Huff goes in-depth on his official

While other members of Virginia's 2016 recruiting class may have come in with a lot of familiarity with each other, that wasn't the case for everyone and that includes three-star forward Jay Huff.

But despite not having that foundation, Huff came away from his official visit recently feeling like he had known his future teammates for a long time and he says he's extremely excited about what the group can do together in Charlottesville.

Huff, a 6-foot-11 shooter from Durham (NC) Voyager Academy, had become a hot commodity when he committed to the Cavaliers in May. Since he had actually been silently committed for a week or so, most didn't know that Tony Bennett had added another 3-point threat to go along with Kyle Guy/ and Ty Jerome.

Months later when that trio got on Grounds together for their official visit, Huff says it felt like home.

"Going in, I was just looking forward to meeting my teammates," he told CavsCorner. "I didn't really know what kind of stuff we would do other than the football game. I didn't know what to expect heading into it but it was really nice to get to meet my future teammates and one new guy who we weren't sure at first would be joining us but ended up committing while we were there, so that was obviously really cool."

Huff is referencing four-star Rivals150 wing DeAndre Hunter, who committed to Bennett and the Cavaliers while in town. It's a testament to just how comfortable he felt with the program and with Huff, Guy, and Jerome.

Joined by his family, it was Huff's first opportunity to get back to Charlottesville in a while and his first time really spending a lot of time with Guy and Jerome as well as the current players on the team.

"It's really cool because some of those guys are going to be there when we're there, so it's great to see them and hang out with them some before we even get there," he said. "So in a way you feel like you're already part of the team. And then Mamadi (Diakite), who went up early, he's redshirting this year and it was great to finally get to meet him. I've watched some of his highlights but had never met him, unlike the other commits. So that was really cool. He's hilarious.

"And Ty and Kyle, they're both really nice kids," Huff added. "This was my first time meeting them in person and I think we're going to have a great group. We're definitely going to have a great shooting class because we can all shoot the ball, especially now with DeAndre in the class. It was just great being there and building that. Ty and Kyle obviously knew each other pretty well before and it was funny how Kyle was giving Ty a little crap because he said he couldn't jump that much so he was trying to prove Kyle wrong. But year, the visit was a lot of fun."

Things started off well on Friday night, as the group got to have a meal together before getting a glimpse of their respective games.

"We went to dinner and hung out a little bit that first night, got to play some at JPJ, actually until really late that night," Huff recalled. "We played two on two for a while and then Anthony Gill and Isaiah Wilkins were there, too. It was a lot of fun playing in the practice facility, which is obviously incredible."

That Hunter decided to join the family the following evening wasn't really a shock given how well Huff felt like he was fitting in with the other commits as well as the current players.

"When we were just hanging out and talking about our seasons and stuff, he just joined right in like he was one of the guys," Huff said. "It just seems like Virginia is just a big welcoming group and all of us really got along so well.

"We all just clicked," he added. "It's great to have that feeling. And right after DeAndre committed and we took that picture, we were all laughing at how his phone was blowing up. We remember how that was for sure."

Looking back on the trip, Huff said that for him personally just getting back on Grounds was a big deal.

"I hadn't been there in a while and it was a lot different because I hadn't been in town when school was in session," Huff said. "So it's Friday night when everyone is there and everything. We had the 'Paint the Town Orange' event, which was just hopping. Then just being there, it was a little surreal because I come from a school with 400 students. It wasn't bad or anything, it was kind of cool and interesting to see the atmosphere."

Now, ahead of his chance to officially join the program next month when he can sign his letter of intent, Huff's focus is getting ready for his senior season. His injured finger from the summer is back to 100 percent, he said, and he's ready for the next chapter to start.

"I can't wait," he said. "I knew going in that there was some type of signing day in the spring but I donn't want to wait that long so I'm glad we can sign early. I'm ready to get it done, ASAP. I just can't wait to get this next part of my journey started at UVa."

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