Dunn, a 6-foot-8 forward, is not yet a prolific scorer. He’s averaging a modest 3.0 points per game, but that belies his ever-increasing value to the team. In 15-plus minutes off the bench against BC, Dunn hit all three of shots from the floor, grabbed four rebounds, made two steals, blocked a shot, and had an assist.
“His ability on defense to just be a nightmare is something we need,” Gardner said, “and it’s scary to see what he’s going to be down the line.”
𝐇𝐨𝐨𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐧
𝐇𝐨𝐨𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐧
𝐇𝐨𝐨𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐧🔶⚔️🔷#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/jqLNKLY4i4
— Virginia Men’s Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) January 28, 2023
Dunn, who’s from Long Island, N.Y., is the younger brother of Justin Dunn, a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds. The elder Dunn starred at Boston College, and that was motivation for his kid brother.
“One hundred percent,” Ryan Dunn said, smiling.
Dunn’s first dunk whipped the crowd of 14,629 into a frenzy. His second slam threatened to bring the building down. After a BC miss, Beekman dribbled up the left side of the court in transition.
“I just kind of looked at him,” said Dunn, who was across the court from Beekman. “He saw me, and I kind of threw him [a hand gesture] up.”
A moment after he crossed midcourt, Beekman threw a pass toward the basket. Seemingly from out of nowhere, Dunn arrived, grabbed the ball in midair and slammed it home to make it 26-21.
“I try to bring energy as much as I can,” Dunn said, and playing “with that type of intensity and passion is kind of a big thing for me.”
Like players such as Akil Mitchell, Justin Anderson, Darion Atkins, Mamadi Diakite and Braxton Key before him at UVA, Dunn is showing the ability to “make a play out of nowhere,” Bennett said, “whether it’s [grabbing] an offensive rebound, defensively a blocked shot, or coming back and snagging a rebound.”
Post, who began his college career at Mississippi State, scored 16 points in the first half and finished with a game-high 24, but guard Makai Ashton-Langford (12) was the only other Eagle to score in double figures. BC turned the ball over 16 times, and the Cavaliers turned those mistakes into 14 points.
“They just do a really good job of having good maturity,” Grant said, “So the last thing you want to do is give them opportunities to get some easy baskets, and I thought that was a difference in the game. In the first half, we had nine turnovers….