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The Virginia Men's Hoops program landed their 2nd commitment for the 2013 class on Sunday, when point guard London Perrantes committed to the Cavaliers. Perrantes, a native of Encino, California, made the call for Virginia after visiting Charlottesville over the holiday weekend. Perrantes chose the Cavaliers over offers from Arizona State, Illinois, Washington State, USC, Pepperdine, and others. The California joins another point guard, Devon Hall, in Virginia's 2013 class.
London Perrantes is ranked a 4-star prospect by both Scout and ESPN, with ESPN having him ranked as the #83rd prospect overall for 2013. Rivals has Perrantes ranked as a 3-star prospect. At 6'0'' 170 lbs., Perrantes is not nearly as physically imposing as fellow Virginia commit Devon Hall is. However, the California guard makes up for it by playing with great tenacity and athleticism. Judging by Perrantes' highlight package, he will be a great fit in Tony Bennett's defensive system, as he shows the ability to play tough man defense, and use his athleticism and quickness to make plays on the ball.
A few months ago, plenty of Virginia fans were expressing their doubts and concerns about Tony Bennett's ability to recruit point guards to Charlottesville. Considering Bennett played the position in the NBA, he should be able to sell that to blue-chip floor generals, right? Well, over the past few months, Bennett and his staff have put those issues to bed, by landing both Hall and Perrantes. The fact that Virginia continued to pursue Perrantes after landing Devon Hall over the summer speaks volumes about how the Cavaliers' coaching staff feels about the Encino native.
Virginia does not have a lot of wiggle room as far as scholarships go in the 2013 class. The UVA staff is still in hot pursuit of elite big-man Austin Nichols, who will take an official visit to Charlottesville this upcoming weekend. With stiff competition (Vanderbilt, Duke, Tennessee, Memphis & Auburn to be specific), it is important to make a big impression with the Memphis native this weekend, in order to have staying power in his recruitment.