftiness from Ames that we haven’t quite seen from a Virginia point guard since Ty Jerome. Now, there’s a long way to go before he looks the part of one of Virginia’s big three, but it’s nice to have a player with some offensive “boogie.”

It remains to be seen whether Sanchez and the staff think as highly of the returning Rohde as Bennett did for much of ‘23-24. The former starter logged some minutes at point guard the season prior, yet he didn’t look comfortable in a high-major conference and couldn’t shoot nearly as well as his St. Thomas (MN) numbers suggested. Warley’s departure could spell a major boost in minutes for Rohde depending on Ames’ performance. He’s also a 6’6” guard who can slot in as a wing and could very well eat into some of sophomore TJ Power’s playing time. A second-year leap from the taller Rohde would help compensate for Warley’s absence.

The third presumed point guard option — freshman Christian Bliss — didn’t seem to be primed for serious work in his first year following a redshirt, but the staff might not have a choice but to give him some run. Bliss made an appearance in the three-point contest of the Blue/White Scrimmage and can play as a combo guard due his height (6’4”), but there hasn’t been nearly enough buzz around him as compared to Warley, Ames, and even Rohde. I think that the former’s departure is more significant for Rohde than it is Bliss, as the ‘Hoos will desperately require some veterans who happen to have played minutes in the system prior. Or, if Sanchez goes elsewhere with his approach, we see more of the newcomers like Ames leading the way.

I believe Ames will begin the season as the starting point guard, with Rohde spelling him as the first off of the bench. Losing Warley also indicates that Virginia may lean heavily on the 6’9” Power — normally a stretch four — as a taller wing player to retain the ‘Hoos size advantage.

With the recent news surrounding Warley’s departure and Mallory’s de-commitment, the point guard position looks to be in the hands of Ames and Bliss for the foreseeable future. This season, albeit already in doubt due to these chain of events, could yield some promise in terms of revealing Virginia’s next point guard. However, Mallory could, in fact, re-commit and feasibly take up the torch passed by Beekman and a committee backcourt this season, and it’s not out of the question for Virginia to secure a late commitment from a player in the class of 2025.