2026 small forward Manny Green was the first prospect to earn a scholarship offer from Virginia since Tony Bennett retired. Green is coming off a strong summer with Atlanta Celtics on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit. Green is currently in preparation mode for his junior season at Cedar Grove.

“My fall preparation for this upcoming season has been really good,” Green told CavsCorner. “I have been waking up at five in the morning so I can workout three times a day and just have been putting in a lot of work.”

Virginia has been tracking Green since the summer and the message to Green has been clear since they started following him.

“The message from them was that they really love how I play and they have been recruiting me for a while," Green said. "I have built a really good relationship with them because they have been watching me for a while.”

Former Virginia standout and current Virginia assistant coach Isaiah Wilkins has been the lead recruiter for Green.

“Isaiah Wilkins has been the one talking to me from Virginia and he has just been telling me that they see me as a versatile wing because of my athleticism and ability to shoot the ball. He was also saying that they see me running off a lot of screens.”

Despite Bennett's surprising retirement announcement, the perception of the Virginia program has not changed in Green's eyes.

“With Tony Bennett retiring, it definitely comes up in conversation because he was so good at his job but it does not really change my perception on UVa because it is still a really good school. They still have a really good program.”

Green has been able to watch Virginia in the past and a couple of different things stand out to him.

"Their shooting and defense really stand out to me. I think I could find a lot of open shots in their system and I think I could fit well in their defense because I love getting after it defensively.”

Green has visited Georgia Tech and Tennessee this fall and is in talks with Indiana and Alabama about setting up potential visits.