Well to be fair, NOBODY, not even Uva knew that Dre could be a Top 4 pick. So I don’t think UVa should be looking and recruiting for “a Top 4 pick”, we just need to get *more guys like Dre’, and line them up from the 2-4 positions.
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I do! 
But yes, I get your point.
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I think it’s tough for us try and land these top 25 recruits (ie: Top 4 picks), but I’m okay with duplicating more Bonds and Dunn’s on our future teams…hopefully some that can shoot a bit though.
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This is sort of related to the TJ Power discussion (the one post-Duke signing). We won’t get the DJ Wagner top 4 pick (known 5 star for years), but I think we have a decent shot at the slow-developing top 4 pick, like Dre (and hopefully some guys on our roster now), and I still think we have a good shot with the TJ Power types who we identify early, lay some groundwork, and then blow up in July, though it’s obviously tough to fight off the bluebloods.
Just curious what everyone thinks.
5, 10, 15, 20 years from now…however much longer TB is at UVa. Will DeAndre Hunter still be the highest drafted Hoo since Ralph?
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Yes
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“With the 2nd pick in the 2026 NBA draft, the Washington Wizards select Elijah Gertrude from The University of Virginia”
Edit: More realistically, yeah what the others are saying. A kid could be really damn good and still go in 10-15 pick range depending on the teams and priorities and the draft talent pool. In the age of europeans and G league pros it would be incredibly hard for UVA to reproduce a top 5 pick. Hell it might be incredibly hard for Duke to do that even with their history.
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Yes
Mufkr you stealing my shit!
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PVI on espnU at 5pm playing Wheeler (#1 pg in 2023 Isaiah Collier).
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Ngongba has had 3 blocks so far. Nowhere near Sorber on the offensive end but I like his energy on the defensive end.
Still lukewarm on Isaiah Abraham. Does somethings good. Some things meh. An okay shooter. Not super tenacious on the offensive end sometimes settling for jumpers.
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I picture Abraham as a potential glue guy at the wing with the upside to be a very productive offensive player if developed correctly, so the Key comparison you made yesterday is pretty apt. We might not necessarily need that for our future rotation though given Bond is now part of the 2023 class and could very well fill out that profile.
Regardless, wouldn’t be mad if we ended up with an Abraham/Ngongba package deal. That would be a very nice way of getting some big time athleticism on the team and retooling the defense to be elite level once again.
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Oh yeah I dont mean to say Isaiah Abraham is bad by any means. He’s still really solid and we would be lucky to have him.
Just in terms of what he was looking to project to be at a younger age I thought he was going to be a bonafide top 20 kid.
He’s less of a wing and more of a forward. In my eyes he’s like an athletic version of BVP and Jayden; probably a better 3pt shooter if he gets the reps and opportunity to be one (but not a Knueppel level shooter). He looks more 6’7/6’8 too than 6’6. Not super long but big frame and the athletcism to defend multiple spots.
Of course Im always for the mad scientist dream scenario of kids we will never even offer but in terms of kids offered I think you would pair Travis Perry with Isaiah Abraham. And pair Freitag with Kon Knueppel. Wisconsin fans hoping we go for the former
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Lottery talent.
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So do you think Williford has a Trey Murphy impact in mind in looking for his next Hunter? Im sure Hunter was the pitch to Murphy, but is the Murphy impact on our program a part of that “looking for the next hunter”?
To be fair we won the ACC regular season and who knows without COVID.
I take the “next Hunter” comment as looking for that two way player who can defend multiple positions but also create their own shot (which Murphy couldn’t when he was here).
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Ngongba having a monster defensive game. Shutting down 2023 top 50 recruit Arrinten Page. Announcer said 3 blocks but Ive counted at least 5.
There’s awkward announcing moments in these national HS games.
Paul Biancardi '“Look at those broad shoulders”
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For as good as Ngongba is at blocking shots, he is a horrible screen setter lol. Very soft screens and weak rolls off of them. But I like him.
I do think Isaiah Abraham is also better than he gets to show. Maybe the move to PVI was a mistake in terms of on court development as he gets relegated to glue guy, just like how he was when he played up 17U over the summer. Would probably benefit more from getting reps as the teams alpha but he seems bought in which is maybe a strength of his character
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Maybe. And maybe with another year in system Trey would’ve developed into a plus defender. He certainly doesn’t lack for athleticism.
I think the specific comment probably means “pretty tall dude who’s athletic enough to defend and can make the ball go in the hole, preferably from 3 levels.”
I guess I don’t feel the need to be so precise or as specific in fitting recruits into a certain mold as you seem to (to each his own. You do you). What I think we need is athletes who can make the ball go in the hole from 3 levels. We need 3 of them at a time and I don’t really care what position they play. I’d take anything close to a Dre, or a Malcolm, or a joe Harris. Definitely a Ty Jerome. The pieces don’t have to look just like the natty team. We just need dudes who can ball.
We lost the last two games precisely because the other teams had guys athletic enough to win 50/50 balls, rebound, finish at the rim, and make some jumpers and we did not. And we still didn’t lose by much.
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That’s fair. You’re wrong (what exactly you’re wrong about I don’t know yet. It’s a lot of words I may have skimmed through) Every player that comes to UVA is only either DeAndre Hunter or not DeAndre Hunter.
Abraham got essentially 0 run in the last quarter of play/crunch time. Of course he’s only a 2024 on a top 10 team in HS but 3 of the 5 kids for PVI on the floor were 2024 kids 
Ngongba is really good defensively. Sorta Mike Tobey-ish offensively. Not the offensive player Sorber is now, but Sorber is nowhere the defensive player and nowhere near as in shape as Ngongba is.
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