July is an important one on the Division 1 men’s basketball recruiting front. A Dead Period is in effect for most of the month, with three exceptions: July 8-12, July 15-19, and July 22-26. During these times, head coach Tony Bennett and staff will take to the road to evaluate talent on the AAU circuit.
Currently, the Hoos have three commitments in the class of 2016, including Lawrence Central (Indianapolis, IN) combo guard Kyle Guy, Voyager Academy (Durham, N.C.) forward Jay Huff, and Iona Prep (New Rochelle, N.Y.) combo guard Ty Jerome. There are three scholarships still available should Coach Bennett want to use them all. I think UVa may only use two more spots to make sure they have two scholarships available in 2017, but that may also depend on who wants to join the class. We’ll see what happens numbers-wise, but in the meantime here are the players we know UVa has offered and have also at least mentioned Virginia as a consideration.
– Edrice Adebayo, PF/C, Northside (Pinetown, N.C.)
– Tyler Cook, PF, Chaminade College Prep (St. Louis, MO)
– Mamadi Diakite, PF/C, Blue Ridge (St. George, VA)
– Markelle Fultz, WG/WF, DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD)
– Wenyen Gabriel, F, Wilbraham & Monson (Wilbraham, N.H.)
– Sacha Killeya-Jones, F, Virginia Episcopal School (Lynchburg, VA)
– Nick Rakocevic, F, St. Joseph (Westchester, IL)
The months after July will be important for the Hoos in terms of closing out the class of 2016. Diakite, who at this point appears to be the player UVa has the best chance at landing, plans to commit by the end of the summer. Fultz plans to make his decision in August or September. It’s conceivable that all of the players mentioned above may commit in the coming months. July is key in terms of seeing these and other possible targets in this class. Don’t be surprised if more scholarship offers are given out in the coming weekends. At the very least, the coaches will likely be eyeing players they may want to offer if current targets head elsewhere.
UVa recruits Guy and Jerome will be in action as well this month. Jerome looks to lead the PSA Cardinals to the Nike EYBL title in the Peach Jam this coming weekend, while Guy will suit up with the Indiana Elite on the Adidas AAU circuit. Jerome will also play in the Nike Global Challenge next weekend, while Guy plans on participating in all Adidas events this month.
Certainly, the class of 2016 is the immediate concern for Virginia. The staff will also be eyeing future talent as well, so look for more class of 2017 and possibly class of 2018 offers to go out this month as well.
Below are some of the events the coaches likely will attend this month.
Adidas Gauntlet Finale, July 8-11, Atlanta (GA)
Nike EYBL Peach Jam, July 9-12, North Augusta (GA)
Adidas Uprising All-American Camp, July 15-17, New York (N.Y.)
Nike Global Challenge, July 15-18, Chicago (IL)
Under Armour AAU Finals, July 15-18, Atlanta (GA)
Adidas Uprising Summer Championships, July 22-26, Las Vegas (NV)
