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While Virginia's 2016 recruiting class has gotten a lot of publicity recently, the man who spent over a year as UVa's only commit in the 2015 class has flown under the radar through no fault of his own. Before Justin Anderson's departure for the NBA opened up a second scholarship, since occupied by Mamadi Diakite, Jarred Reuter was expected to be the lone incoming freshman.
Reuter, a Massachusetts native, attended Brewster Academy in New Hampshire and chose Virginia in August 2014, before the start of his senior campaign. Reuter was either a three or four star recruit depending on your site of preference, and he selected the Cavs over offers from Iowa, Pittsburgh, St. Johns and a variety of other programs. Unfortunately Reuter missed a large part of his senior season with a broken thumb on his shooting hand, but during his two seasons at Brewster Academy he experienced great success, going 67-3 and winning back-to-back National Prep Championships.
Unlike many freshmen who are overwhelmed by the physicality of the college game upon arrival, Reuter is old for his year, he turned 20 last month, and has the size to bang down low and contribute immediately. Listed at 6'7" and 243 pounds on the official roster, he appears as 6'8" on a variety of other sites, Reuter is already roughly the same size as Anthony Gill (6'8" 230 pounds). Reuter actually had to work on slimming down as part of his acclimation process, detailed at length by Jeff White, after arriving on Grounds in June at 272 pounds.
In the above link, Tony Bennett refers to Reuter as one of the team's "two most physical players," along with Jack Salt, and that physicality will be the key to him earning early playing time in a loaded frontcourt. With Mike Tobey, Anthony Gill, Evan Nolte, and Isaiah Wilkins all having experience, Reuter will be asked to attack the glass and operate through contact from the block whenever he's on the floor. While it's unlikely he'll see extended minutes this year, he has the opportunity to carve out a niche when the Hoos decide to go with bulkier lineups and establish a strong post presence.
The Stats:
Position: Power Forward
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 243
Twitter: @JarredReuter22
Nickname: None yet. Throw your best ideas in the comments and let's help him out.
You can see a glimpse of Reuter's post touch in the below video at the 0:53 mark.