Virginia Basketball Recruiting Notes: Point Guard AJ Green Lands Cavalier Offer

The first Live Evaluation Period of July 2017 concluded Sunday, July 16, at 5 p.m. Shortly thereafter, the Iowa Barnstormers AAU program announced that class of 2018 point guard AJ Green had received a scholarship offer from the University of Virginia.

Check out highlights of the 6’3” prospect below, courtesy of Courtside Films.

Green is a consensus 4-star prospect who Scout.com ranks as the no. 65 overall recruit in his class. Averaging 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, he helped the Barnstormers reach the Final 4 of the Adidas Gauntlet Finale. The Cedar Falls (IA) native attended the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, where he turned in a solid performance, impressing our own Kris Wright.

“He’s got a UVA feel to his game and could be someone to eye on the recruiting trail as the July period picks up,” Wright noted in his Top 100 Camp Capsules feature. “Iowa State, Northern Iowa (his dad is an assistant there), and Clemson are among the schools mentioned. Very sound with the ball, limited turnovers, and defenders had a hard time manipulating him – he went where he wanted to go at the pace he wanted to get there. Great first step with the ball and angles off defenders well with that and his upper body lean (non-dribbling shoulder preserves space well). Has the ability to get the offense going and to get into space, but maybe not all the way to the rim at the same elite level as others in this class. Very strong pull-up mid-range game, but scoring at the rim and from 3-point range may be a question mark for some. Spurs went 4-4.”

Clemson, Iowa State, Minnesota, Nebraska, and now Virginia are among the schools that have offered the standout point guard. The toughest competition may be Northern Iowa, where his father, Kyle, serves as an assistant coach. The Des Moines Register explored the younger Green’s recruitment in a July 13 article, which you can read by clicking here. In the piece, Green says he is “looking to probably make a decision sometime after July.”

The key for Virginia right now is getting Green to return to Charlottesville for a visit.

More Notes from the first July Evaluation Period of 2017

– Per the picture below, Tony Bennett, Jason Williford, and Ron Sanchez attended the Rivals Nation versus Connection Basketball Club matchup on Sunday at the BasketBull Summer Championships in Massachusetts. Rivals Nation features class of 2018 combo guard David Duke, who Virginia offered this past spring. If UVA’s interest in this game is any indication, Duke is high on UVA’s wish list.

– On Saturday (July 15), UVA recruiting source Hooz Got Next (via Houston Wilson of MakePlayz) reported that Bennett, Williford, and Sanchez were on hand for the Peach Jam semifinals. The Oakland Soldiers defeated Boo Williams (featuring UVA class of 2018 wing target Keldon Johnson) in one semi while Team Takeover rallied to beat Brad Beal (featuring top point guard Darius Garland) in the other. The Soldiers defeated Takeover in the final on Sunday.

– The aforementioned AJ Green is an AAU teammate of Stevens Point Area (Stevens Point, WI) power forward Joey Hauser, who has been a longtime target of UVA’s in the class of 2018. Marquette, Michigan State, and Wisconsin are among the top contenders for Hauser, whose brother, Sam, is a rising sophomore at Marquette. Sam took an official visit to UVA before choosing the Golden Eagles. The younger Hauser has mentioned UVA as a possible official visit destination.

– Adam Finkelstein of ESPN and the New England Recruiting Report tweeted on Saturday, July 15, that Bennett was at Josey High School (Augusta, GA) to watch Nike South Beach versus the Southern Stampede, both Nike EYBL teams. Team South Beach features UVA class of 2018 point guard target Michael Devoe.

– Rivals.com reporter Corey Evans tweeted last Friday, July 14, that Bennett watched McDonogh (Owings Mills, MD)/Team Melo class of 2018 two-guard Noah Locke at Peach Jam. UVA (offer) hosted the 6’2” standout on an unofficial visit last month. As did Michigan (offer), Notre Dame (offer), Pittsburgh (offer) and Virginia Tech (offer). Florida, Providence, and Xavier extended scholarships earlier in the process.

Locke scored two more offers this past weekend, from West Virginia and NC State.