The Brogdon comparison makes sense. He’s a shooting guard who can play the 3 at 6’6/6’7 whereas Bond is a small forward who can play smallball 4 at 6’6.
Good stuff HGN. Lot of positive buzz words in there. Think he’ll be a Hoo.
I agree! How have his other interviews gone post Pitt and Minnesota visits.
While Ryan Dunn appears to have said all the right things, between HGN’s article, and the interview which appeared on Rivals, Dunn didn’t come across as terribly effusive about UVa. Of course, Ryan Dunn might not be an effusive sort of person, He may be a very reserved and circumspect. And, that isn’t a bad thing… Regardless, since he left without committing, what does this mean for the recruitment of Bobi Klintmant? Is the staff under any pressure to add a fourth recruit to the 2022 class? With the start practice looming on the horizon, is the focus about the change? Just a wee bit curious.
Everyone can read what they want into these quotes but having followed this stuff for a long time, I don’t think he will be at uva. And unlike the 3 commitments we have where I am extremely optimistic , I’m perfectly ok with that.
I was pretty much with you @Hoosnext2, but then his visits have been to Minnesota and Pittsburgh. He’s a NY kid in a small boarding school in the middle of nowhere, who blew up this summer. Unlike a lot of recruits who have been playing the recruiting game since they were 16 or younger, this kid is certainly not exposed to this level of attention. A year ago, Dunn feels good about Hofstra being interested and now Tony Bennett, Jeff Capel, Patrick Ewing, etc. are pursuing him. I think he just doesn’t know what is expected of him when he is interviewed.
This is one recruitment where if it is a basketball decision, then UVA looks like Duke compared to the other schools; however, if he’s a big city kid who has been stuck away at a boarding school, Pittsburgh and Minneapolis look a lot more attractive. I honestly think the odds are that he commits in the next week or so to us. If he sets up a visit to Georgetown or OK St, I think TB will move on quickly as well.
He’s from Freeport on Long Island. Not a big city kid at all. But yes, he is probably not used to the recruiting “business” and there is certainly a chance he sees uva as the kind of too good to be true offer he can’t turn down (even if he seems to have little appreciation for our recent history, academic reputation etc.)
Yeah, he said he’ll probably make a decision in the next 2-4 weeks UNLESS he decides he needs to take more visits. I took it as a good sign that the “might take more visits” was kind of tacked on as an afterthought. Doesn’t mean he won’t decide to take more visits, in which case we’ll probably want to start moving on, but it does mean that’s not how he’s currently leaning. Its a LOT better than Dunn saying “Yeah, that was cool, but we just planned a visit to G’town and then hopefully Maryland in early October, so we’ll see how things look after that.”
After reading all this, I think he feels like less of a fit than the other guys (outside basketball). I obviously trust Tony and the rest of the coaching staff that have watched WAY more basketball than I have, but I’m less excited on this one.
Available footage of Ryan Dunn in one spot. Was a 44% 3pt shooter.
Actually, I find it difficult to read anything into his quotes other than I can’t read anything into his quotes. He could be a heavy UVa lean, or a light Minnesota lean, or he could commit tomorrow to Pitt. I have no idea based on the interviews. I don’t think we can say anything about whether he might come to Virginia or not. Whether the staff “moves on” will be based on more than what we know, but, based on what we don’t know, I doubt that closing any doors is the proper response.
Think you nailed it. Our old asses can forget these guys are 17 or 18 and so young. The 3 commits we have are really natural in interviews and seem pretty seasoned to the attention. Seems Dunn came out of nowhere and is getting used to it all. Thats my feeling anyway
Disagree with that assessment. Basketball wise he’s obviously a great fit, but I wouldn’t read too much into his personality as not a fit. Bennett is the best culture builder in CBB and I take it the kid is just more reserved and getting used to all of this media attention. He’s 17 years old after all.
I agree 100%. This is a guy that nobody paid attention to in high school and missed the 2020 AAU season like everyone else. Probably wasn’t too long ago that he wondered if he could play division 1 basketball. Now all these colleges are chasing him and telling him how great he is and how much they want him and in some cases probably promising immediate playing time in big time conferences. It is really not that big a surprise that his head may be spinning. If he a quiet guy and not used to this kind of attention it makes sense to me that he may want to take a breath and consider his next step. Does he want to be thrown into the deep end to sink or swim at Pitt or Minn. If he rises to the challenge it could be great for him. Or does he want to take it slower and blossom later at UVA. It some ways it reminds me of Hunter. I think the redshirt year helped him and I think spending 3 years here with dynamic personalities like Ty and Kyle helped him come out of his shell and helped him be ready for the pros when his game was ready.
This can all be true about his “reserved” personality, BUT when he plays basketball he definitely was flexing in some of those videos so I imagine he may still have that New York- can’t mess with Ty Jerome type of confidence.
The reason I think CTB “moves on” if Dunn schedules more visits is that Tony has the 2023s to consider - Dunn takes a open spot that would otherwise be available for a spring transfer or another '23. With Tony emphasizing the his roster for next year, I just don’t see him letting Dunn go another month or more setting up visits. I’m very happy to take Dunn, but I’m equally happy if he passes on us. With the 23s we are considering and yet to be fully evaluated, we are in great shape either way.
Why? What is the cost of letting Ryan Dunn take his time? An assistant, or Coach Bennett himself, sending a text a day, and/or making the occasional call? The heavy lifting in Dunn’s recruitment is over. Or, at least, I imagine it is. The timing of his decision is pretty irrelevant, IMO. The staff will continue to prepare this year’s team for the upcoming season. They will continue to reach out to 2023 prospects they identified last summer, and, in particular, stay in touch with the four recruits from that class who hold offers. They might also go to Kansas to see Bobi Klintman, and, if they like what they see, invite him to Charlottesville for a visit. None of these things put an end to the recruitment of Ryan Dunn. And, if the spot is still open and he doesn’t commit until January, no big deal. There is little very real cost to NOT moving on. Preparations for the coming season will continue regardless. Contact with 2023 prospects will continue regardless. Spring transfers won’t be an issue worth considering until spring. I cannot see where patience with Ryan Dunn’s recruitment has any downside.
Not sure why y’all are even discussing this. He’s stated in several interviews that he’s likely to decide by early October, so it’s moot.
I think he said IF he doesn’t take any more visits, he’ll likely decide by then. My attitude is that we ought to be in it until he does make a decision, or until someone else takes the scholarship.