Bringing in four-star guard Bliss is a boon for Bennett and UVa

Tony Bennett and Virginia got excellent news on Friday as Christian Bliss, a four-star point guard, announced his commitment to the Cavaliers.

Bliss, who chose Virginia over Villanova, Xavier and Miami not long after taking his official visit to Charlottesville, brings a lot to the table for the Wahoos.

One of the first takeaways from his commitment is how Bennett and his staff closed on this commitment. Villanova always seemed like the team to beat but ever since Bliss left Grounds, momentum completely shifted toward the Cavaliers. This is another example of Bennett being able to put the full-court press on one of his recruits to make sure he gets his guy.

Let’s discuss why Bliss is his guy: I like to think of him as a hybrid of London Perrantes and Ty Jerome, which obviously fits perfectly under Bennett. His pace, size, playmaking and scoring is all similar to them.

He is a lead guard with good size that can score the ball at a high level but also make next-level plays for his teammates. He is super smart with the ball in his hands and is going to make a lot of plays that will wow you because of how skilled he is. There will be times when he will be the go l-to guy to get a bucket when UVa needs a basket because of his ability to score.

Originally a part of the 2023 class, there seem to be plenty of rumblings that Bliss may end up being part of that group. If that comes to pass, it seems most likely that he will redshirt this coming year. But for for now, he remains in the 2024 class which is becoming an important one Bennett.

Let’s look at what is next for Virginia in 2024:

The Wahoos recently offered 2024 forward Matthew Hodge. He had a terrific June with his high school and is now looking to bring that momentum to Peach Jam with the PSA Cardinals, which is also the same EYBL program that Bliss runs with. UVa will obviously have coaches in attendance for a majority of their games.

Five-star guard Kon Knueppel has been the No. 1 target from the 2024 class for quite a while now but things are not getting any easier with him, especially after Duke offered him this past week. I’m not exactly sure how much they are going to press for him but that is an offer that speaks for itself. All signs point to him choosing Virginia, Marquette, Wisconsin, Notre Dame or Duke.

Every July some new names pop up on the Virginia recruiting board and that could certainly happen over the next few days and weeks. There are a lot of different events this week and next that could provide that opportunity.

Landing a guard like Bliss was Bennett’s top priority heading into July. The push was on since the beginning of June and it obviously paid dividends. We don’t know what else will happen but this is an excellent start to what the future 2024 class could hold.