Days after picking up the first commitment of her Virginia tenure, new women’s basketball coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton added another Wednesday to keep building early momentum. Milan High School shooting guard Cady Pauley announced on Twitter that she had committed to the Hoos.
Throughout the recruiting process I was looking for a family atmosphere and coaches that believed in me.
I found that from day 1 with @UVACoachMox and staff. So excited to announce my commitment to play in the ACC at the University of Virginia! #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/FL1HTuaBYs— cady pauley (@pauley_cady) April 13, 2022
Pauley originally committed to Missouri State prior to Agugua-Hamilton’s hire at UVA. Once the coaching change happened, however, she reopened her recruiting and decided once again to join Coach Mox. The Missouri native will leave her home state, but found the atmosphere she was looking for with the staff. All of Agugua-Hamilton’s assistants followed her to Virginia so the coaches all remain the same for Pauley even with the change of location.
Pauley averaged 33 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 3.5 steals per game as a senior at Milan. She scored 3,074 points in her career. Her commitment followed the news that Notre Dame transfer Sam Brunelle had chosen the Wahoos this past weekend.
Back On Schedule
Originally scheduled to announce his college choice on Friday, April 1, Norcross High School guard London Johnson postponed due to timing circumstances. He used that change to raise money for refugee humanitarian support through social media. The rescheduled date is set for Thursday, April 14.
Johnson narrowed his choices to Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, and Southern Cal. UVA is believed to be in good shape with this recruitment with some indicators pointing to the Hoos as the favorites. The class of 2023 guard would join growing talent on the roster once again.
Between the original and the new announcement dates, Johnson participated in the Nike Hoop Summit in Oregon. Johnson played for the world team and had 4 points with 2 rebounds. During the high school season, Johnson helped Norcross win the Georgia Class AAAAAAA State Championship. He poured in 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals in the title game.
Familiar Name
The offseason transfer portal watch continues to hold fan attention and a familiar name was linked with Virginia this week. Ohio forward Ben Vander Plas narrowed his list to Illinois, Iowa State, Ohio State, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin per Stadium’s Jeff Goodman on Twitter. Vander Plas helped the Bobcats defeat UVA in the 2021 NCAA Tournament opening round with 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. He is named after Cavalier coach Tony Bennett.
Spring Break Drop-Ins
The Virginia football team continues to hold spring practices with the April 23 Spring Game (4 p.m./ACC Network) rapidly approaching. With high schools around the state hitting their spring break weeks this month, there have been quite a few visiting teams at some of the UVA practices.
Some in-state schools that have been represented at practices include C.D. Hylton, Forest Park, Brookville, Liberty Christian, and Salem (Virginia Beach).
