In-depth on Huffs decison

Word broke on Thursday night that Durham power forward Jay Huff had committed to UVa but in actuality, that was old news. It just wasn't news he was ready to share with the rest of the world yet.

Now that it's out there, though, the father of the 6-foot-10 shooter says he and the family couldn't be happier to be a part of what Tony Bennett and the Wahoos are building in Charlottesville.

"It's very exciting," Mike Huff, who coaches his son at Durham (NC) Voyager Academy, told CavsCorner. "We're really thankful not just to a great school but to an amazing coach and coaching staff. I was hopeful that Jay would make a decision before this season and just kind of have it out of the way and I think once he got the offer from Virginia, it wasn't going to be long. So we're very excited."

That Bennett decided to offer at this point in the process shows just how much he thinks of Huff's game.

"The offer came, let's see. He accepted on Monday night, so it was probably a week before that maybe? I don't remember the exact date," his father said. "He had some time to think about it and then he called them up and told them he'd like to come. I think it's a great fit, it's a great match of player, personality, and coaching staff. I think it'll be great."

Committing to an ACC school and one that has won back-to-back regular season conference championships was something of a dream come true and capped a whirlwind of a recruitment.

"When he first started being recruited, we were sort of thinking if we'd get a good mid-major, that'd be great," Mike Huff explained. "A Davidson or something would be unbelievable. But he kept developing and working and then he played in the Phenom150 last fall and all of a sudden, I'm getting all these calls and Virginia was probably one of the first calls and definitely the first big school that came to visit. Virginia, Wake Forest, Clemson, Notre Dame, several of the in-state schools, Davidson came. All of a sudden, things sort of exploded.

"Virginia was the first and really the best in the way they went about it," he added. "They got to know Jay as a person as well as a player and I just think that it's a great connection between coaches and player. All of the options were open but I know he was hoping in his heart to get that offer from Virginia and once he got that offer, he was pretty steadfast even despite some other interest and opportunities."

The family visited John Paul Jones Arena when the Cavaliers beat Louisville this season and it was a trip that Huff and the family thoroughly enjoyed.

"That was a great atmosphere and a lot of fun," the elder Huff said of the visit. "It was a big time experience for him and we really liked everything about Virginia and still do. Wish it was a couple of hours closer to home, obviously, but you can't go wrong with Virginia. We're so excited. The city, the school, the coaching staff, everything about it was really a great fit."

So, once he arrives on Grounds how do the Wahoos see Huff fitting into what they do?

"Jay's a pretty unique player," his father said. "You don't get too many 6-foot-10 guys who can shoot the ball the way that he can shoot it from the outside and have the ability to put it on the floor and be able to pass and do the things he can do. So I just think from the standpoint of being able to spread the floor and open up things, they don't want him to come in and be a banger in the post. They want him to do what he does well.

"And that was music to his ears I think," Huff added. "He's very comfortable on the perimeter. They do want to have a banger inside but they don't necessarily need it to be him. That really opens it up for him to do the things he likes to do and excels at. Their vision for him was sort of the vision he had for himself."

Currently checking in at 6-foot-10.5, 190 pounds, Huff has some work to do in terms of preparing himself physically for life in the ACC. And the possibility of redshirting during his first year at UVa is something the coaching staff has discussed with the family.

"They have said that that's a possibility and that's something Jay can choose to do or not choose to do," his father said. "Coach said he always talks to the player and gives the player the option but it's something that we're open to certainly. Obviously, every kid wants to go in there and play but what we're really looking at is the long-term commitment and to Jay, we've known all along that he's a later developer and he's got to keep working.

"He's going to have a bright future there but I think his brighter years are going to be his later years there," Huff said. "If they say that they want to redshirt him and feel like that's a good option, then we will. We really trust them and the vision that they have for him. A lot of it will depend on what happens between now and then. We want to talk to them about some ideas that Coach (Mike) Curtis has for getting stronger and things like that. It's still a long way to go."

While it might seem like UVa moved on Huff early, there's no doubt that business was really starting to pick up.

"Clemson wanted to get him down there to offer him in person," his father said. "I know Wake Forest was very close. Duke had gotten involved in the discussion and they seemed to be pretty high on him. Notre Dame we heard from early but once it became clear that Jay didn't want to go more than three or four hours away from home, that tailed off. I think some of the mid-major schools, once they saw that Virginia and these other schools were getting involved, they just decided not to waste their time and figured they'd wait and see. I know Davidson was still very interested in Jay.

"But we were very impressed with all of the schools and we were very thankful to have so many great opportunities," he added. "We loved the schools and the coaches but there was just something very distinctive about Virginia from the first time Ron Sanchez walked in our gym. We could tell there was something different and it's just a great fit for us, for everybody I think."

As a junior, Huff averaged 15 points and 9 rebounds per game while leading his school's conference in blocked shots (6 per game) as well as in free throws made.