The Duke basketball team saw seven scholarship players enter the transfer portal after the 2024 season, including TJ Power, a former five-star recruit from the class of 2023. After transferring from Duke following his freshman year, Power is now entering the portal again after spending one season at Virginia.
During his freshman year, Power struggled to earn consistent playing time at Duke and decided to enter the transfer portal for a fresh start. He eventually chose Virginia, where he played this past season.
There were high expectations for Power, but his path took an unexpected turn when Virginia’s longtime head coach Tony Bennett retired just before the 2024-25 season. Despite the coaching change, Power stayed with the team and started the season, expected to be a key player for a Virginia squad not anticipated to be strong.
However, as the season progressed, Power’s shooting inconsistency led to him being mostly phased out of the Cavaliers’ rotation toward the end of the regular season.
Power played only 10 minutes over the final four games of the season and was absent from the floor in four of Virginia’s last seven regular-season games, as well as their ACC Tournament loss to Georgia Tech, the team’s only conference tournament appearance.
The Shrewsbury, MA native failed to score in 13 of the 24 games he played, including the last six games of the season. Power concluded his sophomore year with averages of 1.3 points and 1.0 rebound per game, shooting 20.5% from the field and 18.2% from three-point range.
With newly hired Virginia head coach Ryan Odom making changes to the roster, Power will now seek a new team for the second year in a row.
Virginia finished the season 15-17 overall and 8-12 in ACC play, including an 80-62 loss to Duke in Charlottesville. Power recorded no points in two minutes during the game against Duke. After two seasons in the ACC, the rising junior is now looking for a program where he can make a greater impact.
Power is currently ranked #66 in the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings and #17 among small forwards.