The WAR ROOM is back and this edition is full of hoops recruiting scoop! It's Elite Camp weekend in Charlottesville, and we'll give you a run down of the talent expected to be in attendance for the event as the Cavaliers welcome in a number of talented players in the 2017, 2018, and even 2019 classes. Of course, there's also the matter of UVa's top two wing targets in the class of 2016 and we'll give you the latest on each of those recruitments. As we continue to move toward the fall and a decision timeframe, where do the Wahoos stand?
As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!
Latest on the wing
Before we get to some of the targets UVa will have on Grounds this weekend, we'd like to start with what Tony Bennett and his staff are trying to get done on the wing, where the top two targets remain very, very much in play.
We said last week in this space that the Cavaliers would love to get this wrapped up without visits. And while that may happen, it's beginning to look less likely. But make no mistake, Virginia is in the very thick of things with both of their four-star Rivals150 small forward targets DeAndre Hunter and Braxton Blackwell.
Our sources said this week that the Wahoos continue to make a push in both recruitments, though with Bennett on vacation there wasn't much movement. The word is that Hunter, who is now down to 11 schools including Alabama, Arizona State, UConn, Maryland, Miami, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, St. Joe's, SMU, Villanova, and UVa, is still somewhat swimming in the recruiting process. Sources believe Virginia and Villanova are the two to beat with a group of Maryland, Miami, Notre Dame, and St. Joe's not too far behind. At this point, it doesn't sound like he's in a position to make a decision without taking visits. As we said last week, the Hoos were hoping to have a shot at wrapping things up without having to go through that process but nonetheless, they feel good about where they stand.
The same can be said about where things stand with Blackwell. After spending a good while talking with his father this week, we feel even more confident about UVa's position there and realistically, that decision feels like it will come down to Vanderbilt and Virginia. The key, as it likely will be too with Hunter, will be visits. We have no doubt that UVa is pushing hard for the weekend of September 12, when the other commits will be in town.
For now, it seems things are progressing in both recruitments in a favorable fashion and we should have more information on firm visit date relatively soon.
Elite Camp on deck
Of course, this weekend is UVa's annual Elite Camp, which generally brings a lot of young talent to John Paul Jones Arena. Word is that UVa will begin camp tomorrow afternoon around 1 p.m. with station work and drills before breaking into games around 4 p.m.
If you'll recall, in years past this camp has been whatever the Cavaliers needed it to be at the time. Some years it's been about getting guys on Grounds for a visit as much as it was a camp opportunity. Sometimes it's been about giving Bennett and his staff a chance to see guys close up to figure out if they should toss out an offer or not. And then in other years, like this one, it's about setting up for the future.
Word we've heard is that the staff is planning to host some 2017 prospects but the bulk of those in attendance will be in the 2018 and 2019 classes, so rising sophomores and freshmen. This plays into UVa's overall recruiting philosophy, which is to use the recruiting success they've had in the current classes to focus on scouting younger players thereby continually having the timeframe for commitments moved up and enjoying the fruits of that cycle.
Remember, not every camper will be a serious candidate for an offer. So what you'll get in terms of coverage is sort of like a condensed one-day-version of what we do for Top 100 Camp. We'll have a live thread with running thoughts on players and then we'll have interviews after that will run this week.
So let's start in the class of 2017, which as we all know will be tight on scholarships. But that doesn't mean the Cavaliers will limit the scope of their evaluations, as they are expecting to bring in several prospects for camp this weekend. We hear the players expected include Myles Douglas, Luke Frampton, Chris Lykes, Brendan Newton, Eddie Scott, and Aamir Simms, among others. The name from that group that probably pops the most is Simms, the 6-foot-8, 200-pound three-star from Blue Ridge. He's picked up a handful of early offers and is starting to get some solid ACC interest. He's definitely a player we're looking forward to seeing in person. Also on that list are the Gonzaga teammates of Lykes and Scott. The former is a three-star point guard with solid mid-major offers and some growing major interest. But the best prospect overall is probably Douglas, a 6-foot-6, 190-pound forward from Baltimore who already has offers from several ACC schools including Georgia Tech, Miami, and Virginia Tech in addition to others like Maryland and Xavier.
In addition to bringing in a lot kids from the Team Loaded family of teams, UVa will be hosting some other good young talent as well. Let's start with 2018 Park View standout Keldon Johnson, who already holds an offer from UVa. He's a guy that has high four-star if not five-star potential and someone we're very much looking forward to seeing in person. Virginia has put itself in a solid position early here, choosing to jump in with an offer well before the noise nationally gets loud. This is a guy that will be on the radar for a long time to come.
Also from the 2018 class, Rasir Bolton and David McCormack are expected as is 2019's Wendell Moore. Bolton, a 6-foot-1 guard from Richmond, is definitely a player we want to see in person because he's already building a bit of a buzz. So too is McCormack, a 6-foot-9, roughly 300-pound big man from Norfolk who already has offers from Virginia Tech, NC State, and Penn State. And Moore, a small forward from Charlotte, is someone that has caught the eye of a lot of talent evaluators in North Carolina and beyond. His seems like a name that you're going to be hearing a lot in the future.
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!
Latest on the wing
Before we get to some of the targets UVa will have on Grounds this weekend, we'd like to start with what Tony Bennett and his staff are trying to get done on the wing, where the top two targets remain very, very much in play.
We said last week in this space that the Cavaliers would love to get this wrapped up without visits. And while that may happen, it's beginning to look less likely. But make no mistake, Virginia is in the very thick of things with both of their four-star Rivals150 small forward targets DeAndre Hunter and Braxton Blackwell.
Our sources said this week that the Wahoos continue to make a push in both recruitments, though with Bennett on vacation there wasn't much movement. The word is that Hunter, who is now down to 11 schools including Alabama, Arizona State, UConn, Maryland, Miami, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, St. Joe's, SMU, Villanova, and UVa, is still somewhat swimming in the recruiting process. Sources believe Virginia and Villanova are the two to beat with a group of Maryland, Miami, Notre Dame, and St. Joe's not too far behind. At this point, it doesn't sound like he's in a position to make a decision without taking visits. As we said last week, the Hoos were hoping to have a shot at wrapping things up without having to go through that process but nonetheless, they feel good about where they stand.
The same can be said about where things stand with Blackwell. After spending a good while talking with his father this week, we feel even more confident about UVa's position there and realistically, that decision feels like it will come down to Vanderbilt and Virginia. The key, as it likely will be too with Hunter, will be visits. We have no doubt that UVa is pushing hard for the weekend of September 12, when the other commits will be in town.
For now, it seems things are progressing in both recruitments in a favorable fashion and we should have more information on firm visit date relatively soon.
Elite Camp on deck
Of course, this weekend is UVa's annual Elite Camp, which generally brings a lot of young talent to John Paul Jones Arena. Word is that UVa will begin camp tomorrow afternoon around 1 p.m. with station work and drills before breaking into games around 4 p.m.
If you'll recall, in years past this camp has been whatever the Cavaliers needed it to be at the time. Some years it's been about getting guys on Grounds for a visit as much as it was a camp opportunity. Sometimes it's been about giving Bennett and his staff a chance to see guys close up to figure out if they should toss out an offer or not. And then in other years, like this one, it's about setting up for the future.
Word we've heard is that the staff is planning to host some 2017 prospects but the bulk of those in attendance will be in the 2018 and 2019 classes, so rising sophomores and freshmen. This plays into UVa's overall recruiting philosophy, which is to use the recruiting success they've had in the current classes to focus on scouting younger players thereby continually having the timeframe for commitments moved up and enjoying the fruits of that cycle.
Remember, not every camper will be a serious candidate for an offer. So what you'll get in terms of coverage is sort of like a condensed one-day-version of what we do for Top 100 Camp. We'll have a live thread with running thoughts on players and then we'll have interviews after that will run this week.
So let's start in the class of 2017, which as we all know will be tight on scholarships. But that doesn't mean the Cavaliers will limit the scope of their evaluations, as they are expecting to bring in several prospects for camp this weekend. We hear the players expected include Myles Douglas, Luke Frampton, Chris Lykes, Brendan Newton, Eddie Scott, and Aamir Simms, among others. The name from that group that probably pops the most is Simms, the 6-foot-8, 200-pound three-star from Blue Ridge. He's picked up a handful of early offers and is starting to get some solid ACC interest. He's definitely a player we're looking forward to seeing in person. Also on that list are the Gonzaga teammates of Lykes and Scott. The former is a three-star point guard with solid mid-major offers and some growing major interest. But the best prospect overall is probably Douglas, a 6-foot-6, 190-pound forward from Baltimore who already has offers from several ACC schools including Georgia Tech, Miami, and Virginia Tech in addition to others like Maryland and Xavier.
In addition to bringing in a lot kids from the Team Loaded family of teams, UVa will be hosting some other good young talent as well. Let's start with 2018 Park View standout Keldon Johnson, who already holds an offer from UVa. He's a guy that has high four-star if not five-star potential and someone we're very much looking forward to seeing in person. Virginia has put itself in a solid position early here, choosing to jump in with an offer well before the noise nationally gets loud. This is a guy that will be on the radar for a long time to come.
Also from the 2018 class, Rasir Bolton and David McCormack are expected as is 2019's Wendell Moore. Bolton, a 6-foot-1 guard from Richmond, is definitely a player we want to see in person because he's already building a bit of a buzz. So too is McCormack, a 6-foot-9, roughly 300-pound big man from Norfolk who already has offers from Virginia Tech, NC State, and Penn State. And Moore, a small forward from Charlotte, is someone that has caught the eye of a lot of talent evaluators in North Carolina and beyond. His seems like a name that you're going to be hearing a lot in the future.
That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!
