Catching you up on some of the latest Virginia basketball recruiting news, beginning with the Virginia women’s program, which remains in the race for perhaps the nation’s best prospect in the class of 2019.
William Monroe High School (Stanardsville, VA) star Samantha Brunelle has her pick of any college in the country, but only eleven contenders remain. The 6’3” rising junior revealed her finalists via Twitter on August 14.
“The time has come for me to narrow my list of potential schools down,” Brunelle tweeted. “I feel very blessed that I have had the opportunity to receive interest from many schools across the country. I appreciate the support of my coaches, family, trainers, teammates, and community. I have had the opportunity to develop great relationships with many coaches and I’m very thankful for your interest. With that being said here are my Top 11 Schools.
(IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)
-Kentucky
-Maryland
-Virginia
-UConn
-South Carolina
-Texas
-Wake Forest
-NC State
-Notre Dame
-Louisville
-Duke”
This was a difficult process, but happy to announce my Top 11 pic.twitter.com/emOOTfHkTO
— Samantha Brunelle (@babybruney33) August 14, 2017
Brunelle, who is rated by ESPN.com as the no. 1 overall prospect in the 2019 Class, helped Team USA U-16 to a gold medal at the 2017 FIBA Americas tournament. She averaged 25 points and 14.9 rebounds per game each of her first two seasons at William Monroe. An excellent student, Brunelle carries a 4.275 GPA into her junior year.
Men’s Basketball Recruiting: Duke, Green Off The Board
Cedar Falls (IA) point guard AJ Green and Cushing Academy (Providence, R.I.) combo guard David Duke Jr. are off the board. Green committed to Northern Iowa while Duke narrowed his list to five schools — Florida, Indiana, Providence, Villanova and Virginia Tech.
Green’s decision comes as no surprise. His father serves as an assistant coach at Northern Iowa, which has been long thought to be the favorite. Duke’s elimination of Virginia did come as a disappointment, however, as Tony Bennett and staff made him a priority in the month of July. The 6’4” guard said recently that he was a no. 1 target of the Cavaliers.
At this point, the already offered backcourt targets Virginia is in best position with include Louisiana’s Jared Butler, New Jersey’s Luther Muhammad and soon-to-be Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, VA) guard Will Richardson. UVA is not the favorite for any of these three … the key is getting those prospects on Grounds for a visit. The Cavaliers have made Muhammad’s final five and Butler’s final six.
Midlothian (TX) wing Kaden Archie tweeted that he will narrow his list to eight recently. Virginia offered last month. The hope here is that UVA makes the cut and is able to lure the 6’6” guard to Grounds for a visit.
Dixon Postpones UVA Trip
The tragic events of last weekend did have an immediate recruiting impact in terms of visits. Abington (PA) class of 2019 forward Eric Dixon told Rick O’Brien of Philly.com that he has postponed this weekend’s trip to Charlottesville in light of last week’s tragic events in Charlottesville.
The postponement is precautionary and for safety reasons, Dixon indicated to O’Brien. It appears the 6’6”, 250-pound prospect plans to visit UVA at some point.
“It’s still a great place, a great basketball program, and a great school,” Dixon said of UVA. “I plan to visit there eventually. I’m just not sure when right now.”
According to the report, which you can read by clicking here, Virginia has extended a scholarship offer to Dixon. Georgetown, Miami, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, and Temple are among the others that have offered as well.
