Tony Bennett has his man… more specifically, a power forward prospect in the class of 2015. 6’8”, 245-pound Jarred Reuter has accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Virginia.
I have officially committed to play basketball at the University of Virginia. Excited to be a cavalier!! pic.twitter.com/FCWn9Psr4s
— Jarred Reuter (@JarredReuter22) August 2, 2014
“It’s great,” Reuter said of having made his college choice. “It’s a good relief to have the process over, and I’m really excited about UVa.”
Reuter, who attends Brewster Academy in New Hampshire but is a native of Massachusetts, received an offer from the Cavaliers the last weekend in July, which is a key evaluation month for Division 1 coaches. Reuter was one of the low post prospects eyed by Bennett, who, according to Brewster Academy head coach Jason Smith, first took serious notice of the talented big man in the spring of 2014.
“What stands out about Jarred is how physical he is,” Smith said. “He thrives on contact. He is about 245 pounds, and he has no qualms about throwing his weight around. Jarred is very aggressive. Even though he plays physical, he is an excellent passer for his size. You watch his highlights and he’s not flying around and dunking on people, but he’s physical and aggressive. His basketball IQ and strength separate him from some others.”
Reuter averaged 10 points and nine boards per game in the 2013/2014 season, helping Brewster to the 2014 National Prep Championship title. This past year was Reuter’s first with Brewster after transferring from Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts. He attended Tabor Academy for two years after transferring from St. Mark’s School (Southborough, MA) following his freshman year. Reuter repeated his freshman year at Tabor (he missed his freshman basketball season at St. Mark’s due to a foot injury), reclassifying into the class of 2015.
“I thought it was a good move for me,” Reuter said of his transfer from Tabor, a New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class A school, to Brewster, a NEPSAC Class AAA program. “It helped me a lot. The fact that I got to play with and against so many talented players… every part of my game improved because of the level I played against.”
Iowa, Providence, Rhode Island and South Carolina were the other finalists before the standout big man chose the Hoos. He narrowed his list to these five schools last weekend and was seemingly in the process of scheduling at least a few official visits. This week he traveled down to UVa for an official visit, and when he returned home he made the call and committed to Coach Bennett.
“The coaches. I like the coaches everywhere, but I really like all the coaches at UVa. They just seemed real genuine and laid back. They weren’t forceful. Also, in Coach Bennett’s style of play I think I can thrive. I’ve had people tell me for a while now that Virginia would be a good fit for me. I watched them this year and became a fan of the style of play,” Reuter said when asked what separated UVa from those other schools.
Reuter added: “The campus and all the facilities were unreal. From an academics standpoint it speaks for itself. Beyond basketball, it’s a great place.”
Given the significant amount of attrition in today’s college basketball world, the possibility certainly exists that Virginia could have more than one scholarship available in this class. If the roster stays the same, though, then Reutter would be the only recruit Virginia would be able to take in the class of 2015. Barring attrition, the 2015 season roster looks like this (Positions in parenthesis):
Seniors: Justin Anderson (3), Malcolm Brogdon (2/3), Anthony Gill (4), Evan Nolte (4), Mike Tobey (5)
Juniors: London Perrantes (1)
Sophomores: Devon Hall (1/2/3), Darius Thompson (1/2/3)
Red-shirt Freshmen or Sophomores: Jack Salt (C), Marial Shayok (3), BJ Stith (2/3), Isaiah Wilkins (4)
Freshmen: Jarred Reuter (4)
While on his official, Reuter discussed playing time with Virginia’s head coach, who as usual did not guarantee anything.
“He said he really couldn’t tell me I’d get a lot of minutes my first year with the guys in front of me, but the year after some of those guys are gone and it would be up to me. I’m comfortable with that,” Reuter said.
Asked what Coach Bennett said he liked the most about his game, the Brewster big man said: “Offensively he liked that I am able to score with my back to the basket, which is something he said they don’t have a lot of right now.”
Wahoowa!