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Ron Sanchez on struggling TJ Power: ‘We’re just trying to coach him up’

Chris Graham
tj power uva basketball
UVA Basketball sophomore TJ Power. Photo: Mike Ingalls/AFP

The book on TJ Power, a former five-star recruit who spent his freshman year at Duke, is, that something must have happened at Duke that ruined his confidence in his game.

I definitely think that could be part of the issue for Power, a 6’9” stretch four, who got just 7.0 minutes per game as a freshman, with 10 DNP-Coach’s Decisions, and only eight minutes of floor time in Duke’s four-game run in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Virginia was supposed to be a fresh start for Power, who had been recruited by Tony Bennett as a prep, and he was in the starting lineup for the first five games this season, but he stumbled out of the gate, averaging 2.8 points (5-of-20 FG, 4-of-16 3FG) in 18.6 minutes per game before losing the starting spot.


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Since being relegated to coming off the bench, Power has been averaging 7.9 minutes per game, pretty much what he was getting at Duke, and he’s still struggling – shooting 4-of-19 from the floor and 2-of-12 from three over his last 11 appearances.

I’ll credit Power for what I see him doing before and after games – he’s the first guy out on the floor ahead of home games at JPJ, and he’s back out there five minutes after the final buzzer, hoisting up shot after shot after shot.

“He was in the gym this morning getting shots up,” said Ron Sanchez, talking with reporters on his weekly ACC coaches Zoom on Monday morning.

And I can say, from the experience of watching Power in his pre- and post-game sessions, that his shot looks fluid.

What’s irritating is, that fluidity is just not there in game situations.

Here’s where I’m wondering, personally, if it’s just a matter of him thinking too much out there.

anthony gill
Anthony Gill. Photo: UVA Athletics

I cite, often, a conversation that I had years ago with Anthony Gill, now a long-time NBA veteran, who struggled mightily in the first three months of his first season at UVA, and told me later that he traced his struggles to overthinking his responsibilities playing at the four spot in Bennett’s Pack Line defense.

Gill told me that Bennett had said to him that he would eventually reach a point where it would just all click on the defensive end for him, and when that happened, his offense would take off.

That happened for Gill; I set on the game where it happened, a win over Boston College in February 2014, his redshirt sophomore season, and his first at Virginia, in which he scored 13 points, after having averaged 5.0 points per game over the previous seven.

From that BC game onward, Gill averaged 10.9 points per game for a UVA team that went on to win the ACC Tournament, get a #1 seed in the NCAAs and advance to the Sweet Sixteen.


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I’m not saying that I see a similar turnaround in the offing for Power, just that, I’ve seen it happen before with another talented four in Gill.

Sanchez, I will note, hinted on Monday, in his assessment of why Power is struggling, that some of it has to do with defense.

“We’re just trying to coach him up, coach him up defensively,” Sanchez said. “Behind the scenes, still investing into all our guys, into their individual development. We feel that, you know, if they can get 1 percent better, we as a team get 1 percent better, you know. Huys will continue to get opportunities here, and, you know, I’m hoping that, you know, anyone will have a breakout game here and there, and that’ll inject into their confidence and continue their play through ACC play.”

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham, the king of "fringe media," a zero-time Virginia Sportswriter of the Year, and a member of zero Halls of Fame, is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].