Virginia’s bruising rebounder turned all-around glue guy
In the 2013-14 season, Akil Mitchell was Virginia’s hard-nosed frontcourt anchor, averaging 6.8 points and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds while shooting 56.1% from the field; his best season came in 2012-13, when he posted 13.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. He’s the kind of forward coaches love: physical, efficient around the rim, active on the glass, and willing to do the dirty work without needing the offense to run through him. The one red flag? His free-throw shooting was shaky, so late-game value depends more on toughness than touch.
