The WAR ROOM is back and this edition is full of basketball recruiting scoop! With the first of three summer evaluation periods now open, we'll take a look at where the hoops staff will be over the next few days and what prospects they'll be evaluating. We'll give you a breakdown of what the staff has seen thus far in summer practices and how that's informed the board in 2017 and 2018. And we'll also tell you which prospects the Cavaliers feel good about and how they'll spend their time over the first live session.
As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!
Setting the table for summer evaluations
We thought that it would be a good idea, before we get into the prospects UVa is focusing on this summer, to sort of set the table in terms of how Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers are approaching the three live periods this year. And part of that is fueled by what they've already seen of the 2016 signees in their short time on Grounds.
For months now, sources say, the staff has been trending away from the original thought of needing a PG with the lone 2017 scholarship. The vibe we have gotten for some time is that the staff was fine riding out longer, more high-profile recruitments instead. That continues to be our read of the situation.
According to sources, Ty Jerome, still on his way back to 100 percent following hip surgery earlier this year, has been very impressive in early practices. His feel and vision have "confirmed" what UVa thought he was when the Wahoos took his commitment many months ago. Physically, they haven't been holding him back. They've been careful to not overload him but he can do pretty much everything at this point. He's just not being asked to do a lot of it just yet. While he has to adjust on defense to UVa's famed pack-line, his offensive chops have been very much on display. We've heard that he's already giving the staff confidence that their decision to look beyond a PG in 2017 was the right one.
The word we heard is also that the other enrollees have shown impressive shooting chops, which is another confirmation of what the staff was hoping to address with the 2016 class. Ultimately, sources say, the Hoos feel like they did what they needed to do in that cycle and therefore are set up perfectly for 2017 and 2018 because of it.
Looking to go big in 2017
For all intents and purposes, the lone scholarship in this class will continue to be looked at as something of a bonus. At this point, we believe UVa will do two things: Continue to recruit two highly-rated guys on the board while also continuing to evaluate several others. We do not get the sense, though, that the Cavaliers will be out looking for "new" names to add to the 2017 board. While it obviously could happen, at this point it is not likely.
The two main players remaining in UVa's sights in 2017 are five-star forward Michael Porter and four-star wing Lonnie Walker. Porter, of course, is the No. 2 overall player in the Rivals150 for 2017 and clearly seems destined for Washington, where his father is now an assistant coach and his godfather is the head coach. If he ultimately strays from that plan, though, we think Virginia is the only other school he's seriously considering, thanks in large part to Kyle Guy as well as the way Bennett has continually run his program. Things with Walker seem much less clear, though many we've spoken to believe Villanova is the heavy favorite to land the Reading (PA) standout.
Both of these recruitments are marathons, as we've said on several occasions. And word we heard this week is that Virginia is just fine being involved in recruitments with no clear end date in sight, something that is a bit out of the norm for the Cavaliers.
That's not to say there aren't names to watch in this class, though. Sources say UVa will continue to track some other 2017s over the next few weeks. They didn't give us the green light to report those names publicly, though. Some of those are off-the-radar types while others are just guys Virginia wants to see more.
The two we can speak of in this space include a name you know, three-star Newark (NJ) St. Benedict's combo guard David Beatty, and another that will be relatively new, Hagerstown (MD) St. Maria Goretti guard Elijah Clarence.
Bennett, who began his week in Charlotte at the Under Armour event, will continue to track the 6-foot-3, 180-pound Beatty. No. 121 overall in the Rivals150, he's a player that will likely see a lot of attention over the next few weeks so it's very likely that UVa will fall off the pace if the Hoos don't come through with an offer. Things with Clarence are a bit more unclear. A talented defender who plays with DC Premier, he's built a lot like Malcolm Brogdon and recently came on an unofficial visit to Charlottesville with his coach. An offer is potentially close for Beatty but much less likely for Clarence, we've heard. The next few weeks should help to give the staff a lot more information on both players.
So while Virginia does have some 2017s the staff wants to see, they are being very realistic. Ultimately, they want to use the July periods wisely. The belief is that if they don't get someone in this class, they can easily use the scholarship in the spring on a transfer player who could help bring more balance to the classes. They also know they must focus on the five spots in 2018 and set the table early, much like they did in 2016 with Jerome and Guy. Word we've heard is that Bennett and Co. would like to get a couple of commitments before or during the fall.
The immediate focus in 2018
In this class, with so much room available, it's clear that UVa needs a little bit of everything. Before we go position by position breaking down who the staff will be eyeing this month, it's best to start with priorities. Sources say the Hoos would love to first get their point guard and then a springy, athletic big locked up if possible. That might not be the way it ultimately plays out but it does do a good job of identifying what the staff believes the top needs are in this class.
At point guard, Virginia feels good about where things stand with the top three targets: Four-stars Jahvon Quinerly ,Darius Garland, and Brandon Williams. The visit that Quinerly took following Top 100 Camp, sources say, was a very good one. While he's a quiet kid who was obviously pretty exhausted from the event, his parents clearly loved their time on Grounds. UVa feels good about where things are with him right now.
Bennett got a chance early in the week to see Quinerly before heading to North Augusta and joining up with assistant coach Jason Williford at Peach Jam and the Peach Invitational. They'll get to see both Williams and Garland there. In terms of priorities, sources say Bennett really loves Quinerly's game but the staff would be excited about any of these three at the point.
On the wing, there are five targets of note right now: Five-star Westtown (PA) star Cameron Reddish, five-star South Hill native Keldon Johnson, four-star Washington, D.C. standout Prentis Hubb, four-star Florida wing Nasir Little, and four-star Wisconsin native Tyler Herro. While Reddish is a bit of a long shot at this point, the Hoos are in a good spot early for Johnson while also having set themselves up well with Hubb thanks to an early offer. Little, a 6-foot-6, 195 pounder from Jacksonville, is a recent offeree who sources say has been very receptive early on. We'd look for the Wahoos to host him for a visit once things call down later this summer or early in the fall. And Herro is a relative newcomer to UVa's board as well. The 6-foot-4, 170-pound Greenfield (WI) Whitnall standout has a very nice early offer list and one we could see UVa joining very soon. Lastly, the one other guard prospect we can tell you that the staff will be watching closely is four-star Texas native Quentin Grimes. We've heard good things about the staff gaining traction with the 6-foot-4 guard this spring.
Inside, there are four main targets that Bennett and his staff will be tracking. In addition to watching the UA (Quinerly, Hubb, Little, and Beatty) and Nike (Williams, Garland, Johnson) kids, he will also spend some time at the adidas event in Spartanburg, S.C. That's where he and assistant coach Brad Soderberg will be watching Grimes and Herro as well as guys like four-star Stevens Point (WI) native Joey Hauser and four-star Massachusetts standout Nate Laszewski. UVa feels like its put itself in a great position early with both Hauser and Laszewski, per sources. Frankly, while we aren't ready to make any sort of predictions, we would be at least mildly surprised if the Wahoos don't get at least one of those two.
The other two bigs that Virginia will be watching are names you're pretty familiar with at this point: Five-star Spartanburg (SC) native Zion Williamson and four-star Norfolk big man David McCormack. Though he's got a very versatile game, it's best to list Williamson as a big and Virginia is absolutely going to do all it can to stay near the top of his board, though the list of suitors will be pretty deep. At this point, it's hard to say what the interest level is in McCormack, the 6-foot-10, 290-pound center from Norfolk Academy. We really don't see a scenario where he's the centerpiece inside for UVa in this class given what we've heard the staff is looking for. He's also a very different big man than some schools will want because of his size. At this point, we think the Cavaliers will continue to evaluate but we doubt it goes beyond that.
As we said above, Virginia wants to find a springy big man in this class and has plenty of room to use the scholarships on pretty much anyone. So look for this to be a big focus for Bennett and his staff over the next few weeks and months. New names will emerge as the staff evaluates so don't be surprised to see the Wahoos toss out offers when they see kids they like during these evaluation periods. We expect this list of 2018s to grow, perhaps substantially.
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!
Setting the table for summer evaluations
We thought that it would be a good idea, before we get into the prospects UVa is focusing on this summer, to sort of set the table in terms of how Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers are approaching the three live periods this year. And part of that is fueled by what they've already seen of the 2016 signees in their short time on Grounds.
For months now, sources say, the staff has been trending away from the original thought of needing a PG with the lone 2017 scholarship. The vibe we have gotten for some time is that the staff was fine riding out longer, more high-profile recruitments instead. That continues to be our read of the situation.
According to sources, Ty Jerome, still on his way back to 100 percent following hip surgery earlier this year, has been very impressive in early practices. His feel and vision have "confirmed" what UVa thought he was when the Wahoos took his commitment many months ago. Physically, they haven't been holding him back. They've been careful to not overload him but he can do pretty much everything at this point. He's just not being asked to do a lot of it just yet. While he has to adjust on defense to UVa's famed pack-line, his offensive chops have been very much on display. We've heard that he's already giving the staff confidence that their decision to look beyond a PG in 2017 was the right one.
The word we heard is also that the other enrollees have shown impressive shooting chops, which is another confirmation of what the staff was hoping to address with the 2016 class. Ultimately, sources say, the Hoos feel like they did what they needed to do in that cycle and therefore are set up perfectly for 2017 and 2018 because of it.
Looking to go big in 2017
For all intents and purposes, the lone scholarship in this class will continue to be looked at as something of a bonus. At this point, we believe UVa will do two things: Continue to recruit two highly-rated guys on the board while also continuing to evaluate several others. We do not get the sense, though, that the Cavaliers will be out looking for "new" names to add to the 2017 board. While it obviously could happen, at this point it is not likely.
The two main players remaining in UVa's sights in 2017 are five-star forward Michael Porter and four-star wing Lonnie Walker. Porter, of course, is the No. 2 overall player in the Rivals150 for 2017 and clearly seems destined for Washington, where his father is now an assistant coach and his godfather is the head coach. If he ultimately strays from that plan, though, we think Virginia is the only other school he's seriously considering, thanks in large part to Kyle Guy as well as the way Bennett has continually run his program. Things with Walker seem much less clear, though many we've spoken to believe Villanova is the heavy favorite to land the Reading (PA) standout.
Both of these recruitments are marathons, as we've said on several occasions. And word we heard this week is that Virginia is just fine being involved in recruitments with no clear end date in sight, something that is a bit out of the norm for the Cavaliers.
That's not to say there aren't names to watch in this class, though. Sources say UVa will continue to track some other 2017s over the next few weeks. They didn't give us the green light to report those names publicly, though. Some of those are off-the-radar types while others are just guys Virginia wants to see more.
The two we can speak of in this space include a name you know, three-star Newark (NJ) St. Benedict's combo guard David Beatty, and another that will be relatively new, Hagerstown (MD) St. Maria Goretti guard Elijah Clarence.
Bennett, who began his week in Charlotte at the Under Armour event, will continue to track the 6-foot-3, 180-pound Beatty. No. 121 overall in the Rivals150, he's a player that will likely see a lot of attention over the next few weeks so it's very likely that UVa will fall off the pace if the Hoos don't come through with an offer. Things with Clarence are a bit more unclear. A talented defender who plays with DC Premier, he's built a lot like Malcolm Brogdon and recently came on an unofficial visit to Charlottesville with his coach. An offer is potentially close for Beatty but much less likely for Clarence, we've heard. The next few weeks should help to give the staff a lot more information on both players.
So while Virginia does have some 2017s the staff wants to see, they are being very realistic. Ultimately, they want to use the July periods wisely. The belief is that if they don't get someone in this class, they can easily use the scholarship in the spring on a transfer player who could help bring more balance to the classes. They also know they must focus on the five spots in 2018 and set the table early, much like they did in 2016 with Jerome and Guy. Word we've heard is that Bennett and Co. would like to get a couple of commitments before or during the fall.
The immediate focus in 2018
In this class, with so much room available, it's clear that UVa needs a little bit of everything. Before we go position by position breaking down who the staff will be eyeing this month, it's best to start with priorities. Sources say the Hoos would love to first get their point guard and then a springy, athletic big locked up if possible. That might not be the way it ultimately plays out but it does do a good job of identifying what the staff believes the top needs are in this class.
At point guard, Virginia feels good about where things stand with the top three targets: Four-stars Jahvon Quinerly ,Darius Garland, and Brandon Williams. The visit that Quinerly took following Top 100 Camp, sources say, was a very good one. While he's a quiet kid who was obviously pretty exhausted from the event, his parents clearly loved their time on Grounds. UVa feels good about where things are with him right now.
Bennett got a chance early in the week to see Quinerly before heading to North Augusta and joining up with assistant coach Jason Williford at Peach Jam and the Peach Invitational. They'll get to see both Williams and Garland there. In terms of priorities, sources say Bennett really loves Quinerly's game but the staff would be excited about any of these three at the point.
On the wing, there are five targets of note right now: Five-star Westtown (PA) star Cameron Reddish, five-star South Hill native Keldon Johnson, four-star Washington, D.C. standout Prentis Hubb, four-star Florida wing Nasir Little, and four-star Wisconsin native Tyler Herro. While Reddish is a bit of a long shot at this point, the Hoos are in a good spot early for Johnson while also having set themselves up well with Hubb thanks to an early offer. Little, a 6-foot-6, 195 pounder from Jacksonville, is a recent offeree who sources say has been very receptive early on. We'd look for the Wahoos to host him for a visit once things call down later this summer or early in the fall. And Herro is a relative newcomer to UVa's board as well. The 6-foot-4, 170-pound Greenfield (WI) Whitnall standout has a very nice early offer list and one we could see UVa joining very soon. Lastly, the one other guard prospect we can tell you that the staff will be watching closely is four-star Texas native Quentin Grimes. We've heard good things about the staff gaining traction with the 6-foot-4 guard this spring.
Inside, there are four main targets that Bennett and his staff will be tracking. In addition to watching the UA (Quinerly, Hubb, Little, and Beatty) and Nike (Williams, Garland, Johnson) kids, he will also spend some time at the adidas event in Spartanburg, S.C. That's where he and assistant coach Brad Soderberg will be watching Grimes and Herro as well as guys like four-star Stevens Point (WI) native Joey Hauser and four-star Massachusetts standout Nate Laszewski. UVa feels like its put itself in a great position early with both Hauser and Laszewski, per sources. Frankly, while we aren't ready to make any sort of predictions, we would be at least mildly surprised if the Wahoos don't get at least one of those two.
The other two bigs that Virginia will be watching are names you're pretty familiar with at this point: Five-star Spartanburg (SC) native Zion Williamson and four-star Norfolk big man David McCormack. Though he's got a very versatile game, it's best to list Williamson as a big and Virginia is absolutely going to do all it can to stay near the top of his board, though the list of suitors will be pretty deep. At this point, it's hard to say what the interest level is in McCormack, the 6-foot-10, 290-pound center from Norfolk Academy. We really don't see a scenario where he's the centerpiece inside for UVa in this class given what we've heard the staff is looking for. He's also a very different big man than some schools will want because of his size. At this point, we think the Cavaliers will continue to evaluate but we doubt it goes beyond that.
As we said above, Virginia wants to find a springy big man in this class and has plenty of room to use the scholarships on pretty much anyone. So look for this to be a big focus for Bennett and his staff over the next few weeks and months. New names will emerge as the staff evaluates so don't be surprised to see the Wahoos toss out offers when they see kids they like during these evaluation periods. We expect this list of 2018s to grow, perhaps substantially.
That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!
