A look at 2010 Virginia Cavaliers basketball recruiting

Welcome to this newest corner of the UVA sports-o-sphere.  Kicking things off will be a look at UVA's basketball recruiting efforts for the class of 2010.

When Dave Leitao was fired, we pretty much pushed the reset button in this department.  Clean slate.  One of Tony Bennett's remarkable achievements has been to re-establish many of the relationships that were lost when Leitao left.  I love this for two reasons: One, obviously, Bennett appears to be a more than capable recruiter; and two, he's not so egotistical as to try and start his own show by offering a whole new set of players and cutting ties with the old recruits.

It's all about results in recruiting, of course.  "Second place is the first loser" is as true in recruiting as an actual basketball game.  The problem is that the world of basketball recruiting is so full of shady characters that it's not really the case that it has a seedy side; it's more like a whole seedy world unto itself with occasional flashes of integrity.  This breeds three kinds of coaches in the highest ranks of college ball:

1. Guys who dive headfirst into the muck and let the legality chips fall where they may (see: Kelvin Sampson)
2. Guys who play the game just as much as they need to in order to bring in what they need
3. Guys who get fired after three years

By all accounts Tony Bennett is not going to end up going the way of Kelvin Sampson and Tim Floyd in the first group.  What does this mean for 2010 and beyond?  It means the biggest of the big-time recruits still aren't going to be flocking to Charlottesville.  And that's fine.  A program -- a real, long-lasting, solid program -- is built on the backs of guys who stay three and four years and bring consistent quality, not the ones with both eyes on the NBA the whole time.

So who's on tap?  Barring any sort of unforeseen attrition, we have room for four scholarship players to sign for 2010.  2009-10 will see 13 scholarship players on the roster, the max.  This will be the last season for Calvin Baker, Jerome Meyinsse, Solomon Tat, and Jamil Tucker.  That's a few big bodies; Bennett's top priority is to get some more.  My wish list for these four slots, in no particular order.

Will Regan - Regan's a pure center, which is something you don't see a lot of in college basketball.  He's a little undersized for center and not highly rated, but his academics are no concern and he's got an impressive set of offers, including Maryland, Virginia Tech, Stanford, and Michigan.

Mychal Parker - Parker's a familiar name to Virginia recruitniks, as UVA was in great shape to land a commitment from him before Leitao was fired.  He's a scorer, plain and simple, and in high demand around the ACC.  Parker is the type you like to try and build a program around: in the upper echelons of talent, but the NBA hasn't yet come knocking on his door.

Michael Cobbins - Cobbins' game reminds me a little of Tayshaun Prince.  That and his build.  Skinny.  But a solid and athletic all-around player who can do a little bit of everything.

Kyrie Irving - The big fish.  Probably one that'll get away.  But whenever there's a guy who's got offers from the likes of Duke, Kansas, Memphis, and Pitt who also takes even a little bit of an interest in UVA, we the fans are going to start dreaming big no matter how often it hasn't worked out in the past.

So.  Four slots, four wishes.  If I had my way, those would be the newest 'Hoos come winter next year.  That's a long time to wait, though, and if you've ever heard even just a little bit about recruiting, you know the twists and turns.  With a new driver, it looks like an interesting ride ahead.