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Tony Bennett finished out the class of 2020 Wednesday night with the commitment of national top-50 prospect Jabri Abdur-Rahim.
100% committed #gohoos ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/REkuYPdudk
— Jabri (@jabri404) July 10, 2019
Abdur-Rahim is the son of former NBA All-Star—and current president of the NBA G League—Shareef Abdur-Rahim. The 6-foot-7 wing is a consensus four-star with 247 Sports, Rivals, and ESPN. Each of the three major services has him ranked in the top 100 recruits nationally: ESPN the highest at #28, Rivals at #41, and 61st in 247’s rankings (but 44th overall in the 247 Composite).
A product of New Jersey’s Blair Academy, Abdur-Rahim picked UVA over Michigan and more than 30 other offers, including Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State, Texas, USC, and Villanova.
He is a natural scorer at all three levels, and a credible argument can be made that he has the most college game-ready total package of any Tony Bennett commit. He shone at the Top 100 camp in Charlottesville, and the shooter looked like a natural at John Paul Jones Arena as he connected on 50 percent of his three-point attempts (14 of 28). Abdur-Rahim’s scoring has been one of the highlights of his AAU circuit as well, leading all scorers in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League—the series of top-flight travel-team tournaments.
5⭐️ recruit Jabri Abdur-Rahim (@jabri404) made a STRONG case for @Top100Camp MVP, finishing the week as the leading scorer @ 17 ppg & 50% from the 3pt line. #40BallBri #ProTools pic.twitter.com/wWz9DoKtwG
— NJ Basketball (@NJHoopRecruit) June 15, 2019
Quiet as kept, the 2019 NJ @Gatorade POY Jabri Abdur-Rahim (@jabri404) established himself as one of the top scorers in his class, wrapping up his @NikeEYB debut regular season @ 25.2 ppg. pic.twitter.com/GSffh758p8
— NJ Basketball (@NJHoopRecruit) May 27, 2019
The most apt comparison for Abdur-Rahim to previous Virginia players is De’Andre Hunter: similar frame, similar game as a slashing wing with an outside shooting stroke that can develop under Bennett’s tutelage. Adding 15-20 pounds via Mike Curtis’ strength program could lift Abdur-Rahim into eventual consideration as a lottery pick, as well.
Landing a player of this talent is a major achievement just anyway. But there are some additional benefits to landing Abdur-Rahim specifically. His father’s background—an NBA executive who now oversees the development of young talent into NBA-ready players—ought to become a major selling point as Bennett continues to recruit blue-chips with legitimate high-level NBA aspirations. If the president of the G League trusts his son’s development and NBA future to Tony Bennett, why shouldn't every other parent of a top-50 recruit do the same?
Abdur-Rahim’s commitment closes out recruiting for the class of 2020. Point guard Reece Beekman and shooting guard Carson McCorkle round out the class that will arrive on Grounds for the 2020-21 season; transfer forward Sam Hauser will be eligible that season, as well.
Virginia Basketball Scholarship Situation
2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Mamadi Diakite | Jabri Abdur-Rahim | Jabri Abdur-Rahim | Jabri Abdur-Rahim | Jabri Abdur-Rahim |
Braxton Key | Reece Beekman | Reece Beekman | Reece Beekman | Reece Beekman |
Jay Huff | Jay Huff | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN |
Tomas Woldetensae | Tomas Woldentensae | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN |
(Sam Hauser) | Sam Hauser | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN |
Frankie Badocchi | Frankie Badocchi | Frankie Badocchi | OPEN | OPEN |
Kody Stattmann | Kody Stattmann | Kody Stattmann | OPEN | OPEN |
Kihei Clark | Kihei Clark | Kihei Clark | OPEN | OPEN |
Francisco Caffaro | Francisco Caffaro | Francisco Caffaro | Francisco Caffaro | OPEN |
Casey Morsell | Casey Morsell | Casey Morsell | Casey Morsell | OPEN |
Kadin Shedrick | Kadin Shedrick | Kadin Shedrick | Kadin Shedrick | OPEN |
Justin McKoy | Justin McKoy | Justin McKoy | Justin McKoy | OPEN |
OPEN | Carson McCorkle | Carson McCorkle | Carson McCorkle | Carson McCorkle |
UVA’s class now claims the top spot per the 247 Composite; even with only three players in the class, Virginia should still end up in the top 20 or so in final rankings.