Four-star guard Mustaf (2024) talks Virginia visit, offer
As is the way when cycles collide, Virginia has started to concentrate on 2024 prospects more here and there, including 6-foot-4 shooting guard Jaeden Mustaf, who recently picked up an offer from the Wahoos after taking an unofficial visit.
The Maryland native, who spent some time at DeMatha Catholic before transferring to Carmel Christian School in North Carolina, talked to CavsCorner about the visit and the offer.
“The visit went really well,” Mustaf told CavsCorner. “I was able to do a lot of different things on the visit. I talked with all of the coaches and I like them a lot. I also got to watch practice and that was really cool. Most importantly it is a really good educational school and I was able to learn more about that.”
With Tony Bennett and Virginia having a history of not offering a lot of kids, Mustaf said he knows that this particular offer is a special one.
“Getting an offer from Virginia has definitely been something I was hoping for and I wanted to get it while I was on this visit,” he said. “Coach Bennett explained how they have not offered a lot of kids in 2023 and they had only offered one kid before me [in 2024] so that really made me feel good because that shows that they really like me.”
Another aspect that Mustaf really enjoyed about the visit is how real Bennett was and has been to him when the two have talked.
“Coach Bennett was straightforward and honest with everything he was telling me and I appreciate that a lot because you don’t get that with every coach you talk to,” he said. “He is a guy that actually means everything he says so I was really appreciative of the offer and I was able to learn so much more about him and the program as a whole. Overall the conversations we had were great.”
Mustaf explained what some of those honest conversations were about.
“He was telling me about the type of player he sees me as and why he thinks his program is a great fit,” the four-star guard said. “He was also saying how Virginia does not get the five star players or top rated players but that they still continue to win so Coach Bennett knows his system really works without them getting those top ranked guys.”
Along with how honest Bennett is to his guys, on the court Mustaf knows how impressive he is as a coach.
“A lot of people don’t go to Virginia because they play at a slower pace than other schools or they don’t score a lot of points but they play a lot of defense at heart and defense is my best attribute,” Mustaf explained. “I think they are really well coached and what Coach Bennett is able to do without getting the top kids is pretty impressive. They won a national championship a few years back and are constantly up there near the top of the ACC.”
One thing that a lot of different prospects are starting to take notice of is the track record UVa has of getting players to the NBA.
“I think they are in the top 10 for most players in the NBA right now,” he said, “so that shows that they know how to develop players really well and they know what it takes to get guys to the league.”
Also of note, Mustaf recently visited NC State and Virginia Tech and is looking to plan some more visits in the near future.
“I visited NC State a couple weeks ago and I was at Virginia Tech the day before Virginia,” he said. “I am looking to schedule some visits during football season. Some schools that I am looking to visit are Georgia, Ohio State and Indiana.”
