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COMMITMENT: Virginia Basketball rounds out 2020 class with Jabri Abdur-Rahim

Versatile scoring wing follows in the mold of lottery pick De’Andre Hunter

NCAA Basketball: Final Four-National Championship-Virginia vs Texas Tech Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Tony Bennett finished out the class of 2020 Wednesday night with the commitment of national top-50 prospect Jabri Abdur-Rahim.

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.

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
Sam Hauser has to sit out 2019-20 per NCAA transfer rules

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.