Wisconsin forward Daugherty talks UVa interest, connections
Around this time in the calendar year is when new names from the current junior class will arise in recruiting circles and one new name for Virginia fans to keep an eye on is 2024’s Jack Daugherty.
A 6-foot-8 forward from Brookfield Central in Wisconsin, Daugherty is someone that Tony Bennett and Co. have started to track.
Daugherty spoke to CavsCorner recently about his junior season, the message he is getting from Virginia, and his family’s connection to the Bennett family.
“My junior season has been good,” he explained. “I spent a lot of time before the season in the weight room and working on my jump shot and ball handling especially. I really wanted to make a bigger name for myself this year and make this season special.”
As Daugherty said, before the season started he really wanted to make more of a name for himself. He has taken recent visits to Richmond, Iowa, Indiana State and Southern Illinois.
“It has been a lot of fun talking to a bunch of different schools,” he said. “It has been great learning more about how certain schools run and the different recruiting processes that each school uses.
“A few schools that are talking to me on a consistent basis,” Daugherty added, “are Iowa, Princeton, Richmond, South Carolina, Santa Clara, Penn State, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Wisconsin.”
Virginia assistant coach Kyle Getter has been building the relationship with Daugherty ever since he saw the Wisconsin prospect work out this fall.
“I am enjoying the message that I am hearing from Virginia,” Daugherty said. “Before the season they came to one of my open gyms and I had a nice talk with Kye Getter. I have enjoyed talking with him and we have been keeping in good contact with each other.”
Though UVa has not offered Daugherty, he believes one could come his way if he keeps working on a few things to improve his game.
“I feel like I just need to continue to work on my body and keep staying consistent with how I am playing and continue to grow my mental aspect of the game,” he said. “My IQ is just as important as my athleticism. I have to continue to learn what to do with the basketball but most important just keep working on my mentality towards the game.”
Daugherty has been able to watch the Wahoos and thinks he could fit well in the system Bennett runs.
“I really enjoy their playing style and I think it would be an awesome fit for me,” he said. “You can tell all of those guys have a high basketball IQ and they just always know where to go on the court. I think I could be a good fit in their offense and of course their defense is amazing. It is a very nice school and I could very much see myself playing there one day.”
With Daugherty being from Wisconsin, there is a connection with the Bennett family that could possibly play dividends down the road when he enters the decision-making process.
“My dad played at Wisconsin under Dick Bennett,” he said. “My dad kind of grew up with Tony Bennett so there are definitely some times with Tony’s dad being my dads coach so that is a pretty cool connection there.”
