After last night's victory against Morgan State, Virginia sits with a record of 10-2 and from here on out, it will only be ACC teams on the schedule. Despite two blowout losses to Wisconsin and Memphis, the Wahoos took care of business with the non-conference portion of the season and set themselves up with a solid tournament résumé.
With league play about to ramp all the way up, it’’l be difficult for the staff to get out as much on the road to recruit. During the first two months of the season, Tony Bennett and Co. were seen at many high schools gyms across the country. The main focus for those trips was to continue identifying new prospects from the class of 2025 and then start prioritizing the players who they wanted most.
When the season is over there will certainly be some roster turnover with NBA Draft departures and transfers but a lot of that is unknown today. We can, however, take a look at some of the prospects from the class of 2025 the staff has evaluated recently.
While there will certainly be more names from the class of 2025 that come up, for now these are the guys that Virginia fans need to know about.
Nate Ament: Virginia looked to be in a really good spot with Ament early but then Duke got involved. The next thing you know, Ament picked up an offer from the Blue Devils. All signs point to him choosing the Blue Devils in the near future.
Aiden Argabright: According to a source, the John Marshall product caught the eye of the Virginia staff when they saw him play against Sidwell Friends School. Bennett, Jason Williford, and Orlando Vandross were in attendance for that particular game. Argabright had a tremendous fall and is off to a solid start for John Marshall this year. More programs will get more involved with the RVA native soon. Will Virginia be one of them?
Dwayne Aristode: Vandross pulled Bennett along with him this fall to go see Aristode practice at Brewster Academy. The UVa assistant is obviously very involved with this recruitment given his ties in the northeast. Aristode, who recently took an unofficial visit to UCLA, is one to keep an eye on.
Derek Dixon: Dixon is a recruit that got to be seen by Bennett during the Virginia exam break. Virginia has done a good job with him and it's a plus to the Wahoos that Dixon’s sister is a student at UVa. He is going to have a lot of high major suitors throughout the spring, though. Some that come to mind are Syracuse, Pitt and Providence.
London Jemison: A prospect that will probably see a lot of activity from the Virginia staff in the near future, Jemison is a kid that the coaches love and there is a lot of mutual interest there. The Wahoos are in this recruitment but this is not close to being done. Providence and Syracuse also sit really well with him right now. Vandross started the Virginia relationship and now Bennett will most likely start getting more involved.
Nikolas Khamenia: Virginia offered Khamenia earlier this fall and now we will see how much the Cavaliers pursue. Virginia has had success on the west coast and having Ron Sanchez back in Charlottesville certainly helps. Khamenia could be a target to keep close tabs on.
Jackson Keith: Virginia was one of the first high major schools to be on Keith but as of late the staff has put a lot more time on other players. North Carolina, NC State, and Tennessee seem to be the schools that are really prioritizing him.
Acaden Lewis: Williford has seen a lot of Lewis. He stopped by Sidwell Friends School multiple times this fall to check in on Lewis and they have built a good relationship. Bennett also saw Lewis play during the exam break. The DC native was also on Grounds this fall and according to sources, the Lewis family really enjoyed the visit and that it went a lot better than they expected. Along with UVa, he has visited Florida State, Virginia Tech, Maryland and Georgetown. His hope is to also visit some west coast schools in the near future.
Chance Mallory: Perhaps the most talked about player on the board given the proximity, Mallory has become the top priority for Virginia from the class of 2025. And it would be a perfect match given Mallory has known more about the program than some current players due to the fact he is from Charlottesville and has called UVa a “dream school.” Mallory knows how much of a priority he is to the Cavaliers and that could very well be why he is going to have to make a decision sooner rather than later before it comes too late.
Adrien Stevens: After earning an offer from the Hoos in the fall, the pursuit for Stevens has reached very high. So high, in fact, that Bennett went to watch him over the exam break. Bennett has not been known to go out recruiting during the season that much in the past few years so take that for what it is worth. There are four schools really standing out to him right now and those include Virginia, Marquette, Maryland, and Villanova.
Akbar Waheed: Virginia has not offered Waheed yet but he is a prospect that could have a serious blow up this winter and spring. Waheed attends Georgetown Prep in Maryland, which means he’s a guy that Williford would know all about.
