The
WAR ROOM is back and this edition is full of hoops recruiting scoop! As the first evaluation period of July opened this week, Virginia's coaching staff has been spread out in the southeast following a number of quality prospects. We'll break down where they are, where they're headed, who they're keying on, and what it all means for the big picture before we bring back The Confidence Meter and look at each of the biggest 10 recruitments that Virginia is currently involved in. Could there be a lock or even two in the bunch? Which ones does UVa have work to do in? We'll give you a great snapshot of where things stand as the Hoos begin arguably the busiest month in hoops recruiting.
As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!
The first live period continues
We'll start this week with logistics, as
Tony Bennett and his staff are are spread out across the southeast during the first live evaluation period of July, which runs from Wednesday until Sunday. So far, Bennett has already (as is his custom) bounced between venues, beginning at the adidas event in Atlanta before heading to North Augusta for Nike's Peach Jam, the finals of the EYBL.
Assistant coach
Brad Soderberg started at adidas, with
Jason Williford in Charlotte for Under Armor before heading to Nike.
Ron Sanchez was planning to be in Myrtle Beach tracking the Team Loaded guys later in the week. The plan by the end of the weekend was for Williford and Soderberg to both to be in North Augusta as well.
In terms of UVa's targets, we said on Wednesday that the plan was to sort of set the table with this live period. While the Cavaliers were going to be tracking
Wenyen Gabriel and
Jalen Johnson, there's also been an effort to make sure eyes have been on
Mamadi Diakite as well. Virginia's interest in Johnson has, according to one source, been picking up a lot of steam lately. We won't be surprised if Bennett decides to watch a lot of him. The same could be said for Gabriel, who picked up offers from Notre Dame and Texas this week. After the adidas Uprising event, word was that his AAU team, Mass Rivals, was going to play in an event in Springfield and there was some thought that Bennett would likely head there for at least part of the live period.
In addition to those guys, we also expect UVa to be taking a hard look at
Lindy Waters, a guy that we think is in line for an offer. He and Johnson seem to be the two players on the wing that Virginia appears most poised to make a move on.
Any chance with Fultz?
While we'll get to some specific thoughts on UVa's chances with a number of prospects before the end of this week's War Room, we did want to break out a section on five-star DeMatha guard
Markell Fultz. Not only was he an absolute terror in Charlotte at the UA event this week, but he finally picked up the much-rumored offer from Kentucky. He's been a true priority for UVa for some time now and if you'll recall, we had been hearing pretty good things. With the Wildcats now firmly ready to take the 6-foot-4, 180-pound scorer, there's a lot of thought out there that UK should be seen as the leader.
A new name for the radar
Okay, maybe that's not technically true but word we've heard is that UVa is probably as serious as ever about four-star Georgia Stars wing
Brandon Robinson. If there's a guy on the board outside of Johnson and Waters that seems like he might get an offer at that position, it's probably the Douglasville (GA) native. That's not to say the offer would lead to an immediate commitment or anything; word we've heard is that it would put UVa in a good spot. As we said on Wednesday, this week for the staff is about setting the table for next week and beyond and Bennett will have a much better feel for the non-offered guys at that point.
Commits continue to shine
Before getting to the final "big" section of this week's edition, we thought we'd touch on just how well four-star UVa commits
Kyle Guy and
Ty Jerome have been playing so far during the first week.
Guy put up some impressive numbers for Indiana Elite in Atlanta, going for 24 and 9 in a win on Wednesday night followed by a 12-point game in another win yesterday before going for 18 in a loss last night in the semifinals. He's scheduled to play again this afternoon. Jerome, meanwhile, started off his first Peach Jam experience with an 18-point, 13-assist, 4-rebound game in a win over Mokan Elite. Last night, he went for 13 points, 7 assists, and 3 rebounds in a win over E1T1. He's scheduled to play again today at noon and then again at 7:30 p.m.
The Confidence Meter returns
Now is a great time to bring back The Confidence Meter and look at the various top prospects on UVa's board. As a reminder, these are always fluid and the numbers are just a look at conditions on the ground right now.
Just to recap what the scale looks like, here’s a breakdown:
10 - It’s a lock.
9 - Very confident.
8 - UVa is the frontrunner.
7 - UVa is in very good position.
6 - UVa is definitely in the picture.
5 - UVa has some work to do.
2-4 - UVa is a longshot.
1 - Forget about it.
Mamadi Diakite (Four-star PF, No. 30 in the Rivals150)- Confidence: 9.8
This is a recruitment that continues to trend UVa's way in a very meaningful and dominant fashion. In fact, since Top 100 Camp sources have been pretty clear that it's going to get done and we've even started to hear some optimism that the door to him joining as a part of the 2015 class is opening slightly. We still don't think that's likely, though, but that doesn't change Virginia's position here. Sources close to multiple programs see the Cavaliers as the only choice as of right now. We'll be shocked if he's not in the fold by the end of the month. And before you ask why there's no fearless prediction here, it's simple: This has been one of the most unconventional recruitments in recent memory.
Wenyen Gabriel (Four-star SF, No. 84 in the Rivals150)- Confidence: 7.5
With new offers rolling in and no real firm timeframe on when this one will wind down, it's safe to say that UVa is in a good spot right now and working its way up the board. We don't see anyone in the driver's seat at the moment, which obviously is something the Cavaliers want to change. We get the sense that UVa likes adding both Diakite and Gabriel because of their varied skillsets and if they had their pick, they would be two guys to focus on. Gabriel still fully intends to visit early this fall.
Tyler Cook (Four-star PF, No. 76 in the Rivals150)- Confidence: 7.5
As much as UVa likes the other two forwards above, we still get the sense that Cook is high on the list as well. Remember, he was originally going to take his official to UVa by now but had to reschedule due to the Nike Basketball Academy event a couple of weeks ago. No matter, though, since we hear he's also definitely planning on visiting. Missouri continues to be the team to beat here but the Cavaliers still feel pretty good about where they stand, according to sources.
Lindy Waters (Three-star SG, No. 117 in the Rivals150)- Confidence: 7.5
Even though UVa hasn't offered, we get the sense that the Hoos feel like they'll be a factor should they decide to make a push. At this point, it's safe to assume that to be the case since we can't get a real solid answer on who among his offers (outside of the in-state schools) would lead at this point. The interesting thing here is going to be if Waters has the kind of July he's capable of, he could have more than just UVa coming harder after him. And in a way, that might work in Virginia's favor because it could prolong his recruitment.
Jalen Johnson (Three-star SG, No. 145 in the Rivals150)- Confidence: 7.5
Speaking of players that UVa will likely be a factor for, we really think the Cavaliers are close to tossing out an offer here. That Bennett was going into the week planning to track Johnson tells a lot. How close are they? That's the rub. They love his length and his skill set. The only hold up is a firm eval, which will happen this month. At this point, we don't think it's a good idea to get too hung up on his offer list or even favorites right now because it's going to dramatically change in a hurry. Virginia has done the right thing here by recruiting him pretty hard even though no offer has come...yet.
Markelle Fultz (Five-star SG, No. 23 in the Rivals150)- Confidence: 6
We're not sure how impactful the UK offer truly is but we know for sure that Fultz is going to be a hot commodity here soon. That's not to say UVa can't be among those vying for his services but he's had an offer from Virginia for so long, it just seems like he's waiting for a reason. There's no doubt that the Cavaliers are recruiting him hard and doing all they can, though. He's a guy who can flat out fill it up and he just knows how to get buckets. At this point, the number here is what it is based on all of that.
Matt Coleman (Four-star PG, No. 27 in the Rivals150 for 2017)- Confidence: 9.2
To make it an even 10 in this edition, we thought we'd go with a trio of 2017 prospects and there's no doubt that UVa's position with Coleman is as high as it has ever been. Truth is, we probably could go higher and not be too stressed about it. The only dynamic here that plays against UVa is that a decision won't come for some time. That means other schools will have a chance to jump in. While there is much fretting about Duke and Carolina here, we still see the Cavaliers as the clear team to beat.
Michael Porter (Five-star SF, No. 2 in the Rivals150 for 2017)- Confidence: 7.9
Whenever he makes his next cut, UVa is going to remain on his list and that's pretty impressive given the number of schools after him. Porter is the sort of "big" recruit that we could legitimately see choosing Virginia and even though there are various reasons to think he'll land elsewhere, this has already been a solid effort by the Cavaliers. We've talked to sources over the past couple of weeks who wondered aloud just how invested he is into the packaged deal but for now, that's not an immediate concern. It's vital for UVa to continue doing what it's done and having Guy on their side isn't going to hurt the staff at all, obviously.
Trae Young (Four-star PG, No. 28 in the Rivals150 for 2017)- Confidence: 5.9
We decided to go with Young here rather than
Alex Barcello in large part because, coming off the heels of both players' time at UVa after Top 100 Camp was over, there hasn't been much buzz at all about UVa with Young. He's a guy that we definitely see ending up at one of the powerhouses and that's not necessarily a bad thing. After all, if Duke takes him then there's no threat to UVa's position with Coleman. We aren't saying Virginia's pursuit here is dead but the writing is somewhat on the wall somewhat. Lastly, for those who may be wondering, we see Barcello as the clear other main option at the point for UVa in 2017 and would give him a solid 8.5 on the scale. The Cavaliers really can't go wrong with any of these three junior point guards.
That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!
