Virginia Basketball Recruiting Notes: Abdur-Rahim Selected To 2020 Jordan Brand Classic

By: Chris Horne |

Jabri Abdur-Rahim’s playing career at Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) has come to an end. However, the 6’7”, 205-pound senior wing may have another high school basketball game left before enrolling at the University of Virginia this summer. The consensus 4-star senior has been picked to play in the 2020 Jordan Brand Classic.

Click here to see the full roster for the 2020 Jordan Brand Classic, which takes place in Chicago (IL) on March 27.

Despite Abdur-Rahim being sidelined since December with a foot injury, Blair Academy has enjoyed a successful 2019-20 season. The Bucs are 22-2 and recently captured a third straight MAPL championship. Head coach Joe Mantegna and company hope to capture a second consecutive Prep A state championship next week.

Abdur-Rahim led the Bucs to a 22-4 record as a junior, his first year at the school. He earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors for his work on and off the court, which included averaging 15.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, achieving a B-plus average in the classroom, and service to the community that included volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.

The Virginia signee told TheSabre.com in this EDGE feature last month that he hoped to return to the Bucs lineup in February. That won’t happen, but the standout prospect said on Saturday (Feb. 15) he “likely” will be ready to play in the Jordan Brand Classic.

Beekman, Horton Lead Scotlandville To Another Victory

Scotlandville Magnet (Baton Rouge, LA) defeated Zachary, 70-48, on the road Friday night (February 14) to improve to 29-3 on the season. This is the second time this season the Hornets have defeated the Broncos, who have won 24 games in the 2019-20 campaign.

Per this game story from The Advocate, Virginia basketball point guard recruit Reece Beekman scored 16 points and UVA football recruit Jonathan Horton chipped in 15 in the victory. Horton had a key steal and slam as the Hornets closed the second quarter on an 8-2 run to take a 35-25 halftime advantage.

We last spoke with Beekman (click here to read the EDGE Q&A) ahead of the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament. The Hornets recorded a 3rd-place finish in the 8-team field, losing only to host Montverde, which is ranked the no. 1 high school team in the country. Beekman poured in 30 points in a tournament opening win over Master’s Academy (Oviedo, FL), 16 in a 33-point loss to Montverde, and 20 in a 69-46 win over La Crosse (WI). Courtesy of Courtside Films, here are highlights of the future Hoo point guard’s performance at the MAIT.

Scotlandville has two more regular season games (Feb 18 vs. Live Oak and Feb. 21 vs. Denham Springs) before postseason play begins. The Hornets are seeking a fourth straight state championship.

McCorkle Honored By Triad All-Star Classic

Virginia guard signee Carson McCorkle has missed most of his senior season at Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.), suffering a stress fracture in his foot that required surgery. The 2020 Triad All-Star Classic, a top all-star event in North Carolina, paid homage to the future Hoos by announcing him as an honorary captain.

McCorkle, a 6’3” shooting guard out of Raleigh (N.C.), joins Abdur-Rahim and Beekman in UVA’s highly regarded 2020 recruiting class. He underwent foot surgery on January 10 and told 247Sports in an article shortly after that the recovery time is expected to be 2-3 months.

Class of 2021 Recruiting News

Catching you up on some recent Virginia basketball recruiting in the class of 2021.

– Sunrise Christian (KS) star Kendall Brown, a 6’7”, 205-pound wing prospect, claimed an offer from Virginia on February 7.

Brown, who is a Rivals.com 5-star and 247Sports.com 4-star, is considered one of the top overall prospects in his class. Iowa, Iowa State and Minnesota were the first to offer the former East Ridge (Woodbury, MN) star, who has since landed scholarship offer from Arkansas, Baylor, California, Kansas, Marquette, Maryland, Ohio State, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest. Kansas is currently considered the favorite according to Rivals and 247Sports.

Brown attended East Ridge his freshman and sophomore years before transferring to Sunrise Christian for his junior campaign. His junior season highlights are below.

– Virginia head coach Tony Bennett scouted class of 2021 point guard Stevie Mitchell in person on January 22. UVA has not offered the 6’1”, 165-pound Wilson (West Lawn, PA) junior, who is rated just outside of Rivals’ Top 100 list at no. 103 in the nation. Mitchell reportedly has scholarships from Penn State, St. Joseph’s, Temple, VCU and Virginia Tech, among others.

– Blackhawk Christian (Fort Wayne, IN) forward/center Caleb Furst is one of Virginia’s top targets in class of 2021. Furst took an official visit to UVA last fall. Earlier this month, Bennett traveled to Indiana to see Furst in action at Woodlan, which is led by 6’6” sophomore Joe Reidy. Blackhawk Christian earned a 14-point win that night.

The 6’10” Furst has taken an official visit to Purdue. According to to StockRisers.com he is on campus at Michigan State for an official this weekend.

“Modern basketball being what it is, everyone likes people who can guard multiple positions. That was appealing to Coach Bennett,” Blackhawk Christian head coach Marc Davidson told TheSabre.com about his standout prospect. “Caleb can switch a ball screen and keep guards in front and at the same time bang with seven footers. His defensively versatility is a huge appeal. He’s offensively skilled too.”