Virginia is one of the programs that 2025 Marial Akuentok has been hearing from the most recently. A 6-foot-10 center from Ontario, he is currently at Canadian powerhouse Fort Erie International Academy.

“I have been having constant communication with Virginia,” Akuentok told CavsCorner this week. “They have been showing me a lot of love and visited me this past fall.”

Akuentok likes what he’s building thus far in his relationship with UVa.

“My relationship with Virginia is really good,” he explained. “They have been having good conversations with me and they will check in on me to see how I am doing, how practice and games have been and just checking in on my overall health as well. I have really enjoyed talking with Coach Vandross and Coach (Johnny) Carpenter.”

The coaching staff has been telling Akuentok how important it is to continue putting in the work and he has taken note of that.

“Coach (Orlando) Vandross and Coach Carpenter have been telling me how important it is to stay in the gym so I can keep working on stuff,” he said. “They have also been telling me to keep staying in the weight room because getting stronger will be so important at the next level. They also are always telling me how important it is to keep my body healthy.”

The Canadian native has been able to watch Virginia a little bit and said he can see how he’d fit with the Wahoos.

“I think I would be able to fit in well with Virginia because of the way they play,” Akuentok said. “I feel like they give the ball the perfect amount of touches on offense for a guy like me and I feel like I can really help them on defense because defense is actually the strongest part of my game.”

He also spoke about what stands out when watching the Wahoos in action.

“The No. 1 thing that stands out to me is the way they play as a team,” he said. “They really pass the ball well and always look to make the right read. They don’t want to be good, they want to be perfect.”

At this point in his recruitment, Virginia has not offered Akuentok a scholarship yet but he thinks he has an idea of what he needs to do to possibly receive one.

“I think I just really need to stay consistent and be consistent with what I do, I will get everything that I want,” he said. “I need to continue to rebound the ball well, score the ball well and just overall be a good teammate with a lot of energy because of a high motor.”

When asked which other schools along with UVa are prioritizing him at this point, he said, “Seton Hall, Colorado, Oregon, UNLV and Florida.”