The status of Virginia point guard Dante Harris is still up in the air, according to coach Tony Bennett.
Harris, a junior in his first season with UVA after spending his first two years at Georgetown, was injured in practice over the Thanksgiving break, suffering what Bennett said Monday was a “pretty significant ankle sprain.”
Harris had seen action in six games, with one start, averaging 19.5 minutes per game.
His numbers: just so-so – 3.5 points per game, 1.3 assists per game.
But Harris averaged 11.9 points and 4.1 assists per game as a sophomore at Georgetown in 2021-2022, and the expectation was that he’d develop into an important role player this season as he got more familiar with Bennett’s offensive and defensive schemes.
Bennett, in his first weekly ACC coaches teleconference on Monday, said Harris “looks like he’s moving around a little better,” and that he’s seen him “moving on the court a little more, shooting and doing that, so, I’m hoping.”
“He’s got to be getting closer, and I hope as he’s started doing more, we’ll evaluate how he responds, said Bennett, noting that Harris brings “on-ball toughness and quickness and all that stuff” to the mix for the Virginia rotation.
“So, we’re hopeful, but I do not have a timetable,” Bennett said. “It’s kind of just, as he feels, as he progresses, we’ll keep pushing him with the right kind of oversight.”