Four-star forward Nikolas Khamenia is the latest prospect from the class of 2025 to pick up an offer from Virginia. A 6-foot-8 prospect Harvard Westlake in California, he’s currently ranked as the No. 78 overall player in his class. It’s clear that he’s made an impression on Tony Bennett and Co. thus far.
“I have been talking to Virginia for a while now,” Khamenia told CavsCorner. “We started building a relationship in June when they were first allowed to contact me so the offer really did not come as that much of a surprise. Coach Bennett and the rest of the coaching staff have been really welcoming and have done a great job building a relationship with me and my family as a whole.”
He also said how appealing the offer was because of the type of development UVa has shown in terms of helping guys get to the NBA.
“It was just really cool to get that offer,” he explained. “You see guys go through that program and make it to the NBA because they are constantly getting better each year. The success of the players in the NBA shows that you can really develop well in that program for a couple of years.”
The Virginia coaches have been comparing him to some similar players that have gone on to the next level.
“They have been showing me a lot about their past and the type of players that they have had that are similar to me,” Khamenia said. “They have shown me a plan they have built for me if I were to go there based on the type of player I am and how I could potentially fit in that program.”
Because Khamenia is such a fan of college hoops, he is no stranger to seeing UVa in action the past few years.
“The defense is the No. 1 thing that stands out when I watch them,” he said. “I have been watching them for many years because I am a big college basketball fan. I really enjoyed watching their national championship team because they all play so well together.”
With him seeing a lot of their games, Khamenia knows how well he could fit in Bennett’s system with the Hoos.
“I think I am pretty defensive minded and I just really like to play defense so that obviously is one way I would fit in well because they are super into that too,” he said. “On the offensive end, I have a lot of versatility and can shoot the ball as a wing so that helps.”
Khamenia has only taken one visit and that was an official to Gonzaga but when asked which other schools he would like to visit, he said, “I definitely want to visit Virginia, definitely Nebraska, UCLA, possibly Kansas, California, Illinois, Minnesota and Oklahoma.”
He also mentioned that he will not take any more visits until after his high school season, which is why no decision is planned for the near future.
“I am probably aiming to make my decision by late August or early fall, like September,” Khamenia added.
