Four-star shooting guard Elijah Gertrude announced his commitment to the Virginia men's basketball program. — Elijah Gertrude/TW/Tipton Edits

Four-Star Elijah Gertrude Commits to Virginia Basketball

Gertrude chose the Cavaliers over Kansas, Seton Hall, St. John's, and Rutgers

Author:
Matt Newton
Updated:
Sep 14, 2022 4:36 PM EDT
Original:
Sep 14, 2022

In this story:

Elijah Gertrude is officially a Cavalier.

At long last, UVA has picked up a second verbal commitment in the recruiting class of 2023 as four-star shooting guard Elijah Gertrude announced his commitment to the Virginia men's basketball program on Wednesday afternoon.

Gertrude, a 6'3" shooting guard from Jersey City, New Jersey, chose the Cavaliers over Kansas, Seton Hall, St. John's, and Rutgers. He is rated the No. 36 overall prospect in the class of 2023 by 247Sports, as well as the No. 3 shooting guard in the country and the No. 5 player in the state of New Jersey.

Gertrude's recruitment took off this summer as he delivered several standout performances on the summer basketball circuit. Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers jumped in the mix with an offer in late June and Gertrude took an official visit at the end of July. A week later, Gertrude included UVA in his final five and the Cavaliers were considered the leading favorite to land his commitment.

After suffering quite a few near misses on the recruiting trail, Elijah Gertrude has given Tony Bennett and the Wahoos a much-needed significant win on the recruiting front.

So what are the Cavaliers getting with Elijah Gertrude? By all accounts from recruiting experts and scouts, Gertrude is a well-rounded athlete capable of making plays on both ends of the floor. Gertrude is very good at using his athleticism and ball-handling skills to get to his spots for mid-range jumpers and also has the craftiness and speed to get to the rim. He is a very capable on-ball defender and has good defensive instincts, traits that likely caught the eye of Tony Bennett.

Here's what On3's Jamie Shaw had to say about Elijah Gertrude in his scouting report: "Offensively, he has a crafty yet quick wing handle. He is smart in getting to his spots in an efficient manner, and he can rise up and knock it down from the second or third level with great balance and confidence... Where Elijah Gertrude is most impressive is in the passing lanes. He has an innate instinct to shoot the gaps and create deflections and turnovers. His long arms and aggressive nature play into this, but he turned a lot of defense into easy offense this summer."

Elijah Gertrude is the second commit in the Virginia basketball recruiting class of 2023, joining four-star center Blake Buchanan (Coeur D'Alene, Idaho), who announced his commitment to Virginia back on July 3rd.

With Buchanan and Gertrude set to arrive on Grounds in the fall of 2023, joining forces with UVA's elite 2022 recruiting class of four-stars Isaac McKneely, Isaac Traudt, Leon Bond, and Ryan Dunn, the future is very bright for the UVA men's basketball program.

Virginia is in the mix for four other targets in the class of 2023, each of whom has the Cavaliers in his most recent cut list:

SG Taison Chatman (Minneapolis, MN)
SF Andrej Stojakovic (Carmichael, CA)
CG Elmarko Jackson (South Kent, CT)
SG Davin Cosby (Richmond, VA)

Stay updated on all the latest Virginia basketball recruiting news, including offers, visits, and commitments here: Latest Virginia Basketball Recruiting News and Updates

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