Cavalier Corner

December 2013

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handling. His handle needs improvement. As it is, people can crowd him and make it tough to get his jumper off. Once he becomes more confident in his handle, crowding him will be almost impossible because he will be able to physically punish guys off the dribble." Bossi said he expects big things from Stith once he arrives in Charlottesville. "I really think that Stith will end up a very good fit at UVa, and I can see him being a multiple year starter," he said. In September following his official visit, Wilkins, a 6-8, 205-pound forward, joined Stith and picked the Cavaliers. The Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian product is ranked as the No. 107 overall player in the land by Rivals.com. "Wilkins is a guy that I have not personally seen play as much as Stith, but I've certainly seen plenty of him," Bossi said. "He is a thin four man who can really run the floor, has great hands and seems to have a good feel for where loose balls will end up, which makes him a good rebounder. "Offensively, he has a good touch to at least 15 feet and is pretty quick off his feet around the rim, and I really like his passing." Many expect UVa to do with Wilkins what the program did with Akil Mitchell. The fourthyear forward came to Charlottesville as a 6-7, 215-pound undersized four man who eventually bulked up, improved in the post, and earned thirdteam All-ACC honors as a third-year last season. "The biggest adjustment for Wilkins is going to be on the physical side of things," Bossi explained. "He needs to add a pretty good amount of strength, and it looks like he has a body type that will allow him to add bulk without sacrificing speed or athleticism, so that's good. "Other than that, he just needs to play with a bit more of an edge around the rim. At times when things got rough around the hoop, he seemed to back off some and wouldn't impact the game like his skill should allow him to." Bossi said he sees Wilkins, much like Stith, fitting in well in Bennett's program. "Because he can shoot, pass and have some offense run through him in the high post, I think he's got potential to be the type of 'stretch' four that UVa likes," Bossi added. "How quickly he produces and how effective he is early will likely have a lot to do with how quickly he can get stronger." The final member of the class is Salt, a 6-10, 215-pound center from Westlake Boys High School in Auckland, New Zealand. Born in London, Salt has lived in New Zealand most of his life, and it's where he's gotten the bulk of his basketball experience. Though he's just 17 years old, he's been playing with professional clubs for some time. In fact, though he remained an amateur, he averaged 8.6 points and 5.4 rebounds a game last year for the Super City Rangers before being called up by the New Zealand Breakers this fall. Bennett has connections in that part of the world. He played professionally in New Zealand's Kiwi National Basketball League with North Harbour for several years before returning to the United States to begin his coaching career. ◆ 2014 UVa Men's Basketball Commitments (As of Nov. 5) Name (National Rank*)Pos. Jack Salt C B.J. Stith (48) SG Isaiah Wilkins (107) PF * Rivals.com i25UVa Recruiting.indd 2 Ht. 6-10 6-5 6-8 Wt. Hometown (High School) 215Auckland, New Zealand (Westlake Boys) 180Lawrenceville, Va. (Oak Hill Academy) 205Norcross, Ga. (Greater Atlanta Christian) 11/5/13 2:09 PM

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