NCAA Basketball: Will Duke, Villanova, or Virginia land 5-star SG Trevor Keels?
Virginia Cavaliers
Unlike the other two finalists, Virginia doesn’t have any commitments so far in the 2021 recruiting class. And that makes sense, considering that head coach Tony Bennett has a particular defense-first system that isn’t for everyone. They are a finalist for top-60 forward Trey Kaufman, who arguably is a bigger need for the program due to the impending departures in the frontcourt.
However, Keels is still a mega target that’ll take care of any scoring problems the Cavaliers will have in the future. Their current starting guards (Kihei Clark and Casey Morsell) are strong facilitators and defenders but neither are elite shooters and scorers overall. Adding someone with Keel’s potential can raise the collective ceiling, just as what Kyle Guy and De’Andre Hunter did for the title-winning 2019 squad.
As the “hometown” option, this may be the best shot for Virginia to land a five-star target. It’s not for a lack of trying, as Coach Bennett has been in the running for top-tier recruits in the 2020 and 2021 classes. But in order to remain at the top of the ACC and a perennial national title threat, he’ll have to land one of these types of players, which can create a domino effect for future classes.
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The Cavaliers already beat out North Carolina for Trevor Keels and if they can prevent Duke as well, would be even more important than landing the five-star prospect himself. The Blue Devils may be the current “perceived” favorite right now but with Coach Bennett and Wright also in the battle, anyone can come away with this one.