UVA Extends Offer To WCAC Player of the Year Chris Lykes

By: Chris Horne |

The UVA men’s basketball program has not extended many scholarship offers in the class of 2017, which is certainly understandable considering there is only one scholarship available at this point. Tony Bennett did extend a new offer this past Sunday, though, to Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) star Chris Lykes.

Lykes, a 5’7″ junior point guard prospect, is the reigning Player of the Year in the highly competitive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC). He also earned 2015/2016 Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year honors after averaging 22 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game his junior season.

Virginia’s offer comes on the heels of an impressive performance from Lykes during the Brooklyn session of the 2016 Nike EYBL. In three games (all wins), the standout rising senior averaged 16.3 points, 2.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game for Team Takeover. This included a 21-point outing versus Boo Williams, which features another UVA class of 2017 point guard target in Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, VA) star Matt Coleman.

On April 9, Lykes narrowed his list of schools — those that offered at the time — to five. The list included Georgetown, Miami, Notre Dame, VCU and Villanova. He then visited Villanova on April 15.

Lykes, whose highlights you can see below, did indicate when he narrowed his list that he was open to new offers. UVA is of course a new offer, and the dynamic backcourt prospect attended UVA’s Elite Camp last summer.

Lykes becomes the second Gonzaga prospect to land an offer from the Hoos, joining class of 2018 guard Prentiss Hubb. In four games for DC Premier on the Under Armour Grassroots Basketball Circuit this past week, Hubb averaged 14.8 points while shooting 18-of-34 from the field, including 10-of-22 from 3-point range. He also made 13 of his 14 free throw attempts. Hubb added 23 assists while turning the ball over just four times.