Virginia and Ryan Odom stay hot in the transfer portal with their third commitment in three days.
The Virginia Cavaliers men’s basketball team is on a roll, securing their third transfer commitment in three days with the addition of Duke Miles from Oklahoma, joining Jacari White from North Dakota State and Sam Lewis from Toledo in the backcourt.
Miles is a graduate transfer entering his sixth year, with just one season of eligibility left. He will be the fourth school he’s attended, having started at Troy, then moved to High Point, and finally Oklahoma. Other programs that showed interest in him include Memphis, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Creighton, Vanderbilt, LSU, among others.
Last season, the 6-foot-2 guard averaged 9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, shooting 51.4% overall and 43% from three-point range on an average of 2.7 attempts per game. He has a career three-point shooting percentage of 35.0%, but enjoyed a breakout shooting season in 2024-25.
Miles is likely to take on the role of starting point guard for UVA next season. Although he served as a secondary or tertiary ball handler at Oklahoma, he has previously excelled as a lead guard, especially at High Point, where he created offensive opportunities for his teammates. He possesses the ability to score from all areas of the court, with the speed and strength to drive past defenders and finish at the rim. Notably for his size, he converted 65.4% of his shots near the basket at Oklahoma.
If Miles can maintain his shooting performance from Oklahoma while playing point guard for UVA, it would be a significant asset. He shot 36.0% from three at High Point while handling point guard duties and taking more attempts (3.7 per game), which is likely a better indication of the role he will assume in Charlottesville. Additionally, he’s an active on-ball defender capable of disrupting opposing ball handlers and creating turnovers, making him a good fit for Ryan Odom’s transition strategies.
With Miles’ arrival, Virginia strengthens its backcourt, joining Chance Mallory, Elijah Gertrude (assuming he remains with the team), Jacari White, and Sam Lewis.
Interestingly, like White and Lewis, Miles has not visited Charlottesville, which hints that the Cavaliers may have offered an appealing deal that he couldn’t turn down.
With the frontcourt currently lacking depth, Tony Odom and his staff are expected to shift their focus toward adding key big men to the roster. While the addition of point guard Miles is a solid move, he isn’t quite the type of game-changer who would significantly elevate Virginia’s ceiling for next season. That puts even more pressure on landing impact players in the frontcourt if the Cavaliers hope to return to the NCAA Tournament.
At the moment, UVA has former VCU high school commit Silas Barksdale and preferred walk-on Carter Lang on the roster. One name to keep an eye on is VCU freshman center Luke Bamgboye, who visited Charlottesville recently and could potentially follow Odom to Virginia.
Beyond that, the Cavaliers are expected to pursue a high-impact power forward along with at least one or two additional big men to support the deeper rotation Odom prefers. Virginia will also likely look to add another guard or two before rounding out the roster.
Leave a Reply