The WAR ROOM is back and this edition is full of basketball recruiting scoop! The third live period gets underway today and UVa’s coaches will be busy popping up in a variety of locations to finish out a busy month. We’ll catch you up on the offers that went out this week and what they all mean in the big picture moving forward. And we’ll also take a look at the way things stack up heading into the summer’s last evaluation period.
As always, what’s said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let’s go!
Offers abound in 2022 and 2023
It’s been a pretty busy few days for Tony Bennett and the Wahoos this week. After adding an offer to three-star wing Leon Bond following the first live period, the Cavaliers tossed out four more following the second. We’ll tackle those in class order rather that chronological, starting with 2022 sensation Brice Sensabaugh. In asking one source who was the surprise of the cycle thus far the answer was Sensabaugh, a player the staff long thought had potential who has come back with such a vengeance from a knee injury last season. Simply put, the Lake Highland (FL) product who sources say UVa has been recruiting for roughly two years now, has been a revelation. He picked up his offer on Tuesday night, adding one more team to a list that has exploded since the 6-foot-6 wing announced his presence with authority during the scholastic events last month in Georgia. The staff was in to see E1T1 play plenty at Peach Jam, leading Bennett and Co. to link up with him and toss out the offer. He announced last night that he’ll cut his list to five schools next week.
Now, as we’ve alluded to elsewhere on the board, word we’ve heard is that UVa believes Sensabaugh could play alongside Bond and four-star forward Isaac Traudt. With the offer out and the games ahead, look for the staff to be front and center for him again this weekend. The sense we get is that he’s quickly closed the gap on UVa’s board in terms of Traudt/Bond being near the top by themselves.
The second offer to go out this week in 2022 was to four-star power forward Malik Reneau. In talking to sources on Wednesday, his was the name that was given in terms of who was the most likely to get the next offer and it took just a few hours for that to come to fruition. The Montverde Academy standout is another EYBL kid that UVa went into the weekend really high on and he delivered, as the Nightrydas Elite prospect was putting up better than 20 points per game and eight boards. If he’s truly up to the rumored 6-foot-9 then that takes one potential negative off the board but either way, he plays much bigger than he is thanks to athleticism and bounce. He’s an intriguing prospect that Virginia is obviously very interested in and will certainly be pushing to get an OV from.
The other two offers that went out this week were to players in 2023 and for those who have been reading our recent updates there was no surprise when five-star point guard Caleb Foster and four-star combo guard Reed Sheppard were offered on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectfully.
In the 6-foot-3 Foster, UVa sees a kid who can really shoot it well, who doesn’t get sped up, who has great size, and who rebounds the ball too. Sources say the Cavaliers see him in that “complete guard” mold that Bennett covets. The Oak Hill standout, who visited UVa in June, is also playing up this summer on the 17U level and that stands out as well.
And then there’s the much-discussed Sheppard, a Kentucky legacy kid who picked up his offer from the Wildcats recently as well. Now UVa, which is probably the one team in America best positioned to thwart UK in this recruitment, has thrown the offer down too and non-UVa sources say this one will get interesting now. In talking to those same sources last night, word we heard is that UVa was the offer Sheppard was also looking to earn and that it could be a “dead heat.” Now, color us a tad skeptical. After all, Kentucky is Kentucky and this is a true Kentucky kid. But every day that he remains on the board, the chances improve—albeit incrementally—that he could land elsewhere. And as we told you in this space a week ago, UVa isn’t going to stop recruiting the kid until he says so. Thus far, all systems are a go. Game on.
Setting the scene
Now, let’s try to paint the most accurate picture we can of where things stand. In 2022, Traudt remains the top target overall and word is UVa is very aware of the Kansas interest/potential visit. The vibe we get is that the Cavaliers are seen as the likely favorite right now but that this one may take a little longer than most would’ve assumed. How much longer? We don’t have a solid read but it could be a little deeper into August or even early September.
Bond, meanwhile, is likely to decide much sooner. Traction with him has been very good, we hear, and there’s little doubt among sources that this is a two-team battle between UVa and Marquette, the home-town team. Texas A&M tossed out an offer yesterday afternoon so we’ll have to see if that changes anything up for him but for right now it doesn’t appear that it will. Virginia is, as with Traudt, going full bore.
The Cavaliers have space available for four takes in this class but if you’ll recall our earlier update on this front, we have consistently heard that there was no hard and fast “goal” number in mind and that it was unlikely that UVa would max out. Now with the various offers out there, one could see a 2022 class that includes four-star commit Isaac McKneely at guard, Traudt as the combo forward, Bond/Sensabaugh in that athletic multifaceted wing mold, and then somebody like Reneau as a sort of bouncy big.
The other guys UVa continues to track in this class are five-star forward Julian Phillips, three-star forward Ven-Allen Lubin, and three-star center Ernest Udeh, who may be the only true big man that we’ve seen the Cavaliers concern themselves with over time.
Speaking of bigs, there have been some questions about the post players and why it seems like Virginia isn’t very interested in recruiting many of them lately. Sources say the Cavaliers just haven’t seen enough to really settle on this guy or that one despite the understood need for a big in 2023. The list, we hear, continues to be built over both classes. Reneau looks like he could fit but he’s not a list all by himself.
Meanwhile, in 2023 there are several with offers now between Foster, Sheppard, and four-star wing Justin Edwards. The one guy who seems closest would be Gabe Cupps, who sources say has really impressed the staff. But with several offers out to various guards, that one might take a bit of time.
The other major targets in 2023 seemed to be four-star guard London Johnson and Al Amadou, a 6-foot-9 power forward who runs with Philly Pride. Johnson is a kid they’ve liked for a while and he’ll be in Atlanta with Game Elite this weekend for more viewing. And Amadou is one that UVa continues watch and a player that we could see getting to offer status down the road in the not too distant future. Call that one a hunch.
For now, the staff will be Augusta for the EYBL kids (Sensabaugh, Edwards with the 16U, and Reneau), in Indianapolis for Traudt, Foster, and Amadou while Sheppard and Cupps play in a different event in town too. Johnson and Lubin will be in the ATL while Phillips is in Rock Hill.
So, all told? Who gets seen and by whom will tell us a lot about the board and where things stack up, especially in terms of where Bennett goes and how long before he bounces around to the next venue. What’s fair to say is that the last three weeks have done exactly what we expected: Virginia’s board is taking shapes, the names are lining up, and the scene for what’s ahead is set.
That is it for this week, and as always, what’s said here, stays here!
Our thanks to MyPerfectFranchise for their support of CavsCorner:
Are you a displaced corporate executive or wanting to put your career in your own hands? Or are you an experienced entrepreneur wanting to diversify? Well, @Andy MyPerfectFranchise.Net can help! Having owned multiple franchises and businesses in his career, he uses his expertise to helps others find their American Dream through a very thorough and FREE consultation process. Call Andy, put your life and career in your own hands. It’s 100% free, so what do you have to lose?!!*
Call Andy at (404) 973-9901 today or email him: andy@myperfectfranchise.net
As always, what’s said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let’s go!
Offers abound in 2022 and 2023
It’s been a pretty busy few days for Tony Bennett and the Wahoos this week. After adding an offer to three-star wing Leon Bond following the first live period, the Cavaliers tossed out four more following the second. We’ll tackle those in class order rather that chronological, starting with 2022 sensation Brice Sensabaugh. In asking one source who was the surprise of the cycle thus far the answer was Sensabaugh, a player the staff long thought had potential who has come back with such a vengeance from a knee injury last season. Simply put, the Lake Highland (FL) product who sources say UVa has been recruiting for roughly two years now, has been a revelation. He picked up his offer on Tuesday night, adding one more team to a list that has exploded since the 6-foot-6 wing announced his presence with authority during the scholastic events last month in Georgia. The staff was in to see E1T1 play plenty at Peach Jam, leading Bennett and Co. to link up with him and toss out the offer. He announced last night that he’ll cut his list to five schools next week.
Now, as we’ve alluded to elsewhere on the board, word we’ve heard is that UVa believes Sensabaugh could play alongside Bond and four-star forward Isaac Traudt. With the offer out and the games ahead, look for the staff to be front and center for him again this weekend. The sense we get is that he’s quickly closed the gap on UVa’s board in terms of Traudt/Bond being near the top by themselves.
The second offer to go out this week in 2022 was to four-star power forward Malik Reneau. In talking to sources on Wednesday, his was the name that was given in terms of who was the most likely to get the next offer and it took just a few hours for that to come to fruition. The Montverde Academy standout is another EYBL kid that UVa went into the weekend really high on and he delivered, as the Nightrydas Elite prospect was putting up better than 20 points per game and eight boards. If he’s truly up to the rumored 6-foot-9 then that takes one potential negative off the board but either way, he plays much bigger than he is thanks to athleticism and bounce. He’s an intriguing prospect that Virginia is obviously very interested in and will certainly be pushing to get an OV from.
The other two offers that went out this week were to players in 2023 and for those who have been reading our recent updates there was no surprise when five-star point guard Caleb Foster and four-star combo guard Reed Sheppard were offered on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectfully.
In the 6-foot-3 Foster, UVa sees a kid who can really shoot it well, who doesn’t get sped up, who has great size, and who rebounds the ball too. Sources say the Cavaliers see him in that “complete guard” mold that Bennett covets. The Oak Hill standout, who visited UVa in June, is also playing up this summer on the 17U level and that stands out as well.
And then there’s the much-discussed Sheppard, a Kentucky legacy kid who picked up his offer from the Wildcats recently as well. Now UVa, which is probably the one team in America best positioned to thwart UK in this recruitment, has thrown the offer down too and non-UVa sources say this one will get interesting now. In talking to those same sources last night, word we heard is that UVa was the offer Sheppard was also looking to earn and that it could be a “dead heat.” Now, color us a tad skeptical. After all, Kentucky is Kentucky and this is a true Kentucky kid. But every day that he remains on the board, the chances improve—albeit incrementally—that he could land elsewhere. And as we told you in this space a week ago, UVa isn’t going to stop recruiting the kid until he says so. Thus far, all systems are a go. Game on.
Setting the scene
Now, let’s try to paint the most accurate picture we can of where things stand. In 2022, Traudt remains the top target overall and word is UVa is very aware of the Kansas interest/potential visit. The vibe we get is that the Cavaliers are seen as the likely favorite right now but that this one may take a little longer than most would’ve assumed. How much longer? We don’t have a solid read but it could be a little deeper into August or even early September.
Bond, meanwhile, is likely to decide much sooner. Traction with him has been very good, we hear, and there’s little doubt among sources that this is a two-team battle between UVa and Marquette, the home-town team. Texas A&M tossed out an offer yesterday afternoon so we’ll have to see if that changes anything up for him but for right now it doesn’t appear that it will. Virginia is, as with Traudt, going full bore.
The Cavaliers have space available for four takes in this class but if you’ll recall our earlier update on this front, we have consistently heard that there was no hard and fast “goal” number in mind and that it was unlikely that UVa would max out. Now with the various offers out there, one could see a 2022 class that includes four-star commit Isaac McKneely at guard, Traudt as the combo forward, Bond/Sensabaugh in that athletic multifaceted wing mold, and then somebody like Reneau as a sort of bouncy big.
The other guys UVa continues to track in this class are five-star forward Julian Phillips, three-star forward Ven-Allen Lubin, and three-star center Ernest Udeh, who may be the only true big man that we’ve seen the Cavaliers concern themselves with over time.
Speaking of bigs, there have been some questions about the post players and why it seems like Virginia isn’t very interested in recruiting many of them lately. Sources say the Cavaliers just haven’t seen enough to really settle on this guy or that one despite the understood need for a big in 2023. The list, we hear, continues to be built over both classes. Reneau looks like he could fit but he’s not a list all by himself.
Meanwhile, in 2023 there are several with offers now between Foster, Sheppard, and four-star wing Justin Edwards. The one guy who seems closest would be Gabe Cupps, who sources say has really impressed the staff. But with several offers out to various guards, that one might take a bit of time.
The other major targets in 2023 seemed to be four-star guard London Johnson and Al Amadou, a 6-foot-9 power forward who runs with Philly Pride. Johnson is a kid they’ve liked for a while and he’ll be in Atlanta with Game Elite this weekend for more viewing. And Amadou is one that UVa continues watch and a player that we could see getting to offer status down the road in the not too distant future. Call that one a hunch.
For now, the staff will be Augusta for the EYBL kids (Sensabaugh, Edwards with the 16U, and Reneau), in Indianapolis for Traudt, Foster, and Amadou while Sheppard and Cupps play in a different event in town too. Johnson and Lubin will be in the ATL while Phillips is in Rock Hill.
So, all told? Who gets seen and by whom will tell us a lot about the board and where things stack up, especially in terms of where Bennett goes and how long before he bounces around to the next venue. What’s fair to say is that the last three weeks have done exactly what we expected: Virginia’s board is taking shapes, the names are lining up, and the scene for what’s ahead is set.
That is it for this week, and as always, what’s said here, stays here!
Our thanks to MyPerfectFranchise for their support of CavsCorner:
Are you a displaced corporate executive or wanting to put your career in your own hands? Or are you an experienced entrepreneur wanting to diversify? Well, @Andy MyPerfectFranchise.Net can help! Having owned multiple franchises and businesses in his career, he uses his expertise to helps others find their American Dream through a very thorough and FREE consultation process. Call Andy, put your life and career in your own hands. It’s 100% free, so what do you have to lose?!!*
Call Andy at (404) 973-9901 today or email him: andy@myperfectfranchise.net
