2021 Virginia Available Prospects (Part 1)

<p>Right now there are currently only four top 20 prospects from the state of Virginia committed which is a little lower than other states. In the coming weeks we could possibly see more guys coming off the board but time will tell. In this series I will be breaking down the recruitment’s of some of the top available prospects from the state. Here is part one. </p> <p><strong>2021 6’4 [player_tooltip player_id="543841" first="Trevor" last="Keels"] | Paul VI</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/05/Keels-Trevor-Head-Shot.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1012353" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/05/Keels-Trevor-Head-Shot-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Up until this past winter, Keels was actually slated as the number two prospect in the state of Virginia but after a strong junior season we slated him to number one and that is why some of the top programs in the country are after him. Right now this seems to be a three man race between<strong> Villanova</strong>, <strong>Virginia</strong> and <strong>Duke</strong>. It has been very hard to get a read on this recruitment as it is one of the most interesting recruitments nationally. Wherever he chooses, that program is getting an elite shot maker, a capable defender and overall winner. </span></p> <p><strong>2021 7’0 [player_tooltip player_id="543840" first="Efton" last="Reid"] | IMG (PG)</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Reid-Efton.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1032293" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Reid-Efton-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yes, I know [player_tooltip player_id="543840" first="Efton" last="Reid"] has moved to Florida but until we update our Virginia rankings, I am still going to mention him in this article. Reid is another prospect whose recruitment has been a bit of an unknown. With his move to <strong>IMG</strong>, it will be interesting to see how that factors in with his college decision. Does it help a school like <strong>Florida State</strong>? <strong>Virginia</strong> has been there since day 1 and remains a contender. Two Big 10 programs definitely feel like they have a shot as <strong>Michigan</strong> and <strong>Ohio State</strong> carry a lot of momentum with him. And for a dark horse I will throw <strong>Pittsburgh</strong> into the equation as <strong>Jeff Capel</strong> and his staff have been staying connected with Reid throughout the summer.</span></p> <p><strong>2021 6’9 [player_tooltip player_id="543842" first="Roosevelt" last="Wheeler"] | John Marshall</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/05/Wheeler.jpeg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1012355" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/05/Wheeler-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wheeler had a very promising junior season at <strong>John Marshall</strong> and took his game to another level. The 6’9 center has gotten stronger which has allowed him to become more physical in the paint. Kevin Keatts of <strong>NC State</strong> has been a believer since day one of Wheeler and that is why i give the Wolfpack the edge at landing Wheeler. Right behind NC State is another ACC foe in <strong>Louisville</strong> as they watched him this past winter and have made progress. </span></p> <p><strong>2021 6’7 [player_tooltip player_id="957885" first="Jalen" last="Ricks"] | Oak Hill Academy</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2019/06/Jalen-Ricks.jpeg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-776614" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2019/06/Jalen-Ricks.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="225" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With Ricks being from <strong>Arkansas</strong> it is a strong possibility that <strong>Eric Musselman</strong> could help persuade him to come play in his hometown. <strong>Texas A&amp;M</strong> has been monitoring the state of Virginia closely as <strong>Buzz Williams</strong> certainly knows the area and has a realistic chance of snagging Ricks. <strong>Oklahoma State</strong> is a dark horse candidate. <strong>Towson</strong> dished out an offer earlier in August and what a win that would be for the CAA program. I am not confident in taking a guess where Ricks stands but look for Ricks to continue to play his best basketball this upcoming year at <strong>Oak Hill</strong> and continue to be college ready when he sets to enroll into whatever program he chooses.</span></p> <p><strong>2021 6’0 [player_tooltip player_id="697101" first="Darius" last="Johnson"] | Episcopal</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Johnson-Darius.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1024410" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Johnson-Darius-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Johnson just named a final three including <strong>Alabama</strong>, <strong>Providence</strong> and <strong>UCF</strong>. Providence has been with Johnson from the beginning as Alabama’s new staff have really been making Johnson a priority. Originally being from Florida and having some ties to UCF, we can’t count out the AAC program. This recruitment will be very fun to monitor as Johnson is down to three very different types of programs. </span></p>