Former Merrimack Men's Hoops Star Jordan Minor Chooses Virginia

NORTH ANDOVER, MA —Former Merrimack men's basketball standout Jordan Minor did not even need to take all of his recruiting visits before deciding he wanted to play his final year of college basketball in Charlottesville, Virginia.

On Thursday, Minor, who entered the transfer portal on March 17, announced on Twitter that he would transfer to the University of Virginia.

Minor tweeted a doctored photo of himself in a Virginia Cavaliers uniform alongside UVA head coach Tony Bennett with the message "I'm ready, let's work," and the hashtag GoHoos, referring to Virginia's other nickname, the Wahoos.

The 6-foot-8, 240-pound Minor, who was the Northeast Conference Co-Player of the Year as a senior at Merrimack this past season, visited Charlottesville last weekend and then took a visit to Florida Gulf Coast (FGCU). The Kingston native also had visits scheduled to Iowa and Seton Hall, but those were canceled.

"I think for me, I knew I wanted to commit (to Virginia) after my visit," Minor 'told 247 Sports. "I really got that family vibe. A lot of schools say family is important but you don't really see it firsthand. Coach Bennett and his wife picked me up from the airport and he didn't need to do that. He could've just sent me an Uber. I wanted somewhere that I can call home beyond the couple months that I’ll be there for."

Minor continued: "I flew out to FGCU the next day after my visit and I was supposed to visit Iowa and Seton Hall this upcoming week. I canceled those because I felt like Virginia was the place for me."

Minor, a forward, averaged 17.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.6 blocks per game for Merrimack last season, recording 15 double-doubles. The Warriors finished 18-16 and won the NEC regular-season and tournament titles, but were ineligible for the NCAA Tournament due to restrictions for teams that are transitioning to Division I.

Minor obviously hopes to play in the the Big Dance with the perennial powerhouse Cavaliers next season. Virginia (25-8 overall, 15-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) tied Miami for a share of the ACC regular-season title last season, before being upset by Furman in the NCAA Tournament.

Virginia won the national title in 2019.

"Next year as a team, a goal will be winning the ACC title outright and not sharing it," Minor said. "I want to win, be able to play in March Madness, advance to the Final Four and win a national championship. Those are goals for the team, but also personal to me. Not everyone can say they've done those things."

Shortly after Minor's announcement, Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo took to Twitter to say thank you to Minor and former Merrimack teammate Ziggy Reid, who recently transferred to Youngstown State.

Next to a photo of Gallo, Minor, Reid and the trophies and plaques the trio won together, Gallo tweeted: "Grateful for everything these 2 guys have given our program. They leave with Merrimack degrees, multiple championships and amazing memories! Virginia and Youngstown State got themselves some good ones. Love you boys!!! You will always be MC family!"