As expected, Kadin Shedrick joined the long line of Virginia big men who redshirted their first year. He came to Virginia as a 6-11, 200-pound late bloomer and spent his year under the tutelage of acclaimed Director of Strength & Conditioning Mike Curtis and under-celebrated Director of Sports Nutrition Randy Bird. Now he’s listed at 216 pounds – still slender for a contestant in the cage matches that are the ACC paint, but a sizable gain.

Background

Shedrick was a 6-2 baseball star when he entered high school in North Carolina. He didn’t draw serious recruiting interest in basketball until after his junior season when he exploded on the AAU circuit with former NBA player David West’s Garner Road program (also home of Carson McCorkle). He skyrocketed up the boards, ending up #6 in the Ratings Services Composite Index (RSCI) Top 100 for 2019. He was another of Tony Bennett’s summer romances, discovered in July and recruited swiftly. Malcolm Brogdon and De’Andre Hunter are two other July sweethearts. Both, like Shedrick, ended up in the bottom half of the RSCI.

Strengths

A long, agile, mobile near-7-footer, Kadin plays with an aggression that belies his Nicest-Guy-in-the-World offcourt persona. He has the tools and the attitude to be a true two-axis disruptor in Bennett’s defense, protecting the rim with his rubber arms, ups and timing, and blowing up ball screens as a hedger. He moves his feet well and covers a lot of ground.

Kadin has a motor. Unlike a lot of the big men we’ve seen Tony recruit half-heartedly and watch go elsewhere, there are no questions about Kadin’s motor. He is active on both ends of the floor, going after shots, rebounds, loose balls, and moving without the ball on offense.

Watch his signing day scouting video and you will see a player who makes himself huge when posting up, drives aggressively with the ball, is a very good passer, has good moves and touch, and is deft with the ball on the move.

He will make an impact on defense first, but Shedrick has good touch around the basket and out to the mid-range. We are told he can shoot the three, but I have no video of it, so we will have to see. Do not expect to see Shedrick inherit Jay Huff’s role in the offense.

Weaknesses

He’s 6-11, 216 pounds. He needs another year of filling out before he is ready for prime time. As with any freshman – redshirt or not – inexperience in the Packline will severely limit his role.

Role

The coaches say he can be a stretch four and he is listed as a forward, but Kadin is a true five and expect him to be used as such. He’ll be a blocker, working around the paint and setting screens in the Continuity Ball Screen offense. He will guard opposing big men, and don’t expect to see him on the floor with Jay Huff or Francisco Caffaro very often. He’s a rim protector and a hedger you don’t want switching onto wings or guards more than necessary. As a redshirt freshman, his role is to watch and learn, and step out onto the floor mostly just before the Green Team. His time will come.

Reasonable Expectations

With Jay Huff and Sam Hauser in their redshirt-senior years, few post minutes are left over. Huff will play 30 minutes per game, leaving drips of playing time for other centers. The redshirt-sophomore Caffaro is ahead of Shedrick in the experience game and also in bulk. Expect Caffaro to be the understudy and Shedrick the intern.

Optimistic Expectations

A stat line like Huff put up in his redshirt-freshman campaign, where he played 106 minutes in 12 games, shot the ball 25 times and showed off his dexterity and shotblocking chops, would be a great season for Shedrick. Think of this season as a sneak preview. Next year, when Huff graduates, will be Kadin’s time to shine.

Final Analysis

Unfortunately for Kadin, the NCAA season is four games shorter this year due to COVID, which means fewer cupcakes for the #4-ranked Hoos to feast upon, and hence fewer opportunities for Kadin to see real game action. He’s a tremendous prospect who is going to have a great career at Virginia, but like most Cavalier big men, he will have to wait his turn, and now is Jay Huff’s turn.

Kadin shows his full range in a matchup against then-#1 high school player Isaiah Todd