Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett has extended two scholarship offers in the class of 2020 within the past four days. The first went to DayRon Sharpe, a 6’8”, 225-pound post prospect out of South Central High School in Winterville, North Carolina.
UVA offered Sharpe last Saturday, day two of the April 20-22 Live Evaluation Period. According to the Tar Heel State standout’s AAU coach, it didn’t take long for Virginia to see all it needed to see.
UVA has offered 2020 Day'Ron Sharpe – and it only took them 1/2 game to figure it out!!!!!#Top25 – yeah I said it!
— Dwayne West (@garnerroad) April 21, 2018
Sharpe entered last weekend boasting scholarship offers from East Carolina and Old Dominion. He now boasts five scholarship offers in total because Connecticut and NC State offered after Virginia. North Carolina is among those expressing serious interest in Sharpe, who you can see in action in two videos from last weekend (along with a brief shot of UVA associate head coach Jason Williford looking on in video #1). Video no. 2 is courtesy of Hoops HQ.
Dayron Sharpe One Game @GauntletSeries (DC) Highlights #HoopMajor @dayron_sharpe @GRBC2020_West pic.twitter.com/EAEaYCG4DR
— Hoop Major (@HoopMajor) April 24, 2018
Coach Bennett extended another new class of 2020 offer last night (April 23), to Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, CA) wing Ziaire Williams.
Tonight University of Virginia has officially offered Notre Dame HS 2020 Wing Ziaire Williams. Williams has the size and skill package to play 1,2 and 3 at the next level. The Cavaliers also have offered BTI Select teammate Drake London. @UVAMensHoops @VirginiaSports pic.twitter.com/YPiPZLYALk
— BTI Basketball Club (@BTIHoops) April 24, 2018
Bennett watched the BTI Basketball Club in action in Texas last weekend. We knew UVA’s coach was hot on the trail of the above-mentioned Drake London, a basketball and football star at Moorpark High in California. Bennett offered London, a 6’4” guard, last year. He obviously liked what he saw from Williams, who also claims offers from California, Creighton, Stanford, UCLA and USC.
Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Eric Bossi described Williams in the following tweet (you may recognize the description favoring a certain reigning ACC Sixth Man of the Year) …
Upside for 2020 small forward Ziaire Williams is tremendous. Tall, lanky and fluid jump shooter with skill. #GASO
— Eric Bossi (@ebosshoops) April 22, 2018
Virginia has extended three known scholarship offers in the class of 2020 within the past two weeks. In addition to Sharpe and Williams, Coach Bennett offered Butler (PA) combo guard Ethan Morton on April 11. Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Stanford, West Virginia and Wisconsin are among the other schools that have come through for the 6’6”, 195-pound sophomore.
MORE CLASS OF 2020 NOTES
– Virginia’s staff followed commit Casey Morsell this past weekend. Morsell is playing on the Nike EYBL circuit with Team Takeover, which also features point guard Jeremy Roach (Paul VI in Fairfax, VA) and Hunter Dickinson (DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, MD), sophomores who have been offered by UVA.
– TheSabre.com poster confuzionrains described Morton as a “funkier” version of former Cavalier great Joe Harris. There appears to be some other similarities as well. In this article on Morton by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, we learn that the Butler star writes goals on his mirror. Well, Harris wrote down goals as well, only he did so on his bedroom wall.
Now, Will Morton like UVA just as much as Harris? We’ll have to see about that one.
– In what is likely bad new for the Hoos, prized class of 2020 forward Isaiah Todd has transferred from John Marshall High (Richmond, VA) to Trinity Academy in Raleigh. The 6’11” standout helped the Justices capture a 3A state title this past season.
Virginia has offered along with numerous others.
