Virginia Basketball Targets Impressing This Week

By: Chris Horne |

Two days into the second of three Live Evaluation Periods, here are some Virginia men’s basketball targets whose play is standing out this week.

Under Armour All-American Camp

Virginia head coach Tony Bennett spent Wednesday night (July 19) and Thursday morning (July 20) at the Under Armour All-American Camp in Philadelphia. Five-star point guard Jahvon Quinerly headlines the list of known UVA class of 2018 targets at this event. The Hudson Catholic (Jersey City, N.J.) star was cited as one of the top performers in Thursday night (July 20) action. Scott Phillips and Julius Kim, who have provided the “Top Performer” articles following each UA Camp session, wrote the following about Quinerly.

One of the top point guards in the country, Quinerly was very impressive as he went against Eric Ayala, a four-star combo guard out of Delaware. Quinerly, the 6-foot New Jersey native, excelled in the open floor each time he got a chance and connected with multiple teammates as well. Quinerly also did an excellent job of creating space to get his shot off over bigger and taller defenders. The five-star guard finished with 18 points (6-for-13 from the floor), four rebounds and three assists.

Click here to read the full rundown of top UA Camp performers Thursday night. Click here to read about Wednesday night (July 19) top performers and click here to read about Thursday morning top performers.

Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.) rising senior Devon Dotson appears to be stealing the show at the UA Camp. UVA may be a long shot here — the Hoos remain in pursuit despite not making Dotson’s top eight last month — but it’s worth keeping an eye on this talented player. From Phillips and Kim following last night’s session …

Arguably the top overall performer at the camp through three sessions, the 6-foot-2 Dotson was ultra-aggressive again on Thursday night. Setting the tone early with a thunderous dunk, Dotson played in attack mode throughout the contest as he was simply impossible to contain off the dribble. Dotson ended the night with 21 points, four assists and three rebounds as he was 8-for-10 from the field.

While things appear to have cooled between Virginia and Oldsmar Christian (Oldsmar, FL) point guard Elijah Weaver, Weaver is performing well in Philly this week. The 6’4” rising senior drew praise for his performances on Thursday. Following last night’s performance …

The lefty guard poured in a game-high 24 points on Thursday night as he looked comfortable scoring from nearly everywhere on the floor. Pursuing his own offense on most possessions, Weaver was 9-for-15 from the floor as his perimeter jumper looked more consistent than it did during the opening night. Besides the scoring outburst, Weaver also added four rebounds and three assists.

As mentioned earlier this week, post Riley Battin and wing Saddiq Bey are a couple of class of 2018 prospects at the UA Camp that Virginia has been linked with previously but have not been offered by Bennett. Battin played well Wednesday night and Thursday morning, which again is when Bennett was there to watch. Here are both write-ups from Phillips and Kim …

Camp settings can be unkind to unselfish players like Battin, but the 6-foot-10 native of California was very efficient and productive on the opening night. Going for a team-high 14 points and chipping in three rebounds, Battin was a very solid 6-for-9 from the floor as he scored using a variety of moves from the mid-post and in. For good measure, Battin also knocked down a three-pointer and showed an ability to be a floor-spacing big man as well.

The Class of 2018 big man was outstanding in the morning games as he presented his ability to score on three levels on a consistent basis. As Battin spreads the floor extremely well, the 6-foot-9 forward has good offensive awareness. The Earl Watson product ended the game with 21 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Bey’s Thursday night performance drew attention. It was also noted that the Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) rising senior played well in the Thursday morning session.

After a solid showing in the morning session, the smooth, 6-foot-7 wing really got going in the night session as he finished with a team-high 19 points. Pumping in three three-pointers, Bey was comfortably knocking down perimeter jumpers while also showing an ability to score by getting to the basket. Although not an elite athlete, Bey makes up for it by playing with good pace and having a good feel for the game.

Locke Staying Hot

Since the first July Evaluation Period began, McDonogh (Owings Mills, MD) rising senior shooting guard Noah Locke has received scholarship offers from West Virginia, NC State, Florida State, Kansas and Oklahoma State. The 6’2” prospect previously held offers from Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Xavier, among others.

Locke played well at Peach Jam last week and has fared well at the Victor Oladipo Skills Camp this week. Coach Bennett spent Thursday afternoon and evening at the Oladipo Camp, which is taking place in Washington, D.C. Fellow UVA class of 2018 backcourt target Michael Devoe is at this event as well. Rivals.com analyst Corey Evans cited Locke and Devoe for their play in DC.

2020 Point Guard Jeremy Roach Turning Heads at Oladipo Camp

Much of this article focuses on UVA’s class of 2018 targets, but the buzz on Paul VI (Fairfax, VA) class of 2020 guard Jeremy Roach has been strong as he has played well at the Vic Oladipo Camp. Virginia has offered this talented prospect.

More UVA Class of 2018 Targets Getting Recognized This Week

Below are tweets on post David McCormack, guard Will Richardson, and point guard AJ Green. All three have been offered by the Cavaliers. McCormack is Virginia’s top post target in 2018.