The
WAR ROOM is back and this edition is full of hoops recruiting scoop! As the Wahoos prepare for a pair of official visitors over the next two weekends, we'll look at both of those recruitments and break them down as well as one more decision that could weigh heavily on the big picture. We'll get into a little bit of the pecking order before we turn our attention to some decisions that will need to be made by the staff in terms of which wing players to make a push for going forward. Even though there are a lot of variables at play, there may be a clearer line of thinking that's emerged and we'll tell you how we currently see it all playing out.
As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!
Visits lining up
It's going to be a busy couple of weekends in Charlottesville, starting with this one as Providence transfer
Paschal Chukwu comes in for his official visit. Word we've heard is that UVa feels good about where things stand with the 7-footer but sources also believe no matter how much he enjoys his trip he's unlikely to make the call. His plan as of now is to at least visit Michigan State with other trips, including potential visits to Syracuse and/or UConn, still possible.
According to sources, Chukwu isn't just looking for a basketball home. While that's obviously a big focus, he wants a specific college experience as well, which is one of the reasons he left Providence. He wants that "big school" feel with lots of activity and social aspects, including a large athletic department. That's the college life he's searching for and among the schools looking at him, they fit that to varying degrees. The key for the staff will be making sure he sees all he needs to see this weekend. Perhaps more so than most visits, it's a big plus that the basketball team is back in town now that summer sessions has begun.
If we had to give you a read on it right now, we'd say that UVa has as good a chance here as anybody else but that there are multiple visits still to come before a decision gets made. We won't think UVa has no chance if he doesn't commit shortly after this visit but it's hard to be but so confident if it indeed does play out that way.
Cook coming in soon
The visits will roll on next week when
Tony Bennett and his staff are planning to welcome four-star big man
Tyler Cook for his official. And this is another one that could go UVa's way in the end, though Missouri is deeply entrenched here given the connections Cook has with that staff. Word we've heard is that UVa views Chukwu as the first domino and Cook as the second. While it's hard to rule it out completely, we don't think it as likely that the staff would take both at this point.
Credit new assistant coach
Brad Soderberg for having such an immediate impact on the trail for the Cavaliers. He's done a great job of not only getting UVa quickly into the mix with Cook but also in helping them surge to lead pack. We still think Mizzou is the likely choice but the Hoos have a great, great shot.
As frustrating as this may be... We'll know a lot more about UVa's 2016 picture after these two visits are completed.
Still the leader for Diakite
And then there's the one that frustrates folks the most, though for different reasons. As has been the case all week at Top 100 Camp, four-star Rivals150 power forward
Mamadi Diakite remains the topic of much discussion and rightfully so. He's one of UVa's top targets for a reason, after all.
Having heard what he had to say previously and then having spoken with him for an interview on Thursday night, one thing was clear to us: Diakite is ready. Now, we realize that in saying that it opens us up for criticism should things get squirrely and he chooses to go somewhere else. While he answered questions about taking other visits and said he didn't know yet if he would, our read on this one is clear: UVa has the lead here and this thing would be over if Diakite had the blessing from his family to end his recruitment. We don't see the lack of having that blessing as having anything to do with any schools on his list. Rather, it's just not how they're working the process.
We would be shocked if Diakite makes it through the end of July or that first week of August without committing. And there is no doubt that the Cavaliers are the team to beat.
Finding a wing in this class
Lastly, let's touch on one other dynamic at play on the recruiting front and that's the desire to find a wing. Let's set the table this way: We know people worry about the numbers and that's understandable. At this point, if Chukwu picked UVa we could see a scenario where UVa backed off Cook and other "big" forwards and focused on guys like Diakite and
Wenyen Gabriel.
Now if that were to happen, since UVa is playing with three spots to potentially use in this class, it would allow for just one spot in 2017 (if there were no other changes on the roster). And in talking to sources, especially since we know very well just how much Bennett and Co. love
Matt Coleman, that is something they are prepared to do.
So, two bigs and a wing seems like the mix that Bennett would like to have in a perfect world. It seems at this point like the bigs will be settled on well before the wing, though.
Let's start with the names we've touched on in the past. Five-star
Josh Langford, who just set up a visit to MSU, is a long, long shot that, unless something dramatic changes, you probably won't see us spend much tim on in the future.
Markelle Fultz, though, might be more of a realistic option these days. We've heard rumblings that his family isn't really feeling the bigger powerhouse schools as much as originally thought. But the field is still vast at this point. UVa continues to make a strong push.
There are a number of guys we expect the coaches to evaluate hard next month during that crucial July period including
Jalen Johnson,
Lindy Waters, and
Richard Washington.
Johnson is a 6-foot-6 guard from High Point (NC) who has picked up a pair of ACC offers thus far. We will be shocked if he doesn't have a big month during the July evaluation period. Waters, meanwhile, has been picking up steam for some time now. The 6-foot-5 wing from Oklahoma already has a nice offer list and we expect UVa will join the fray at some point for the talented three-star prospect. Finally, Washington is a 6-foot-5 guard from Newport News whose best offer thus far has been from Wake Forest but word is the Cavaliers are intrigued and want to see what he does next month.
There are definitely other names on the board as well, including guys like
Xavier Green and
Kevin Huerter that the staff will absolutely be checking out in more detail in July but the three names above are guys our sources felt were at the front of the pack.
That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!
