The Virginia women’s basketball team added another member to its 2024 recruiting class on Thursday. Payton Dunbar, a guard out of Jefferson Christian Academy in Virginia, made the call for the Cavaliers after announcing her six finalists as UVA, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Michigan, Rutgers, and Providence.
Dunbar made the announcement in a news conference and UVA announced it soon after officially.
Dunbar attended Jefferson Christian as a homeschool student. She averaged 27 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block per game. The Cardinals won a National Association of Christian Athletes Championship in 2023. At 5’11”, Dunbar flashes plus athleticism that includes the ability to touch the rim. On the club circuit, she competed for the NRV Storm.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Payton into our family,” Virginia coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton said in a news release. “Another homegrown Virginia kid, Payton is an extremely hard worker on and off the court. She is graduating early with a 4.0 GPA and will enroll at UVA in August. She is an amazing person who will enhance our culture and already lives by program’s motto, ‘Grind Now, Shine Later.’ She’s a three-level scorer who will flourish in our uptempo style of play. Wahoo Nation, we have another in-state kid you are going to love.”
With Dunbar’s commitment, Virginia will now feature three incoming players from the high school Class of 2024. Breona Hurd, a 6’2” forward also ranked as a 4-star prospect, signed last fall. The Missouri native tallied 1,648 points and 801 rebounds in her high school career. Kamryn Kitchen, a 5’9” guard with a 4-star rating, scored more than 1,000 points in just three seasons with her team. Last season, she shot 54.0% from the field and 42.0% from 3-point range.
Both Dunbar and Kitchen potentially will redshirt after reclassifying up to enroll with this year’s class.
UVA also announced the signing of four players in the transfer portal this spring. Maryland’s Hawa Doumbouya, Miami’s Latasha Lattimore, UNC’s RyLee Grays, and Long Beach State’s Casey Valenti-Paea make up that quartet.
Both Dunbar and Kitchen have a good prospect of being on Virginia’s first female national championship, or at least in the final four or two. Coach Mo is building a powerhouse very wisely. Go Lady Hoos!!!
While this is great news, projecting future final fours is a tad premature for a 500 ball club. I hope you are right but we are not competing for the top players in the country that tend to sign with the Notre Dame, UConn, and USC East programs.