Cuts From The Corner FAQs

Hi fellow Hoos fans! As Cuts From The Corner continues to grow, I thought it would be good to have a mission statement of sorts, in FAQ form, for those visiting the site to know what they’re getting into. So… Here are those!

Q: What is Cuts From The Corner?

A: Cuts From The Corner is a blog dedicated to in-depth analysis, commentary and video break downs of UVa men’s basketball. Think of it like the “show your work” section of UVa basketball opinion/analysis.

Q: What kind of content can I expect from CfTC?

A: I do a variety of types of pieces, depending on where we are in the basketball cycle. In season, I do post-game analysis of most of the games, pointing out interesting developments, speculating on player utilization early in the season, and later focusing much more on a few key themes or new developments happening game-to-game. In theory, reading all of the game recaps could tell one, long, linear story of the season from a fan/analyst’s perspective.

During the offseason, I write some thought pieces on lessons learned from the previous season – self-assessment of what I thought I got right and where I missed with hopes to grow in my analysis, and thoughts on what went well and are larger areas of improvement for the team.

Additionally, I break down tape on any incoming transfers, highlight the strengths and areas for development of their game, and talk about how they might fit into the existing team.

As we get closer to the season I’ll write some predictive pieces on what I’d like to see in terms of rotations and minutes among the players and how likely I think those hopes are. I’ll compile some thoughts on any offseason scrimmages or travel.

Occasionally during the offseason I’ll also do some general concept pieces, like outlining how our base systems work, talking about recruiting wins or developments (not prospectively, reactively), tackling topics from previous seasons, revisiting historical player contributions, etc. This past offseason I wrote pieces on our Sides, Inside Triangle, and Flow offenses and hope to tackle the Pack Line next offseason.

Q: How long are these pieces?

A: Long. They usually range between 25-35 video clips and between 6,000-12,000 words. The intent is that it’s a deep dive into all of the topics, ideally providing a level of detail and granularity not often being offered through other sources covering the team.

Q: I’m a UVa basketball junkie and try to consume as much as I can about the team, is this site for me?

A: This site is perfect for you! There is a lot of content for you to sink your teeth into here and it’s a great way to look at/think about what’s going on with the team outside of first watch or having to just rewatch the game again over and over. I’ve done that for you, digested it, and put together some key thoughts/findings. You can agree with them or disagree with them, but you have the trends and the whys at your disposal to formulate your own opinions.

Q: I’m a casual UVa basketball fan, is this site for me?

A: This site is perfect for you! You can consume as much or as little of it as you like. There are headers at the beginning of each section to outline the themes we’ll be discussing, and there’s opportunity to learn a little more about the game, terminology, how the team functions, etc. You can just scan through the videos without reading! You can just read the intro or conclusion! Whatever you want to take from it, there’s probably something there for you.

Q: Why did you start this site?

A: It started because, as a fan, I had conversations with my friends like this regularly, but found the amount of content out there neither detailed enough for my liking nor willing to offer much critical or dissenting opinion. I wanted a place to discuss BOTH what was going well with the program AND where we had areas to improve.

I started by writing a piece after the 2021-2022 season was over analyzing the playing time (or lack thereof) of the bench players on the roster. The response gave me the sense that there were others looking for this type of content around the team… and now here we are.

Q: What’s the goal of the site?

A: To create a shared understanding of the team across the fan base at a detailed and nuanced level. We won’t agree on all of the same conclusions, but we’ll get there by diving into the film and the stats together and discussing developments in close to real time (at least during the season).

Also, to give me a creative outlet for writing/watching/thinking about UVa hoops and to create a space where super fans can nerd out or casual fans can deepen their understanding of the game.

Overall, to think strategically and analytically about the team and to share opinions founded through that process via a long form medium.

Q: Do you have any social media tied to this site?

A: Yes @CutsfromCorner on Twitter is the official social media account linked to this site.