Virginia finishes recruiting with addition of K-State PG Dai Dai Ames

By Jerry Ratcliffe

As reported Tuesday morning to a live audience on “The Jerry & Jerry Show,” Virginia has officially landed former Kansas State point guard Dai Dai Ames to complete the Cavaliers’ roster for the 2024-2025 season.

Ames, who has three years of eligibility remaining, visited Virginia a week ago, but his transfer was delayed while UVA officials could make sure all of his credits from Kansas State cleared Virginia admissions.

Ames is all set, and gives the Cavaliers a formidable backcourt that includes Florida State senior transfer point guard Jalen Warley, UVA junior Andrew Rohde, UVA redshirt freshman Christian Bliss, junior guard Isaac McKneely, senior guard Taine Murray and sophomore Elijah Gertrude.

Ames is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound, former 4-star prospect out of Kenwood Academy in Chicago, where he was ranked the No. 64 overall prospect in the country by at least one national recruiting service, and the No. 2 overall prospect in the state of Illinois.

He chose Kansas State over Illinois, Maryland and others, and was K-State’s top recruit.

As a freshman last season, he played in 31 games and started 16, including the final 13 games of the campaign, averaging 20.5 minutes per game, 5.2 points, 2.0 assists and 1.1 rebounds. He made 35.3 percent of his field-goal attempts and 33 percent of his shots from the 3-point arc.

Ames’ best basketball is clearly ahead of him. In his season finale for the Wildcats, a first-round loss to Iowa in the NIT, he scored 16 points and was 6 of 8 shooting (4 of 5 from the arc), with five assists and three rebounds.