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Overall, Virginia strength and conditioning coach Mike Curtis was pleased with the gains that his players made over the summer.

But Curtis said the one player who stood out the most with his improvement in terms of how it’s translated onto the court is redshirt freshman Devon Hall.

“Devon had that redshirt last year, and given what he put in this summer, his level of athleticism has just increased,” Curtis said.

Curtis is hopeful that Hall’s strides will take him to the next level as a player this season.

“There’s been flashes of athleticism that we didn’t see last year that we hope will be there more consistently as he gets the opportunity this year to be a real contributor to our team,” Curtis said.

Put simply, Curtis said Hall is running and jumping much better than he was at the same time last year. He said the Virginia Beach native is just more explosive.

“You’ll see him blow by somebody and jump toward the rim, and his head is near the rim and you’re like, ‘That wasn’t there last year,’” Curtis said.

“You just hope that he develops a mentality that now matches what his physical tools are.”