What happened to Virginia basketball transfer portal exits?

The last team to be coached by Tony Bennett – at least up until the season’s dawn.

The 2024-25 Virginia Cavaliers were a mix of returners and transfers, projected to contend among the ACC’s highest echelon.

But then Bennett retired before the season, Ron Sanchez coached in the interim and the Cavaliers failed to reach the NCAA Tournament. Coach Ryan Odom then took over, steered Virginia back to a 30-win season and the rest is history.

As for the 2024-25 team, most of them transferred elsewhere – to mixed results. Here is how each of them performed since leaving Virginia:

Averages: 8.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.9 blocks in 24.5 minutes per game

Buchanan was a highly productive player for Iowa State in 2025-26. He started 36 of the Cyclones’ 36 games, netting 63.6 percent of his field goal attempts – the fourth-best mark in a season in program history.

At Iowa State, Buchanan took major strides in his development – especially as a passer. He became the fifth player at 6-foot-10 or taller in NCAA history to tally at least eight assists in an NCAA Tournament game. Buchanan also scored in double figures 15 times. He is back with the Cyclones for the 2026-27 season.

Elijah Saunders – Maryland

Averages: 9.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.4 steals in 30.6 minutes per game

Saunders started 32 of his 33 games with the Terrapins, leading the team with a 41.1 three-point percentage. Unfortunately for Maryland, the team took a major step back – going from second-best to second-worst in the Big Ten standings. Saunders has since exhausted eligibility.

Andrew Rohde – Wisconsin

Averages: 5.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals in 26.2 minutes per game

Rohde started all 33 games he played in at Wisconsin. However, he took a scoring backseat on a Badgers team led by one of the best backcourts in the country – Nick Boyd and John Blackwell combined to average nearly 40 points per game.

Instead, Rohde was more of a glue player and defensive presence. He played the fourth-most minutes of any Wisconsin player – although his mark of 31 percent from long distance ranked second-worst among all Badgers with at least 30 games played.

Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde (7) tries to keep the ball during the first half of their semifinal game against Michigan in the Big Ten tournament Saturday, March 14, 2026 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jacob Cofie – Southern California

Averages: 9.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 blocks in 30.4 minutes per game

Cofie started in all 32 games for the Trojans, leading the team in both rebounds and blocks. He scored in double digits 16 times. Cofie’s average of 1.8 blocks ranked No. 41 nationally. The big man is expected to start for USC again in the 2026-27 campaign, with the potential to emerge as a contender for All-Big Ten consideration.

The Trojans improved slightly last year, advancing from fifth-worst to sixth-worst in the conference standings. Cofie’s presence down low and ability to shoot have helped USC’s journey out of the Big Ten doldrums.

Averages: 10.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.5 steals in 28.9 minutes per game

In his lone season in Cardinals red, McKeely started all 35 games for Louisville. He did what he did at Virginia – score. McKneely scored in double figures 20 times in 2025-26, including a season-high 23 points against Jan. 13 against the Cavaliers. Virginia won that game at No. 20 Louisville, by a score of 79-70.

McKneely is the last Cardinal to ever wear No. 10, as the jersey has since been retired for the late Junior Bridgeman. After his encore with Louisville, McKneely signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Atlanta Hawks post-draft.

Christian Bliss – Delaware

Averages: 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds. 5.9 assists and 1.8 steals in 39.8 minutes per game. CONFERENCE USA FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR, SECOND TEAM ALL-CUSA

Bliss redshirted his first season at Virginia, and did not play in 2024-25. Last season, he spent his third season of college basketball as a redshirt freshman. Bliss won conference freshman of the year honors. He dominated mid-major competition, leading Conference USA in steals and became the conference’s only freshman to ever average 15-5-5.

Bliss led the entire NCAA in minutes played, recording at least 40 minutes in 21 games. He is now with Stanford and will face Virginia this upcoming season.

Delaware Hens guard Christian Bliss (00) shoots over Middle Tennessee guard Jahvin Carter (2) Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. — Delaware Hens guard Christian Bliss (00) shoots over Middle Tennessee guard Jahvin Carter (2) Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at The Bob Carpenter Sports Convocation Center in Newark, Delaware. | Saquan Stimpson/Special Delaware News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dai Dai Ames – Cal

Averages: 16.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.7 steals in 31.9 minutes per game. THIRD TEAM ALL-ACC

Ames starred for California – leading the team in points and minutes played. He was the only Golden Bear to start all 34 games last season. Ames displayed incredible scoring prowess, most notably through an outing of 31 points March 7 at Wake Forest.

He transferred to Tennessee this offseason, where he will play his final college season in 2026-27. He could be a key player for Coach Rick Barnes after the Volunteers lost several crucial players to the NBA or transfer portal.

Ishan Sharma – Saint Louis

Averages: 9.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.7 steals in 22.2 minutes per game

Sharma was a key bench piece for the Billikens last season – a team that won a program record of 29 games and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He excelled as a three-point sharpshooter, tying the program record with nine threes in a single game. Sharma hit on 42 percent of his attempts from long distance.

The Canadian could be in line for more playing time in his upcoming junior season at Saint Louis. He has the potential to be one of the top scorers in the Atlantic 10.

TJ Power – Penn

Averages: 16.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 35 minutes per game. FIRST TEAM ALL-IVY

Given his status as a high school five-star and former Duke talent, TJ Power was a major disappointment at Virginia. However, he excelled at Penn this past season. Power was named Most Outstanding Player at the 2026 Ivy League Tournament. He tallied 44 points in the Ivy League Championship Game to beat top-seeded Yale.

Power led his conference with a 47.7 three-point percentage – and he returns for one more season in 2026-27. He has emerged as one of the top small-conference players.

Anthony Robinson – Xavier

Averages: 2.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 0.5 blocks in 10.1 minutes per game.

Robinson played the fewest minutes (excluding walk-on players) on a Xavier team that tied for last place in the Big East. The Musketeers went 1-10 on the road and finished with the second worst rebounding margin in the conference. At 6-foot-10, Robinson was expected to contribute on that end.

This offseason, Robinson left a Power conference to play at Pepperdine – led by Griff Aldrich, Virginia’s former associate head coach.

As for the Cavaliers…

Virginia reloaded with a roster that was essentially brand new last season. The one holdover was Elijah Gertrude – still with the team – the only roster remnant of Bennett. Virginia now prepares for the 2026-27 campaign, with an abundance of momentum.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginia as What happened to Virginia basketball transfer portal exits?.

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