Virginia Basketball Recruiting Notes: Future Hoos Eye Postseason Play

By: Chris Horne |

Postseason play is here for two future University of Virginia men’s basketball players and approaching fast for another.

Holly Springs (N.C.) senior forward/center Kadin Shedrick, a Virginia signee, and Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.) sophomore guard Carson McCorkle, a verbal commitment to the Cavaliers, are ready to lead their respective teams into the playoffs.

The 6’11” Shedrick helped Holly Springs to a 19-3 regular season record in 2018-19, guaranteeing the first winning season he has experienced on the high school level. The Golden Hawks are seeking a much deeper run in the 4A state playoffs than they had a year ago, when they reached the 4A East second round before bowing out to South Central, which ultimately reached the state semifinals. Round 1 of this year’s state playoffs begins February 26.

The Golden Hawks concluded regular season play on February 8 with a 78-63 victory over Apex Friendship. Shedrick scored 16 points in the win. You can see highlights of the future Hoo’s performance in the below highlights courtesy of Phenom Hoop Report (Shedrick is #21 in white).

A few other notes on Shedrick. Click here for a local news report on the talented senior. Also, Shedrick was honored by the Raleigh Sports Club as Student Athlete of the Week for his performance on and off the court.

McCorkle Eyeing Second Straight State Title With Greensboro Day

While Shedrick has helped build Holly Springs into a winner, winning at Greensboro Day is nothing new as the Bengals have won three state championships in the past four years. Last year’s title was Carson McCorkle’s first season with the powerhouse prep program.

The 6’3” sophomore helped Greensboro Day achieve a 27-5 regular season record and a no. 2 seed in the NCISAA 4A state tournament. The Bengals have a double-bye and will host a quarterfinal game on Saturday, February 16.

Phenom Hoop Report produced highlights of Greensboro Day’s dynamic sophomore backcourt of McCorkle and point guard Cam Hayes from the February 4 victory over Wesleyan Christian. McCorkle is no. 12 in white. Hayes, who dons jersey no. 3, received a scholarship offer from Virginia while in Charlottesville last Saturday.

Check out the highlights below, but also be sure to see this report on McCorkle, who was named WXII 12 Athlete of the Week last week.

UVA-Bound Morsell, St. John’s Face Difficult Final Stretch

St. John’s (Washington, D.C.), which features Virginia-bound senior guard Casey Morsell, is 20-7 on the season heading into its final three regular season games. All three contests are chances for the Cadets to avenge losses earlier in the year.

St. John’s hosts Bishop O’Connell on Friday (Feb. 15) before taking on Paul VI (Feb. 17) and Gonzaga (Feb. 19) on the road. Earlier in the year, O’Connell bested Morsell and company by two points in overtime. Paul VI escaped St. John’s with a 1-point win thanks to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer near halfcourt, while Gonzaga beat the Cadets by 3 in the first matchup.

Its last time out on February 12, St. John’s dropped a 69-63 overtime defeat to DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD). Morsell scored 29 points according to Capitol Hoops but missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with his team up two with 16.4 seconds left in regulation, so you can bet he’ll be ready to go for these final three contests.

As an aside, Capital Hoops is worth following on Twitter if you want to keep track of DC/MD/VA basketball, particularly the super strong WCAC.

Recruits In Attendance: The Duke Game

Shedrick, McCorkle, and Morsell were all in attendance for the UVA/Duke game in John Paul Jones Arena last Saturday. Shedrick and McCorkle would attend the UVA/UNC game on Monday as well. As for the list of uncommitted recruits in Charlottesville last week, here is the rundown …

– Henry Coleman III, Forward, Trinity Episcopal (Richmond, VA), Class of 2020
Coleman, whose mother is a Virginia graduate, has a scholarship offer from the Hoos. The 6’7” junior became a national recruit last spring and summer, and Duke has recently begun showing more interest.

– Cam Hayes, Point Guard, Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.), Class of 2021
As mentioned, Hayes received a scholarship offer from Coach Tony Bennett on the day. The coveted point guard then visited UNC unofficially on Monday.

– Trevor Keels, Guard, Paul VI (Fairfax, VA), Class of 2021
Like Hayes, Keels received a scholarship offer from Virginia while on Grounds last Saturday. Corey Evans of Rivals reports that Cincinnati has now offered as well. The Washington Post reports that Keels previously received offers from George Washington, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

– Joshua Taylor, Forward, Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.), Class of 2021
No offer from UVA at this point, but Taylor has several Division 1 offers in the fold, including Texas Tech and LSU. He is pictured with Coach Bennett below.

– Carter Whitt, Point Guard, Leesville Road (Leesville, N.C.), Class of 2021
Whitt has received an offer from UVA and has now visited three times unofficially, including twice for games this season.