For recruiting fans who have been paying attention to the younger players on UVa’s radar, Sidwell Friends School is becoming a popular recruiting destination for the Wahoos. Already there are multiple players the Cavaliers are looking at from Eric Singletary’s program in 2024 and 2025.
One of the latest prospects from Sidwell to visit Virginia is 2025’s Jalen Rougier-Roane. A sophomore shooting guard, Rougier-Roane has a knack for scoring the ball with the ability to play multiple positions on both ends of the floor.
Sidwell Friends has big aspirations this year as the program is nationally ranked in a lot of polls and Rougier-Roane is going to play a big part during the season.
“I am definitely going to be more of a leader this year,” he told CavsCorner recently. “I need to impact the game at a high level offensively and defensively. I need to just try and help my team win in any way I can.”
On the recruiting front, things are still getting going for the 6-foot-4 wing but Rougier-Roane came away impressed by his trip down to Virginia this fall.
“It was a really good visit,” he explained. “I got to meet with all of the coaches and I was able to see how the team was looking. It was a really good experience.”
Rougier-Roane mentioned a few things that he took away from his visit to Grounds, including the time he got to spend around Tony Bennett.
“Seeing how Coach Bennett is really connected with each member of his team really stood out,” he explained. “You can tell he has a really good relationship with every single one of his players on and off the court as he connects really well with his guys. The practice was also really competitive.”
On the visit Rougier-Roane got to talk with Bennett and associate head coach Jason Williford about a few things that he led to some really good feedback he was able to take back home to DC with him.
“They are telling me to just keep playing hard,” he said. “They really like my game and they want me to keep doing the things I am doing and keep on improving in every aspect.”
Virginia has not offered Rougier-Roane to this point but that could certainly happen down the road and Rougier-Roane would be happy if that was the case.
“I just feel like if I can keep expanding my game,” he said, “and keep working on my ball handling and shooting, I will be happy with my recruitment and if Virginia were to offer I would be really pleased with that offer.”
Rougier-Roane got a great free for things in Charlottesville and some things outside of the basketball court.
“I learned quite a few things on my visit to Virginia,” he said. “I did not realize how much there was to do in Charlottesville. I also did not know how much there was for the players off the court. There is a very nice recovery center, they have their own personal chef for whenever they need food.”
Despite his proximity to UVa, location might not necessarily be that important in the big scheme of things. That being said, being close to home is something he might possibly like.
“I would say location does not matter,” Rougier-Roane added. “It will really just come down to what is best for me. With that being said, it would be really cool to be close to home but it is not a must.”
