Editor's Note: This is the first half of our conversation with four-star shooting guard Isaac McKneely, the No. 57 overall player in the class of 2022. Here the 6-foot-4, 175-pound shooting guard from Poca (WV) talks about his recruitment, his decision-making process, and what it was about Tony Bennett and UVa that clicked so quickly and easily for him.
So when did it solidify for you that UVa was the right fit for you? Was that a gradual process or did things really come together quickly?
I’ve always known it was going to be Virginia. It was the first high-major place that I had visited back in the fall of 2019 and I always knew from that first visit ‘Wow, this is awesome.’ But what I didn’t know was if I felt that way because it was the only high-major place I had seen. So, maybe it’s because I hadn’t seen anything else right?
So I went through the recruiting process and I’d say that a little less than a month ago I think I was settling down and thinking ‘I think Virginia’s the place for me.’ So we started talking with Coach Bennett and making sure we asked him the questions like what’s the roster going to look like, are you going to be there—because he said he’d been offered NBA jobs and stuff like that—and all that. So, this last month I was thinking Virginia was the place for me, took a couple weeks to make sure, and here we are and I’m committed.
Sometimes kids will say they're committing well after they've actually done so. When did you actually call them and say you were in and how did that go down?
It was last Thursday, so the one before the Monday when I tweeted out the announcement date and time. I think it was that Thursday or Wednesday maybe. I took the time after that to make sure I got to call the other seven coaches and let them know and tell them that I appreciated them for recruiting me and stuff. My mom had reached out to him that day just to check a few things off the list, just about the roster and him staying. So I think he kind of had a sense that something was coming, that we were feeling Virginia.
He’s not the guy to push. He asked my mom that day if he could call me that night and see where I was on it. So, he called me last that night and we talked and he asked me how I was feeling and I told him I was ready to commit to Virginia. I just felt like that moment was right and I just told him 'I’m coming.'
What was it about UVa that really stood out to you?
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.
My high school team, we do a lot of what Virginia does. Coach (Allen) Osborne, he’s been up to UVa numerous times for practices and he’s kind of taken what Coach Bennett does in their practices and implemented that at our high school. So, I’ve been doing what Virginia does my whole high school career. So I have a pretty good feel for the system. So that’s a big deal. Style of play, they run good stuff on offense and pack-line, I love the pack-line. They take pride in their defense.
And another thing is the education. A lot of kids don’t really look into the education piece a lot but Virginia’s education is top tier, like top five in the country or something like that. So, that was a big deal to me too. And then there’s the culture, the five pillars. Coach is really religious. So that’s really big for me, the culture and the type of kids that he recruits.
I know that you had a group of finalists but were there any schools within that group were right there with UVa for a while? Or was UVa always out in front?
I was really interested in like Louisville, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, schools like that. But I think this whole time, UVa has just really been at the top for me. Like I said, I was just exploring my other options and just making sure. Virginia, from Day 1, just felt like it was the place for me.
So, you've been committed for a little more than a week now. What's that time been like for you? Has it sunk in yet that you're committed? What have you been feeling?
It’s definitely a sense of relief. For me here in West Virginia, we haven’t even started our high school season yet, so we won’t start practicing until another couple weeks. So, it’s good that I’m already committed so I don’t have to worry about taking phone calls or anything like that during the season. I can put all of my focus into the high school season.
It just feels good to be committed. The recruiting process is kind of fun at times but it also got stressful here and there, a little overwhelming at times. Some kids enjoy it. I enjoyed it as well but it also kind of got stressful like I said. So it’s a sense of relief to have that over with and know that I’ve got the right fit for me.
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