Monmouth coach King Rice has already got us thinking about Ryan Dunn in the context of De’Andre Hunter, which when you think about it is probably not fair to the kid, being compared to a guy who was the fourth pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, and just signed a $90 million contract extension with the Atlanta Hawks.
It’s a long way from getting 12.4 minutes a game off the bench as a freshman to where Hunter is now, but that said, you can see it.
Dunn is 6’8”, with a seven-foot wingspan, which as he grows into himself as a player will be a huge advantage as a defender.
And he can shoot from the perimeter – it’s a small sample size, but so far he’s hitting on 40 percent of his threes.
And he can get to the basket seemingly at will – and that’s something that we didn’t see right away from Hunter, who you might remember redshirted his first year at Virginia, then eased his way in as a redshirt freshman before breaking out later in that first season, and emerging in the 2018-2019 season that ended with nets being cut down in Minneapolis.
Dunn, like Hunter, is one of those positionless players that NBA front offices drool over – able to defend anybody from 1 to 5.
Hunter was the secret weapon on the 2019 title-winning team with his ability to guard 1 to 5, hit the open three, create his own shot on dribble-drives and score in the post.
Dunn could develop into being that kind of difference-maker for Tony Bennett this year and as long as he’s on Grounds.
“Just growing up and getting those experiences, and you know, you just like that versatility,” Bennett told reporters last week after Virginia’s 55-50 win over JMU, in which Dunn contributed a modest four points and five rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench, but the way he did what he did got your attention.
There was the first-half throwdown in transition that got the crowd off its feet. Then, after getting beaten in the paint for a bucket in the final minute, Dunn responded on the next trip down the court, taking a pass on the wing, pump-faking the defender, getting to the rim, and finishing a nice driving layup that put Virginia up four, and helped seal the deal.
“I was kind of mad at myself. I knew we need to get a stop on that play during that time, so I was trusting myself to slide, and seeing him with a good move, I got separated, and he hit the layup. So, we came back down, just trying to on the offensive end, I just kind of just said, if I get it, I’m going to be aggressive, try to make a play,” Dunn said.
Dunn’s emergence has pushed fifth-year senior Francisco Caffaro, a 6’11” center, out of the rotation, at least for now. Dunn and 6’8” graduate forward Ben Vander Plas, a transfer from Ohio U., have been getting minutes at the five spot when the starting center, Kadin Shedrick, needs to go to the bench.
That might remind you of what Bennett was able to do in 2018-2019 when he’d sub for 6’11” center Jack Salt with Hunter or 6’8” forward Braxton Key, another Swiss-army knife.
Difference is, Hunter and Key were veterans by that point, both being third-year players.
Dunn is still a mere pup, but Bennett is trusting him a little more each time out.
“Just seeing him get more comfortable in those spots, you know, you see young guys sometimes feel a little uncomfortable, and game pressure is real, and physicality and intensity, but to see those guys hold in there, and I think he did a good job,” Bennett said.
Video
Share
Chris Graham
