Virginia Basketball Recruiting: The Search for UVA's Next Point Guard

Who is Tony Bennett looking at to be Virginia's point guard of the future?

Author:
Matt Newton
Updated:
Jul 25, 2022 11:45 PM EDT
Original:
Jul 22, 2022

In this story:

Reece Beekman and Tony Bennett, Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball — Who will be Virginia's next point guard?
Courtesy of Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

Tony Bennett's success leading the Virginia men's basketball program has been driven by strong play at the point guard position. From London Perrantes to Ty Jerome to Kihei Clark to Reece Beekman, a talented floor general has been the conducting force behind UVA's exceptional run in the ACC in the past decade. With the recruiting calendar reaching its apex for the class of 2023 this summer, Tony Bennett and company are fervently searching for Virginia's point guard of the future.

Kihei Clark's five-year career at Virginia will come to an end after this season and Reece Beekman will be a senior in the following season. The Cavaliers will need another point guard waiting in the wings to succeed him.

Tony Bennett and the UVA coaching staff thought they had secured such a player in four-star London Johnson (Norcross, Georgia), whose commitment to Virginia was seemingly guaranteed back in April. Three months later, Johnson's recruiting saga is yet unfinished. After delaying his commitment three times this spring, reports emerged that Johnson was no longer considering a commitment to UVA. Recruiting experts now predict that Johnson, the No. 31-ranked prospect in the class of 2023, will elect to turn pro rather than playing college basketball.

With Johnson out of the picture, the Cavaliers have set their sights on a whole new set of 2023 point guard targets this summer:

Freddie Dilione (Raleigh, NC)

Freddie Dilione

Size: 6'4", 185 pounds

247Sports ranking: No. 1 in North Carolina, No. 15 combo guard, No. 72 nationally

Virginia offered Dilione on May 4th and he immediately scheduled a visit to Charlottesville for the following weekend. He has also taken officials to Tennessee and VCU and has plans to visit UConn in late July. One of the top scorers on the Adidas 3SSB circuit, Dilione has seen his recruitment ramp up significantly this summer and he now holds offers from more than 20 programs. North Carolina and Kentucky are the latest major programs to show interest.

The good news: Virginia got in on Dilione relatively early and he has developed a good relationship with the UVA coaching staff. The bad news? Here's what Dilione told On3 last week: “I like playing in a fast-paced system; whoever gets the ball, they go. I like playing in the pick and roll and making reads." Obviously, there's an incompatibility between the preferred styles of Dilione and Virginia. Unless Dilione changes his mind on that in favor of "embracing the pace", UVA is unlikely to be the place for him.

Elmarko Jackson (South Kent, CT)

Elmarko Jackson

Size: 6'3", 185 pounds

247Sports ranking: No. 3 in Connecticut, No. 14 combo guard, No. 71 nationally

Tony Bennett extended an offer to Jackson on June 23rd and has been recruiting him heavily since then. The UVA coaching staff have watched Jackson play numerous times during the live evaluation periods this month, including twice on Thursday at the Under Armour event in Chicago. Jackson holds offers from 27 schools and Maryland appears to be the frontrunner, but Bennett and company are certainly trying their best to change that.

Silas Demary Jr. (Charlotte, NC)

Silas Demary Jr.

Size: 6'4", 180 pounds

247Sports ranking: No. 4 in North Carolina, No. 20 combo guard, No. 115 nationally

Demary has yet to receive a scholarship offer from Virginia, but the movements of the UVA coaching staff in the last few weeks suggest that one could be coming very soon. After an impressive showing at the Top 100 Camp earlier this month, multiple members of the Virginia staff saw Demary play live a few times at the Under Armour event in Georgia last week. That trend has continued during this week's second live evaluation period, with Tony Bennett and Orlando Vandross watching Demary play twice in Chicago on Thursday.

Demary has offers from 14 schools, including ACC programs NC State and Georgia Tech. It would not be surprising to see Virginia added to that list by the end of the week.

Trey Green (Branson, MO)

Trey Green

Size: 5'10", 155 pounds

247Sports ranking: No. 3 in Missouri, No. 12 point guard, No. 96 nationally

Trey Green got on Tony Bennett's radar with his impressive shooting and quickness he displayed at the Nike EYBL event in Kansas City in early July. Green has continued to show out so far at the Peach Jam in Augusta and Virginia's Jason Williford saw him play live on Thursday.

Green already announced a top seven of Cincinnati, Nebraska, Xavier, Clemson, VCU, LSU, and Virginia Tech back on May 6th, but it has become commonplace for players to reconsider their options when their recruitment picks up and more offers come in. That could be the case if Green were to pick up an offer from the Hoos.

UPDATE: Virginia has officially extended a scholarship offer to Trey Green.

Vasean Allette (Scarborough, Ontario)

Vasean Allette

Size: 6'3", 180 pounds

247Sports ranking: No. 1 in Ontario, No. 31 point guard

Ontario's No. 1 player is one of the class of 2023's fastest-rising prospects this summer. Allette is currently rated a three-star, but that is expected to change when the recruiting rankings are updated. He has displayed a fantastic all-around offensive skillset, which includes the ability to shoot it from deep, break down opposing defenses and make the right passes, and get to the rim and finish. Tony Bennett watched Allette play live twice on Thursday.

Currently holding offers from 13 schools, including St. John's, VCU, Washington State, Georgia Tech, DePaul, and Arizona State, Allette's next offer could come from Virginia.

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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