The last time—in fact, the only time—Virginia landed this kind of recruiting star power, it resulted in a national title.
The four players in UVa’s latest recruiting class are now officially in the fold, having signed their national letters of intent. All four players—forward Issac Traudt, wings Leon Bond and Ryan Dunn and guard Isaac McKneely—are four-star recruits and Rivals150 prospects in the class of 2022.
That’s only happened once before at Virginia in the Rivals era—in 2016, when the Wahoos signed four of the top 60 players in the country. Those four names are quite familiar to UVa fans: guards Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome, wing DeAndre Hunter and forward Jay Huff.
Guy, Jerome and Hunter were the Big Three of UVa’s 2019 national title team. Huff contributed to that championship run off the bench. During a visit to Charlottesville in early September with McKneely and Bond, Traudt said there were comparisons to that legendary class as the recruits made their way around Grounds.
“It’s definitely really cool,” Traudt admitted to CavsCorner following that visit. “That’ll be our goal too but just getting the love from the fanbase in that regard is definitely special.”
That 2016 class ranked No. 8 in the country. Led by Traudt, the No. 60 player in the Rivals150, this new group checks in at No. 13 in the Rivals 2022 class rankings. A quick recap of who the Hoos are adding in their latest heralded recruiting class:
SCOUTING REPORT: “McKneely is an incredibly strong, hard-nosed combo guard that is becoming proficient in using his size and strength to create space and finish through contact. McKneely has long been a good shooter and his trajectory on that front is encouraging as well.” — Rivals Basketball Recruiting Director Rob Cassidy
WHY VIRGINIA: “I think it’s just the perfect fit all around, on and off the court. Coach Bennett, you can’t deny he’s one of if not the best coach in the country. I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to play for him.” — McKneely, shortly after committing in January
SCOUTING REPORT: “Traudt’s calling card is his versatility on both ends of the floor. At 6-foot-9 with a broad-shouldered build, the Cavalier-to-be can score with regularity inside and out. … That versatility carries over to the defensive end as well, where his length and footwork allow him to guard multiple positions.” — Rivals Basketball Recruiting Director Rob Cassidy
THE FIT AT VIRGINIA: “I think I could be a great fit, especially offensively. He uses a lot of blocker-mover, which is really good when you have a lot of good players with high IQs that know how to play the game the right way, coming off down screens and cross screens and all that stuff for open jumpers. And then defensively, that’s something that I take pride in and obviously he does too.” — Traudt, following a June visit to UVa
THE FIT IN THE PACK-LINE: “Bond and McKneely, they’re more point-of-attack guys. They’re guys that can push, the pack-line, you push to the middle. So they’re more guys that can push to the middle and get the length into the passing lanes.” — Rivals National Basketball Recruiting Analyst Jamie Shaw
POTENTIAL ROLES AT VIRGINIA: “Coach Bennett and I talked about defensively, I’m gonna have to play a big part of it. I have to be an elite on-floor defender, see myself guarding the best player every night. As I start cleaning up my shot—Coach Bennett will do an amazing job with cleaning up my shot—and really the flow, I can play a stretch four, I can go post up smaller guys, but then with my speed I can take on bigger guys. I think my game perfectly fits in.” — Bond, shortly after committing in late July
WHAT LED TO RECRUITING RISE: “Dunn emerged as an in-demand prospect this summer and did so for good reason. While his 6-foot-6 frame and quickness is what jumps off the page, he used the grassroots circuit to show that he’s more than just length and physical tools. … His size also lends itself to incredible defensive versatility.” — Rivals Basketball Recruiting Director Rob Cassidy
ON MALCOLM BROGDON AND DE’ANDRE HUNTER COMPS: “It’s amazing. Coming to UVa, it kind of makes me believe that if they did it here, I can do it here. I’ve got to put the work in like they did but if I put the work in, I can possibly be where they are right now. And that’s what every kid dreams of, so I am happy about that.” — Dunn, shortly after committing in September
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