Look what I found!
I’ve heard tidbits from two different folks on this now, so I feel good enough about it to pass along. The story here seems to be that Brakefield actually reached out to Virginia. He and Beekman are tight of course, so he’s been hearing good things and they like playing together. He’s not completely happy with where his recruitment is, probably because he expected some bigger fish to bite.
So we have a shot. but will need to survive his upcoming visits. Michigan and Ole Miss look like the top threats. Michigan has a real and immediate need for someone like him and Ole Miss to their credit has recruited him much harder than everyone else.
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This is a good interview with Brakefield from Phenom Hoop Report on their open gym tour. It was done before Tony’s visit, so there’s no talk of Virginia. But there’s some insight into what he’s looking for. Two things stand out to me. He refers to himself as a guard, and talks about the importance of coaches “trust” in him. I think what he means by that is trusting him to be more than a traditional 4-man. Virginia’s one of the few teams that’s shown a willingness to go big with someone like him at the 3 spot.
