The WAR ROOM is back and this edition is full of hoops recruiting scoop! While the Cavaliers will have one official visitor on Grounds this weekends, we'll start with the recruitment of one of the most talked about players in the Commonwealth who himself is coming off a visit to UVa. We'll give you the very latest on his recruitment and tell you how we see things. Then we'll get to the official visitor, how we see that playing out, and where the Hoos go from there should they lock up a commitment. We'll also touch on another four-star power forward who says UVa is among his top six. Do the Cavaliers really have a chance or is there one school that should be considered the heavy favorite?
As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!
The latest on Diakite
While UVa will be hosting an official visitor this weekend, we have to start today's edition with where things stand in the recruitment of four-star Rivals150 power forward Mamadi Diakite following his official visit last weekend.
Coming out of that trip, sources felt pretty confident that the Cavaliers remained the team to beat. In talking to various sources throughout the week, that remains the case. The sticking point seems to be the timeframe or plan on where things go for the Blue Ridge standout.
We've been told that Diakite's parents left the United States with every intention of letting Diakite and his mentor, Hassan Fofana, handle things from here on out. At first, our understanding was that UVa expected word to come within a week or two. In talking to a source Thursday night, while it might still play out that way it remains unclear if that's a definite or not. At this point, Fofana is still in Africa and presumably, nothing will happen until he returns. The end of the month seems more likely but even that might be wishful thinking.
Now, there's been some talk in the last few days about Diakite possibly reclassifying to 2015 and enrolling much earlier than expected. We finally got some definitive word from one key source (the same one that said Kenny Williams to UVa was far from a done deal, by the way) and the answer was that no, it's not something that's been talked about and truthfully, while it would be great in some ways it would be incredibly tough for Diakite to do. Remember, he arrived in the United State last January, so getting him enough core courses and then through the clearinghouse alone would likely be a nightmare, the source said. We got the impression that UVa would love to have Diakite period no matter when he gets to Charlottesville but that the chances of this being a real option were just not favorable.
The way we see things with Diakite right now, we still think you have to view Virginia as the odds-on favorite but there are unknowns to be mindful of going forward. For example, Fofana is someone that we think has Diakite's best interest at heart (he himself felt like he got some bad advice before he landed at Maryland) and he's someone that knows Tony Bennett from having been recruited back in the day. But outside of that, it's hard to know which schools really resonate. The fact that it appears to be a field of UVa, USC, and Washington, with Fofana living on West Coast, would seem to imply that maybe the thought is that having Diakite close is a good ting. The biggest unknown is that Diakite's likes and dislikes among the three schools remains something of a mystery.
So, we're not saying you shouldn't be excited about UVa's position. We just have to caution (especially in light of last weekend) that what buzz is out there right now could be something like an echo chamber and we might not have a lot of clear answers until a decision gets made. If our sources are to be believed, the when on that is still TBD.
Looking to close
The official visitor coming in this weekend, of course, is three-star Wisconsin shooter Sam Hauser, a player that we've said in the past Bennett really likes. In fact, our sources say he's been manning the wheel on this recruitment. Needless to say, the staff will be looking to pick up a commitment from the 6-foot-6, 180-pound Stevens Point (WI) native.
What we've heard about his recruitment is pretty clear: Marquette thought he was all but done prior to scheduling the UVa visit. Now, the staff there is nervous that they won't get the visit that's planned (he also has a trip set up to Creighton as well). Not only is Bennett leading the charge but assistant coach Brad Soderberg is from the area. Making this all the more interesting is that Hauser's younger brother, Joey, is already looking like one of the top prospects in the region in the class of 2018 and many believe he's the better of the two. So this could be a spot where UVa is lining things up for a while.
Now, having said all that, word is that his parents will come with him on his visit, which we've heard will run Saturday into Sunday. And as we alluded to above, Bennett likes Hauser a lot. There's some thought that while adding Williams would've given UVa a great shooter, one benefit to adding Hauser is that he's a shooter that can be on the floor with guards rather than taking time at one of the guard positions. Either way, Bennett has always been and will likely always be a bird-in-hand recruiter. He's not going to slow play a kid like Hauser for the chance to get someone else. Like it or not, that's going to be the way he does it and this recruitment is no different.
Making Cook's top six
Finally this week, we wanted to touch on what we're hearing about four-star power forward Tyler Cook. The Cavaliers managed to make his final six this week along with Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Iowa State, and Missouri. In talking to sources, it's clear to us that Mizzou is the team to beat for the 6-foot-8, 240-pound big man. But Soderberg really has gotten UVa in the mix with Cook, the No. 79 player overall in the Rivals150.
We're hearing the Wahoos are pushing hard for a visit and it's more than likely that they'll get one. They see Cook, a physical and big bodied player, as a perfect compliment to Sacha Killeya-Jones. The problem right now in terms of getting him is that the Tigers really are in a great spot and have recently hired Corey Tate to be an assistant coach after he coached the St. Louis Eagles AAU team that Cook plays for. As you might imagine, that's quite a hill to climb but right now, UVa is doing all it can to be a factor in this recruitment.
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 latest on Diakite
While UVa will be hosting an official visitor this weekend, we have to start today's edition with where things stand in the recruitment of four-star Rivals150 power forward Mamadi Diakite following his official visit last weekend.
Coming out of that trip, sources felt pretty confident that the Cavaliers remained the team to beat. In talking to various sources throughout the week, that remains the case. The sticking point seems to be the timeframe or plan on where things go for the Blue Ridge standout.
We've been told that Diakite's parents left the United States with every intention of letting Diakite and his mentor, Hassan Fofana, handle things from here on out. At first, our understanding was that UVa expected word to come within a week or two. In talking to a source Thursday night, while it might still play out that way it remains unclear if that's a definite or not. At this point, Fofana is still in Africa and presumably, nothing will happen until he returns. The end of the month seems more likely but even that might be wishful thinking.
Now, there's been some talk in the last few days about Diakite possibly reclassifying to 2015 and enrolling much earlier than expected. We finally got some definitive word from one key source (the same one that said Kenny Williams to UVa was far from a done deal, by the way) and the answer was that no, it's not something that's been talked about and truthfully, while it would be great in some ways it would be incredibly tough for Diakite to do. Remember, he arrived in the United State last January, so getting him enough core courses and then through the clearinghouse alone would likely be a nightmare, the source said. We got the impression that UVa would love to have Diakite period no matter when he gets to Charlottesville but that the chances of this being a real option were just not favorable.
The way we see things with Diakite right now, we still think you have to view Virginia as the odds-on favorite but there are unknowns to be mindful of going forward. For example, Fofana is someone that we think has Diakite's best interest at heart (he himself felt like he got some bad advice before he landed at Maryland) and he's someone that knows Tony Bennett from having been recruited back in the day. But outside of that, it's hard to know which schools really resonate. The fact that it appears to be a field of UVa, USC, and Washington, with Fofana living on West Coast, would seem to imply that maybe the thought is that having Diakite close is a good ting. The biggest unknown is that Diakite's likes and dislikes among the three schools remains something of a mystery.
So, we're not saying you shouldn't be excited about UVa's position. We just have to caution (especially in light of last weekend) that what buzz is out there right now could be something like an echo chamber and we might not have a lot of clear answers until a decision gets made. If our sources are to be believed, the when on that is still TBD.
Looking to close
The official visitor coming in this weekend, of course, is three-star Wisconsin shooter Sam Hauser, a player that we've said in the past Bennett really likes. In fact, our sources say he's been manning the wheel on this recruitment. Needless to say, the staff will be looking to pick up a commitment from the 6-foot-6, 180-pound Stevens Point (WI) native.
What we've heard about his recruitment is pretty clear: Marquette thought he was all but done prior to scheduling the UVa visit. Now, the staff there is nervous that they won't get the visit that's planned (he also has a trip set up to Creighton as well). Not only is Bennett leading the charge but assistant coach Brad Soderberg is from the area. Making this all the more interesting is that Hauser's younger brother, Joey, is already looking like one of the top prospects in the region in the class of 2018 and many believe he's the better of the two. So this could be a spot where UVa is lining things up for a while.
Now, having said all that, word is that his parents will come with him on his visit, which we've heard will run Saturday into Sunday. And as we alluded to above, Bennett likes Hauser a lot. There's some thought that while adding Williams would've given UVa a great shooter, one benefit to adding Hauser is that he's a shooter that can be on the floor with guards rather than taking time at one of the guard positions. Either way, Bennett has always been and will likely always be a bird-in-hand recruiter. He's not going to slow play a kid like Hauser for the chance to get someone else. Like it or not, that's going to be the way he does it and this recruitment is no different.
Making Cook's top six
Finally this week, we wanted to touch on what we're hearing about four-star power forward Tyler Cook. The Cavaliers managed to make his final six this week along with Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Iowa State, and Missouri. In talking to sources, it's clear to us that Mizzou is the team to beat for the 6-foot-8, 240-pound big man. But Soderberg really has gotten UVa in the mix with Cook, the No. 79 player overall in the Rivals150.
We're hearing the Wahoos are pushing hard for a visit and it's more than likely that they'll get one. They see Cook, a physical and big bodied player, as a perfect compliment to Sacha Killeya-Jones. The problem right now in terms of getting him is that the Tigers really are in a great spot and have recently hired Corey Tate to be an assistant coach after he coached the St. Louis Eagles AAU team that Cook plays for. As you might imagine, that's quite a hill to climb but right now, UVa is doing all it can to be a factor in this recruitment.
That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!
