Virginia redshirt freshman wing Leon Bond III leaving program

Bond, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound Wisconsin native who redshirted in 2022-23, played in 24 of the Cavaliers’ 34 games this season, averaging 12.3 minutes, 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds.

“Thank you Virginia,” Bond wrote in an Instagram post. “You will have my heart forever.”

Bond had a decent role in the UVa rotation during the team’s nonconference schedule, scoring in double figures four times before Jan. 1, including a career-high 16 against North Carolina A&T in November. But once the Cavaliers hit ACC play, Bond’s playing time fell off.

Bond was one of two players to redshirt in 2022-23. The other, forward Isaac Traudt, transferred to Creighton immediately after last year to play closer to home.

UVa went 23-11 and finished in third place in the ACC, before losing to Colorado State in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. It has not won a game in the NCAA tournament since winning the 2019 national championship.

Virginia has two players out of eligibility in forwards Jordan Minor and Jake Groves. Senior point guard Reece Beekman is widely expected to jump to the NBA instead of using his bonus season in college.

With two incoming freshmen, that only left Virginia coach Tony Bennett with one open scholarship, pending sophomore forward Ryan Dunn’s NBA decision. Now, Bennett has at least two.