The WAR ROOM is back and this quick-hitting edition is full of hoops recruiting scoop! The second live period is under way across the country with coaches spread out far and wide so we'll give you a sense of where things stand for UVa, who the staff is keying on, and we'll give you some background not only on the offers that have gone out but also too on what the thought process is on others at this point. We'll dive into one specific offer situation many fans are curious about and then we'll break down a new storyline in 2019 (or maybe 2018?) that emerged this week before we share some whispers we've been hearing.
As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!
The thought process behind the three new offers
UVa went into the first live period with a plan: Be seen by some of the 2019 targets on the board but try as hard as possible to get very deep evals on the 2020s on the radar. We'll get into more in a few as to how last week (and the practices this summer) have driven the staff's plan for the second live period but suffice to say there were prospects that Tony Bennett and Co. liked a lot, three of them enough to bring in new offers.
Four-star guards Symir Torrence and Keon Johnson fit a blueprint of sorts you're likely to see start playing out more and more. Sources say the staff is really focused on "two-way" players, as in guys with skillsets that are not focused more on one side of the court than the other. They want balance. And we also hear that in watching practices this summer (which we will get to as well), there's been a focus in 2020 on getting length back on the wing. Do not be surprised if the Wahoos hone in on players in that class that fit this sort of model.
The other new offer of course went to five-star Walker Kessler, a 7-footer with a wide array of post moves and shooting touch away from the basket. He's already Top 20 nationally and likely going to rise but this was one where the kid fits UVa too much not to make a move even if the field is expected to be filled to the brim.
That offer, even though one has to assume the chances of Kessler picking UVa (at least at this point) would be slim, speaks to something else we've gotten a better feel for in 2020. UVa will likely have an extra spot to use in that class but the thought process as of now is to use four scholarships: A point guard who can score and defend, a long wing who can shoot it well, and two bigs. Now, the skillsets of those two bigs doesn't have to be nearly as specific in large part because Francisco Caffaro is looking like he'll be even better than originally thought when Bennett offered and landed his commitment in those crazy few days. UVa has a lot of flexibility with those two big man spots in terms of not only how they fit on the roster but how they fit together.
How the first period influenced the second
The plan was to watch 2020s and that's largely what UVa did last week. This week, in large measure because of how spread out everything is compared to the first and third live periods, UVa decided to stick with that same sort of directive. Coaches have been all over the place this week, from Orlando to Atlanta to Milwaukee to SoCal. Bennett has spent a lot of time in Orlando at AAU Nationals watching a host of younger kids while Jason Williford was in Atlanta checking in on four-star wing Pat Williams. If we had to guess, after kicking the tires on it this week, he's probably the guy that has the best balance between how much they like him and how gettable they think he might be. Clearly, Josh Green is the guy they are likely to want most and for good reason but Williams is also someone they really covet. He's been very good on the floor the more the staff has scouted him. The problem, sources say, is getting traction. In fact, in talking to various sources over the past 72 hours or so, it's pretty clear that no one seems to have a good handle on where Williams might be leaning. From coaches to media folks alike, Williams doesn't do a lot of talking. Our sources say UVa reads that to mean he won't go too far from home. If so, the question is whether Charlottesville feels "close" enough. Smart money, at least for now, is likely on the in-state schools but the Cavaliers are going to try to make a push without question.
Speaking of Orlando, that's where Mark Williams and Henry Coleman were to start the second live period. Since this is the storyline most of you want to follow anyway let's dive in: We really shook the trees on this one and tried to get a better sense of how close Coleman might be to getting the offer from UVa. The concern all along has been fit on the offensive end and that's something we believe Bennett has been watching for this week. UVa is aware of what the Kansas offer might mean for his recruitment but also, as anyone following Bennett's recruiting for any length of time surely knows, they aren't going to move simply based on other schools. That being said, the offer didn't surprise our sources since they believe Coleman is exactly the sort of kid KU needs to be recruiting given the FBI investigation. Our sense had been that UVa might bring him in for a visit next month, offer, and try to close it out. At this point, that seems less likely but that doesn't mean it won't happen. Consistency remains the key for Coleman and that's what the staff is looking for. We'd say he's very close to the offer.
So who might be offered soon?
UVa's offer situation in 2020 obviously grew by three last week but none of the three were guys we were expecting given all of the conditions on the ground. What happens Monday will likely be about the same but we'd be shocked if there isn't one or two that come out among the guys we referenced last week.
Dudley Blackwell, a Rivals150 four-star, is someone UVa watched extensively last week. So too were Johnny Davis and Cam Hayes. If none of the three of them leaves July with an offer, we'll eat our hat.
The DeLaire situation
So, we decided to break this out into its own section because there's been enough talk and confusion and even a touch of consternation about the recruitment of (current) 2019 four-star Jaiden Delaire. This is one of the more interesting and intricate situations you're going to see and frankly, UVa has had several of these sorts of "take early" questions in recent years. They just never get out publicly until well after the fact.
In talking to various sources since Corey Evans' story was published on Wednesday, the consensus seems to be that UVa is is interested in DeLaire and also potentially interested in him coming in early. But, as we made clear in this space a week ago and referenced in that thread the other day, he is still looking for an offer from the Wahoos.
That part is crucial. UVa isn't ready to go all in on this yet and so there's a lot that needs to be played out. Orlando Vandross talking to DeLaire about coming early isn't the same as UVa offering for him to come early. Now, as we said here a week ago, DeLaire is the exact type of late-cycle offer UVa makes in July. Given the board in 2019 and the need the staff is trying to meet, he's an interesting kid but also maybe not spot on. The stated goal with that scholarship was a bouncy two-way forward who could play both the 3 and 4. UVa has some concerns about DeLaire's ability to play the bigger side of that. Is he tough enough? Can he rebound well enough? It certainly seems like they are being thorough here and aren't ready to make a push.
That being said, it's certainly something to watch going forward and we'd advise folks to let this one work out before getting too hyped up and that includes if and when DeLaire pops up on Grounds in a few weeks. Usually when a kid starts talking publicly about going early, they do. Ultimately, it'll come down to what his options are as to whether he stays in 2019 or not.
Practice whispers abound
Finally this week we are (against our better judgement) going to share some whispers we've heard about the summer practices. Now, although providing this caveat won't stop many of you from going coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs (both positively and negatively) about what you're about to read, the intel we were able to gather not only shed a lot of light on how things look right now but it also set the table at least for us in terms of what to look for this fall.
So let's start with the most unexpected piece of news: Kody Stattmann apparently came to ball. Our sources say the staff has been very pleased with his play thus far, especially on the offensive end. There are some serious concerns about his ability to defend ("He can't guard his shadow right now" one source said) and he's going to have to clean that up a great deal but we heard in the last 24 hours that they expect Stattmann to be someone who sees consistent minutes off the bench. So, if you were expecting a redshirt there, you might want to slow up on that. At this point, we'd put the chances of him redshirting (barring injury and the approval of a certain waiver request) at less than 15 percent. He's got to get better on D by the time the season arrives but overall, the reports on him have been very good bordering on glowing.
Elsewhere, we had been hearing some fairly consistent levels of optimism about Kihei Clark prior to his arrival on Grounds and that has been confirmed over the course of summer practices. Our read on what we've heard is that UVa is likely to use him in spells to get Ty Jerome off the ball and bring a little bit of a different element to the table. Word is that the kid just has a knack for getting in the lane and distributing. He's also been able to shoot it a bit better than expected. Tiny or not, he's going to play and probably a lot.
The "bad" news per se is that we haven't heard anything to make us think Jay Huff has been able to put on any more size and also too so far Marco Anthony and Frankie Baddochi have been a bit up and down. All three will need to make contributions at times.
Then again, we also heard that De'Andre Hunter has been incredible. How good? "Unguardable," one source passed along. Inside and out, he's been very good and showing no signs of slowing down his meteoric rise prior to breaking his wrist in Brooklyn. Even further, another source passed along just in the last 12 hours that if Hunter was seen in that 9-to-12 range based on what he showed last season, once NBA scouts see him this fall he could rise another four or five spots. The injury seems to have actually cleaned up his jumper and made it even more pure.
There has been a good bit of talk this offseason about where he slots most often when he's on the floor going into the start of the season and the word we heard yesterday is that he's "going to have to" play both the 3 and 4. Oddly enough, Clark's ability to develop in a hurry could go a long way to UVa playing more small ball. In crunch time, we think UVa will tend toward Hunter at the 4 alongside one of the bigs. The question will be fills the "other" spot opposite Jerome and Kyle Guy.
Lastly, we've heard very good things as well about Braxton Key so far though we continue not to sense too much optimism about that waiver being granted. Everyone we talked to this week said "hopefully soon" in terms of a timeframe but as of today, there's no real feel on when the official word will come. As of now, UVa's prepared to play him if he's eligible (and that could certainly impact redshirting decisions) but it doesn't seem likely that it'll be a problem they need to address.
That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!
As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!
The thought process behind the three new offers
UVa went into the first live period with a plan: Be seen by some of the 2019 targets on the board but try as hard as possible to get very deep evals on the 2020s on the radar. We'll get into more in a few as to how last week (and the practices this summer) have driven the staff's plan for the second live period but suffice to say there were prospects that Tony Bennett and Co. liked a lot, three of them enough to bring in new offers.
Four-star guards Symir Torrence and Keon Johnson fit a blueprint of sorts you're likely to see start playing out more and more. Sources say the staff is really focused on "two-way" players, as in guys with skillsets that are not focused more on one side of the court than the other. They want balance. And we also hear that in watching practices this summer (which we will get to as well), there's been a focus in 2020 on getting length back on the wing. Do not be surprised if the Wahoos hone in on players in that class that fit this sort of model.
The other new offer of course went to five-star Walker Kessler, a 7-footer with a wide array of post moves and shooting touch away from the basket. He's already Top 20 nationally and likely going to rise but this was one where the kid fits UVa too much not to make a move even if the field is expected to be filled to the brim.
That offer, even though one has to assume the chances of Kessler picking UVa (at least at this point) would be slim, speaks to something else we've gotten a better feel for in 2020. UVa will likely have an extra spot to use in that class but the thought process as of now is to use four scholarships: A point guard who can score and defend, a long wing who can shoot it well, and two bigs. Now, the skillsets of those two bigs doesn't have to be nearly as specific in large part because Francisco Caffaro is looking like he'll be even better than originally thought when Bennett offered and landed his commitment in those crazy few days. UVa has a lot of flexibility with those two big man spots in terms of not only how they fit on the roster but how they fit together.
How the first period influenced the second
The plan was to watch 2020s and that's largely what UVa did last week. This week, in large measure because of how spread out everything is compared to the first and third live periods, UVa decided to stick with that same sort of directive. Coaches have been all over the place this week, from Orlando to Atlanta to Milwaukee to SoCal. Bennett has spent a lot of time in Orlando at AAU Nationals watching a host of younger kids while Jason Williford was in Atlanta checking in on four-star wing Pat Williams. If we had to guess, after kicking the tires on it this week, he's probably the guy that has the best balance between how much they like him and how gettable they think he might be. Clearly, Josh Green is the guy they are likely to want most and for good reason but Williams is also someone they really covet. He's been very good on the floor the more the staff has scouted him. The problem, sources say, is getting traction. In fact, in talking to various sources over the past 72 hours or so, it's pretty clear that no one seems to have a good handle on where Williams might be leaning. From coaches to media folks alike, Williams doesn't do a lot of talking. Our sources say UVa reads that to mean he won't go too far from home. If so, the question is whether Charlottesville feels "close" enough. Smart money, at least for now, is likely on the in-state schools but the Cavaliers are going to try to make a push without question.
Speaking of Orlando, that's where Mark Williams and Henry Coleman were to start the second live period. Since this is the storyline most of you want to follow anyway let's dive in: We really shook the trees on this one and tried to get a better sense of how close Coleman might be to getting the offer from UVa. The concern all along has been fit on the offensive end and that's something we believe Bennett has been watching for this week. UVa is aware of what the Kansas offer might mean for his recruitment but also, as anyone following Bennett's recruiting for any length of time surely knows, they aren't going to move simply based on other schools. That being said, the offer didn't surprise our sources since they believe Coleman is exactly the sort of kid KU needs to be recruiting given the FBI investigation. Our sense had been that UVa might bring him in for a visit next month, offer, and try to close it out. At this point, that seems less likely but that doesn't mean it won't happen. Consistency remains the key for Coleman and that's what the staff is looking for. We'd say he's very close to the offer.
So who might be offered soon?
UVa's offer situation in 2020 obviously grew by three last week but none of the three were guys we were expecting given all of the conditions on the ground. What happens Monday will likely be about the same but we'd be shocked if there isn't one or two that come out among the guys we referenced last week.
Dudley Blackwell, a Rivals150 four-star, is someone UVa watched extensively last week. So too were Johnny Davis and Cam Hayes. If none of the three of them leaves July with an offer, we'll eat our hat.
The DeLaire situation
So, we decided to break this out into its own section because there's been enough talk and confusion and even a touch of consternation about the recruitment of (current) 2019 four-star Jaiden Delaire. This is one of the more interesting and intricate situations you're going to see and frankly, UVa has had several of these sorts of "take early" questions in recent years. They just never get out publicly until well after the fact.
In talking to various sources since Corey Evans' story was published on Wednesday, the consensus seems to be that UVa is is interested in DeLaire and also potentially interested in him coming in early. But, as we made clear in this space a week ago and referenced in that thread the other day, he is still looking for an offer from the Wahoos.
That part is crucial. UVa isn't ready to go all in on this yet and so there's a lot that needs to be played out. Orlando Vandross talking to DeLaire about coming early isn't the same as UVa offering for him to come early. Now, as we said here a week ago, DeLaire is the exact type of late-cycle offer UVa makes in July. Given the board in 2019 and the need the staff is trying to meet, he's an interesting kid but also maybe not spot on. The stated goal with that scholarship was a bouncy two-way forward who could play both the 3 and 4. UVa has some concerns about DeLaire's ability to play the bigger side of that. Is he tough enough? Can he rebound well enough? It certainly seems like they are being thorough here and aren't ready to make a push.
That being said, it's certainly something to watch going forward and we'd advise folks to let this one work out before getting too hyped up and that includes if and when DeLaire pops up on Grounds in a few weeks. Usually when a kid starts talking publicly about going early, they do. Ultimately, it'll come down to what his options are as to whether he stays in 2019 or not.
Practice whispers abound
Finally this week we are (against our better judgement) going to share some whispers we've heard about the summer practices. Now, although providing this caveat won't stop many of you from going coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs (both positively and negatively) about what you're about to read, the intel we were able to gather not only shed a lot of light on how things look right now but it also set the table at least for us in terms of what to look for this fall.
So let's start with the most unexpected piece of news: Kody Stattmann apparently came to ball. Our sources say the staff has been very pleased with his play thus far, especially on the offensive end. There are some serious concerns about his ability to defend ("He can't guard his shadow right now" one source said) and he's going to have to clean that up a great deal but we heard in the last 24 hours that they expect Stattmann to be someone who sees consistent minutes off the bench. So, if you were expecting a redshirt there, you might want to slow up on that. At this point, we'd put the chances of him redshirting (barring injury and the approval of a certain waiver request) at less than 15 percent. He's got to get better on D by the time the season arrives but overall, the reports on him have been very good bordering on glowing.
Elsewhere, we had been hearing some fairly consistent levels of optimism about Kihei Clark prior to his arrival on Grounds and that has been confirmed over the course of summer practices. Our read on what we've heard is that UVa is likely to use him in spells to get Ty Jerome off the ball and bring a little bit of a different element to the table. Word is that the kid just has a knack for getting in the lane and distributing. He's also been able to shoot it a bit better than expected. Tiny or not, he's going to play and probably a lot.
The "bad" news per se is that we haven't heard anything to make us think Jay Huff has been able to put on any more size and also too so far Marco Anthony and Frankie Baddochi have been a bit up and down. All three will need to make contributions at times.
Then again, we also heard that De'Andre Hunter has been incredible. How good? "Unguardable," one source passed along. Inside and out, he's been very good and showing no signs of slowing down his meteoric rise prior to breaking his wrist in Brooklyn. Even further, another source passed along just in the last 12 hours that if Hunter was seen in that 9-to-12 range based on what he showed last season, once NBA scouts see him this fall he could rise another four or five spots. The injury seems to have actually cleaned up his jumper and made it even more pure.
There has been a good bit of talk this offseason about where he slots most often when he's on the floor going into the start of the season and the word we heard yesterday is that he's "going to have to" play both the 3 and 4. Oddly enough, Clark's ability to develop in a hurry could go a long way to UVa playing more small ball. In crunch time, we think UVa will tend toward Hunter at the 4 alongside one of the bigs. The question will be fills the "other" spot opposite Jerome and Kyle Guy.
Lastly, we've heard very good things as well about Braxton Key so far though we continue not to sense too much optimism about that waiver being granted. Everyone we talked to this week said "hopefully soon" in terms of a timeframe but as of today, there's no real feel on when the official word will come. As of now, UVa's prepared to play him if he's eligible (and that could certainly impact redshirting decisions) but it doesn't seem likely that it'll be a problem they need to address.
That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!
