Updated 
Oct. 23!
Because of the nature of recruiting, this page will be a combination of rumors and hard news. I will make every effort to make it clear which is which. I also have some links to other recruiting pages here.
Updated
Oct. 23!
(10/23/96) Small notes... Elton Brand supposedly favors Virginia and Duke over Kentucky at this point. I hope to confirm or refute that supposition soon. Rafael Vidaurreta will visit this weekend. Andre Hutson committed to Michigan State last week. Brian Williams wanted to commit to Virginia earlier but they put him off. Now that Hutson went elsewhere and some other school may be sniffing around Williams, might the UVA coaches change their mind? Hmmm. I don't know.
(10/23/96) Chezley Watson, a 6-2 point guard from Gainesville, Georgia, committed to Virginia Monday night immediately after an interview with yours truly. Watson had visited Virginia this past weekend for his first official visit. When given the chance to play in the ACC, Chezley grabbed it and cancelled scheduled visits to South Florida (sorry, Seth, you lost another one), Georgia and Penn State. Chezley wants to study sports medicine. Follow the link from the headline for more information. An interview with Chezley will be on the hotline tonight.
When told of Chezley's commitment and asked how it would affect his decision, William Avery said, "I won't go there." The Cavaliers have made their choice and I think it was a good one. Chez has good potential as a player, and unlike Avery, he is a serious student.
Hey, all the local papers have the story of Chezley committing (except the Cavalier Daily -- duh!), but so far I'm the only one who actually spoke with Chezley!
(10/16/96) Where do all these rumors come from? The Daily Progress had some tidbits of minor interest. They cite "insiders" as calling the race for William Avery a "two-horse" race between Kentucky and Virginia. There is speculation out there that he will not make all his visits and a decision could come soon after his trip to Kentucky this weekend. I plan on talking to William as soon after he gets back as I can get through on the phone!
Jerry Ratcliffe reported what we already knew: that Elton Brand is down to four schools: Virginia, Duke, Kentucky and Villanova. Elton will be on the Kentucky visit with Avery, as well as Chris Burgess and a couple other guys. Kentucky hopes to wow all the kids with their Midnight Madness.
Andre Hutson is supposed to be leaning towards Michigan State, although I'm not sure how much that supposition is based on anything he said and how much on speculation. A decision is said to be forthcoming. Again, I'll be on top of that story.
Chezley Watson and Aron McMillian are visitng this weekend. Chezley is a 6-1 point guard from Georgia and McMillian is a 6-9 power forward from Greensboro, North Carolina. Both of these guys might commit to where they will go next week. The story on these two is on the hotline right now.
Finally, Virginia is also recruiting Spanish import Rafael Vidaurreta, a 6-8 forward currently attending New Hampton Prep in New Hampshire. Vidaurreta is supposed to visit either the 25th or November 1.
(10/6/96) It has been reported that Kentucky had moved the date of Elton Brand's visit from October 18 so that they could bring him in alone and show him that he was their top priority recruit. I spoke with Elton tonight to confirm this report, and he told me that the visit will take place on the 18th as previously planned. He said he thought of visiting at a different time, but has decided to go on the 18th. Kentucky will delay their "Midnight Madness" celebration until that weekend so they can wow the recruits with it. Since Elton and William Avery will be there, let's hope it doesn't work.
Elton reaffirmed that all four schools that he will visit have an even shot at landing him.
(10/4/96) William Avery's new high school coach made it clear in an exclusive interview with me that William Avery is a point guard, and not a 2-guard masquerading in point clothing. "Some people think that, but I think that's just because they've seen him shoot the ball so well. But I've seen him five weeks now and I think I have a good read on him," Smith said by telephone from Oak Hill the other day. "Better than some scouting service that maybe saw him once. William has no problem running the point. What I like about him -- and the way the game's evolving now -- he's a scoring point guard, and that's the way most of the point guards are nowadays. The day of the guy just coming out and running the offense and that's it -- you don't see too many of those. You don't have to guard them for one thing."
When asked what William looks to do first, set up his teammates, or score for himself, Smith responded, "With us he's going to be the set-up guy. We have good players around him so he's not going to have to shoot and score as much, but I know there's going to be games that I'm going to need him to scor ebecause he may be able to score a little easier than anybody else on the team. He's a big-time shooter, and he really shoots the 3-pointer. He's real strong with the ball. He can get into the lane and he makes good decisions and he looks to pass first. With his AAU team or maybe his high school team last year he would look to score more." Avery agreed. "I haven't had the supporting cast that I have now." He stated that he is not looking to score as much as he has in the past. Smith remarked, "I've had guards that I absolutely had to harness them and break them to get them to play the way I want them to and he's not like that at all."
The Daily Progress had compared Avery to Cory Alexander. I asked Smith to comment on that comparison. "Will's not quite as explosive. Cory was so quick and could stop on a dime and just pull up and shoot that jumper. Will's stronger, a little more physical type player. He'll drive it in and he likes contact, whereas Cory was more of a finesse-type. Will, already he's the strongest guy on our team. He's 6-2, 180, and he'll bench press about 250."
Academics have been a question mark with Avery. Avery has achieved an 820 on the SAT, but does not have the 2.5 GPA on the core courses. Avery said he is working harder on academics this year. "I'm staying more focused, and I know what I have to do and I'm gonna get it done." Smith said Avery's better focus is paying off already. "He made an A and a B this summer, repeating two core classes. He should have no problem qualifying. Look at Junior Burrough and Curtis and Cory, some of the guys that have gone up there. I think student-wise that he can compete in the classroom as well as they did."
(9/28/96) Elton Brand, William Avery and Andre Hutson are indeed in Charlottesville visiting this weekend. The weather could hardly be worse for their visit, but they seemed to have fun yesterday at U Hall. Brand and Hutson participated in the afternoon's pickup games, and both were impressive. Avery showed up in the Hall but did not play. According to the Daily Progress, Brand's and Hutson's mothers made their way down to Cville.
Brand has visits scheduled with Kentucky and UConn. Avery will visit Syracuse, Kentucky, Georgia and Duke. Avery has made two unofficial visits to Duke. Hutson has visited Xavier, and will visit Michigan State, Dayton and Southern California.
HOOpS Online has just completed a deal to maintain a Virginia recruiting hotline. The first report will be posted by 9 P.M. EDT on Monday, September 30 and will consist of my observations and analysis of Brand and Hutson from their play Friday. I will be following all three of these players as they take their visits. Check back Sunday night for more details on the hotline.
(9/24/96) The USA Today had a small feature on Ronald Curry, the Hampton High phenom. The article was primarily about his football exploits, which appear to be more spectacular than his basketball triumphs, but it did have several pieces of information pertinent to basketball. For one, they cited one basketball recruiting analyst as calling him one of the top two point guard prospects in his class. Curry is an excellent student, carrying a 3.75 GPA, and sounds like a solid young man. He has dedicated himself to a best friend who was murdered a couple years ago. He said that this dedication keeps him working hard and focused when he is tempted to get lazy.
Curry has said that he wants to stay close to home. He is the type of player it is crucial for the program to land. He is a great athlete and a great student. He has not yet decided whether he wants to try playing both sports or not, but in an earlier interview he sounded open to making a choice. But Virginia has in the past allowed players to play both sports. Most have eventually chosen one or the other. Curry likely will also.
More Duking
(9/24/96) Elton Brand visited Duke this past weekend, and I heard a rumor (from someone on the Duke forum on AOL, I think) that William Avery paid an unofficial visit at the same time. Interesting. Both are coming to Charlottesville Friday. If they are at U Hall that afternoon, I probably will see them.
(9/20/96) Duke lost Baron Davis to UCLA, so the Dukies presumably will offer William Avery a scholarship. Conventional wisdom says Avery will jump and is now lost to the Hoos. I'm not so sure. It may stick in his craw that he was "second fiddle" and he may decide that UVA wanted him more. Hoo knows. If Avery accepts a scholarship from Duke, Devlon Arrington will move to #1 on UVA's list.
In other news, Duke persuaded Elton Brand to visit this weekend. Oh no, you might say, there goes Brand. Not so fast. Brand promised Virginia's coaches that he would not commit anywhere before visiting Charlottesville. Brand, of course, is scheduled to visit next Friday with Avery. Apparently, Brand is friends with Willie Dersch from AAU back in New York. So, while Duke may now be targeting Brand as a replacement for the Chris Burgess, who likely will join Davis at UCLA, it is by no means certain that he will wind up a Dukie. See eg., Dersch, Willie. Thanks to Insiders Reports for the Brand tip.
(9/18/96) A little birdy chirped in my ear that if I want to see UVA with a pure point guard then Delvon Arrington, currently UVA's number 2 point guard choice, might be my man. Arrington, from Bobby Hurley, Sr.'s St. Anthony's Catholic High School in New Jersey, is reputed to be a pure distributor. Arrington is "eagerly awaiting" an in-home visit from Jones next week. Florida State and St. John's were the leaders for Arrington, but apparently things have not gone well with the Red Storm, and what top basketball prospect would want to play for Pat "I Couldn't Coach My Way Out of Foot Locker" Kennedy?
(9/17/96) Nothing on the rumored looming verbal, in fact I received information suggesting that they are nowhere near a commitment. But Insiders Reports has reported that William Avery may be favoring the Hoos right now. He would like to go to Duke, but Duke has told him they will not offer unless they lose out on Barron Davis. Avery may visit UVA on the 27th, and we may get a commitment then. But if as summer reports stated Avery is more of a shooter and not real effective when his shot isn't falling, I'm skeptical of how much we really want him. I gather he is the coaching staff's first choice, but I would think after living with Cory and Harold the coaches would want a point guard who would rather pass than shoot.
The GOOD NEWS is that Insiders Reports also reported that ELTON BRAND has informed the coaching staff that UVA is in his top three. Brand is a powerful, skilled player who would be a force in the paint for the Hoos. Let's keep our fingers crossed. Julian King over at the Duke Basketball Report has been talking about Brand for months, so they may be stiff competition.
Verbal Commitment Looming?
(9/8/96) Caught a rumor that a verbal commitment from a point guard prospect may be in the works. No other details as yet, but I will have all five ears to the ground. Hey, I know it's thin, but absolutely NOTHING is happening lately. No baskets at U Hall last week, so no pickup games. This week? Hopefully.
(9/4/96) Many of you may have heard that Kevin Augustine has committed to USC, shortly after telling people that UVA was strong in the running and that his top four were UVA, Duke, Stanford and UCLA. Go figure. Augustine was the top point guard prospect considered most likely to attend UVA. Another top PG prospect, 6-5 Larry Hughes from St. Louis, has scratched the Hoos from his list. With it looking more likely that Baron Davis will end up at UCLA, not Duke, Virginia's chances with William Avery may be dwindling fast to nothing. Although an Avery visit may happen in the near future.
Remaining point guard prospects? The remaining premier point guards considering UVA are Edwin Daniels and Kenny Brunner. However, Daniels is likely to wind up at Georgetown, and Brunner is being pursued by a number of schools. Other names mentioned are Chezley Watson, TonyHarris and Marty Inglesby.
As far as big men, it appears the Collins twins are out. The Cavs are pushing hard for Elton Brand and may get a visit. Brand is a player Duke also would love to land, according to the Duke Basketball Report. Brian Williams, a 6-6 forward from Buchanan, Virginia, wants to commit to UVA, but because he is more of a power forward type than a wing-type, the staff wants to hold off for now. Our comrade Chris Horne reported that an in-home visit with Hajj Turner may happen. I hope to have direct word from Hajj on his situation by the end of the week.
(8/22/96) Now Insiders Reports says that Augustine misspoke when he said an in-home visit was set up for the 18th. According to sources at UVA, the visit is still in the planning stages. But Virginia is at the top or near the top of his list.
The assistant coaches did not make the European trip. Presumably, they are recruiting.
(8/20/96) Virginia is one of four schools California PG Kevin Augustine is considering. The 5-11 guard has narrowed the field to Virginia, Duke, UCLA and Stanford. The Virginia coaching staff will have an in-home visit with Augustine on September 18, according to Mike Sullivan's Insiders Reports.
Being on Augustine's list of four is good news for Virginia, considering Duke is almost certain to get Baron Davis, and UCLA is recruiting a number of PGs. Augustine would be a good catch for Virginia.
BTW: I hope to be presenting FIRST-HAND recruiting news in the near future, directly from the recruits, their parents, and coaches. Stay tuned.
(8/17/96) One reader wrote that:
"My son goes to the same high school (Harvard Westlake ) as the Collins twins. Rumor has it that they want to go as a package and that they want to stay in CA so that their parents get to see them play. They are both academically well qualified. Stanford is all over them as well as UCLA and CAL. My hunch is that they will wind up at Stanford."
If they want to stay in California, then that is a tough battle to fight, but you never know. I'll keep hoping.
(8/17/96) According to Mike Sullivan's Insider Reports, Virginia's hoops recruiting is taking a decidedly California slant. The Cavaliers apparently have made progress with 5-9 PG Kenny Brunner from Compton, CA. Brunner is a highly-regarded "pure" point guard. Now that Metheney is history, the Cavs plan to make a major effort for California twins Jarron and Jason Collins. The twins are solid prospects. Jason is a 6-11 center who is an accomplished back-to-the-basket player with good post moves. Jason is top-25 calibre. Jarron is a 6-9 PF/WF who can handle, take it to the hole, and shoot the J. Jarron is top-15 calibre. The twins apparently want to go together, and they have recently mentioned UVA as a school they are interested in attending. Might Debbie Ryan's continued success recruiting in California be having an impact on the men's program? California has not supplied a lot of Cavaliers in the past. First Monte Marcaccini transfered here. I'll be keeping an eye out west.
(8/17/96) Prep Stars has put up a nice data sheet on their top-25 prospects. Check it out.
(8/8/96) Chris Horne has reported that William Avery is leaning strongly to Duke and will commit if offered. Duke is holding off for Barron Davis. But point guard Kenny Brunner has UVA in his list of three, along with UCLA and Georgetown. UVA apparently leads at this point for 6-5 PG Larry Hughes from St. Louis, but Kansas is making a strong push. Chris Owens, a top power forward is said to like UVA a great deal, and may visit. Brian Bersticker will go to UNC if offered, but they may not offer because they are pursuing higher priorities.
(7/21/96) According to Chris Horne, the summer camps are showing that William Avery may be more of a shooting guard than a point guard. One camp observer noted that Avery was ineffective when his shot was off. Most Hoos are fed up with that style of point guard, so the emphasis may shift to other point guards. A new prospect on UVA's point guard list is 6-1 Edwin Daniels from Louisiana, who is described as a tough competitor, a defender and a penetrator. He has been ranked anywhere between #53 and #15. Daniels is said to have looked impressive in camp so far.
(7/10/96) The recruiting of William Avery is going to be a war. He has said that he likes all the ACC schools and he also likes Kentucky. This one is impossible to handicap. Kentucky is tough to beat. Also, Jermaine Medley, who was on UVA's list of point guard prospects, orally committed to Villanova, according to reports.
(6/29/96) A reader reports that Inside Carolinass (some typos are too perfect to correct) said that Bersticker wants to go to UNC, but that Smith has put him on hold while the Heels pursue higher priority targets like 6-11 top-10 candidate Alvin Jones. Will Bersticker wait, or will he go for another school? UVA would like to get Bersticker, but with all the big bodies we have now you would have to think that a place like Maryland or NC State, or even Eunuch Turkey Tech, would offer more of an opportunity for Bersticker. But after this past year's recruiting, I would put nothing past Jones.
With the recruits coming in for this season, Bersticker would be a bonus. Virginia's next recruiting class will be a success if all they sign is a talented "true" point guard, a guy to just come in and run the offense and play defense.
Just caught a rumor from someone who has a friend who says he knows Bersticker's sister that Brian is looking at UNC and only UNC. I had heard earlier reports that he liked UNC and UVA most, but the Cavalier Corner did not list UNC as one of the choices. Will keep on top of this, as I think it is very important to sign the top Virginia players -- and especially to keep them from going to UNC! Of course, we're all glad NOW that Dean stole Ed Geth from us. ;)
With Harold Deane and Jamal Robinson graduating after next year, the coaching staff is concentrating on point guards. In addition to William Avery, who will be at Oak Hill this fall, the Cavaliers are recruiting 6-5 Larry Hughes from St. Louis, Missouri, and 6-0 Jermaine Medley from Wilmington, Delaware.
The Cavaliers continue to recruit Brian Bersticker, who reportedly will choose between UVA, N.C. State, ODU, Maryland and Virginia Tech. Bersticker is rated right around number 50 in the nation, and should be the top-rated senior prospect in the state.
Sources report that 6-8 rising junior Jason Capel will transfer from Indian River High School in Chesapeake, Virginia to St. John's at Prospect Hall. Capel will play for famed prep coach Stu Vetter. Capel should be a consensus top 5 player coming out of high school.
Thanks to "WahooJosh" for forwarding a Newport News Daily Press article our way. The Daily Press named Ronald Curry male high school athlete of the year. Curry led the Hampton Crabbers to the football AAA championship, throwing for a game record 271 yards. Then, Curry led the Hampton basketball team into the district tournament, where he scored 33 points in his last game. Curry is a great football and basketball prospect who wants to play both in college, but who likely will make a choice between the two.
Curry will play AAU for Boo Williams this summer, then head out to the Nike Camp. Last I heard, Avery and Augustine were going to be there also.
Curry has not narrowed his list of choices down, but he said "I know I don't want to go far from home." He hopes to have a list of three to five schools by about this time next year. But if he wants to stay close to home, that gives UVA an excellent shot at landing Curry, whether as a QB or a PG.
Mike Sullivan reported on his hotline tonight that Avery will most likely be transferring to Oak Hill Academy for his last year of high school. Avery has attained the required SAT score, but may have problems with the core curriculum GPA. hence the transfer to Oak Hill. Avery has been described as a great floor leader with a nice jump shot. Sullivan referred to him as a "6-2 combo guard." Avery "really likes the Cavaliers" but has a laundry list of top programs he is considering, including Kentucky, Clemson, St. John's, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Georgia and Clemson. Matt Ramker claims to have spoken to Avery recently and says Avery told him "Duke is #1." This remains to be seen, as no other recruiting service has named Duke as being in the running. Duke has been assumed to be hard after kevin Augustine, another highly-regard point guard.
An Avery transfer to Oak Hill bodes very well for the Cavaliers, who have had much success recruiting at Oak Hill.
With the big man situation hopefully addressed for the next three years, Virginia's coaching staff has turned its attention to recruiting a point guard to replace Harold Deane. Although Virginia recruited Courtney Alexander as a point guard, the thinking in many circles (not necessarily here) is that Courtney will not play point guard for Virginia. Therefore, a replacement for Harold becomes an absolute necessity. Georgia phenom William Avery reportedly is the number one candidate. Avery is a 6-1 player known as a "true point guard" as opposed to a scoring point guard. Avery has been ranked anywhere from 9th to 19th nationally. He generally is listed as the #2 point guard behind Khalid El-Amin of Minnesota. The reported finalists for Avery's services are Georgia Tech, Syracuse, the Cavs, and Clemson. Given that list it appears Avery wants to play in the ACC. That puts the Cavs in good shape, because Tech just signed Kevin Morris, and Clemson just signed Oded Katash. Virginia's current point guards will both be seniors, so only Virginia can promise Avery a likely starting spot as a freshman.
The other point guard mentioned in connection with Virginia is 6-1 Larry Morressey from North Carolina. I don't know much about Morressey. I gather he is from the Durham area, and he is a pretty highly-regarded point guard.
Chris Horne has a list of "junior targets." If you follow the link, you'll see a number of power forwards and centers on the recruiting wish list. Included on that list are superstar Shane Battier of Michigan and 6-11 Brian Bersticker of Virginia Beach. Bersticker is a top 50 candidate. How hard the staff will continue to go after these big men remains to be seen. With Hunter and McAndrew hopefully freshmen next year and Colin Ducharme probably redshirting, it would appear that the Cavs are set at the PF and C positions. Perhaps one more, but it would look like the Cavs would have a hard time convincing a top big man that he is going to see a lot of PT early. Bersticker sounds like he is willing to wait his turn, and like he is very interested in UVA.
Chris also has listed a number of wing forwards. It may be time to start recruiting wings, as Marcaccini and Alexander (if he stays) would be juniors when next year's recruits were freshmen. However, it is likely to be difficult to sign a top wing next year because of the presence of those guys. The following year, UVA would be able to offer a wing a lot of PT and a sophomore starting spot. Jason Capel, anybody?
Check out Chris Horne's comprehensive list of next year's prospects.
I will be paying close attention to the recruitment of top Virginia candidates. The best prospects in the state are sophomore PG Ronald Curry and sophomore WF Jason Capel. Both project as top-10 prospects. There is a sophomore from Danville whose name escapes me who also projects out as a very highly-rated player. I know there are several other big time recruits in the state. Hajj Turner, a 6-9 PF from Charlottesville, is another I'll be paying attention to. Hajj is a Charlottesville rec league legend, and has played over at U Hall in pickup games with the Cavs before.
Mike Sullivan's website. Nice setup. The webmaster for the site is a fellow Hoo.
This is ESPNet Sportszone's site.
Pretty good source for national recruiting information.
Another site. Matt Ramker has write-ups and photos of some of the top junior prospects.
Tom runs a clearinghouse. This page has links to recruiting pages for a number of schools. He also has lists and a comprehensive Syracuse site, if you're interested.
