NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing 2021 4-Star G Jalen Warley 10 teams
By Ian Mumm
NCAA Basketball option for Jaylen Warley – Virginia Cavaliers
Tony Bennett’s pack-line defense has given the Cavaliers one of the best and most consistent staples in college basketball over the last decade. Virginia has allowed the least points per game nationally in seven out of the last eight seasons, despite incorporating several groups of players. Tempo and tenacity have helped the program force opponents into bad shooting nights, but it surprisingly does not produce a ton of turnovers. This is where Warley can, believe it or not, improve the danger factor for teams facing this tough defense.
His on-court IQ is already on par with the discipline and understanding Bennett requires of his players defensively. His anticipation and court vision are advantageous against teams looking to stay aggressive against Virginia and are likely to increase the turnovers the team normally sees on a per-game basis. However, the offensive side of the ball may be where the Cavaliers receive their biggest impacts from Warley’s addition.
It’s likely his main contributions will occur in periods of shared ball-handling, but Warley provides a lot of initiation potential for the Hoos. He game will be very similar to Ty Jerome in this system with more athletic upside to finish around the rim. Virginia wasn’t a very strong team in setting each other up and frequently struggled to put the ball in the net, despite a calculated pace.
Next. Updated top-25 power rankings for 2020-21. dark
The effectiveness of Warley scoring on all three levels will help to ease a lot of these struggles and aide his teammates in getting more into a rhythm. If 2020 signee Jabri Abdur-Rahim ends up staying for a sophomore season or the program signs 5-star Pat Baldwin for the 2021 roster, there will be a tremendous amount of firepower to account for in Charlottesville.