Recruiting update: UVA makes Ward’s Top 10; Who’s in, Who’s out …

By Jerry Ratcliffe

One of Tony Bennett’s main recruiting targets, forward Cam Ward of Upper Marlboro, Md., announced 10 finalists on Sunday, and Virginia made the cut.

Ward, a 6-foot-7, 4-star, ranked the No. 48 composite player nationally by 247Sports, will choose between these 10 programs: UVA, Alabama, Michigan State, Maryland, Florida State, Notre Dame, Mississippi State, Kansas State, Marquette and Vanderbilt.

He has already made official visits to Notre Dame, FSU and Marquette, while announcing plans to visit K-State on Sept. 13. He said he will visit three additional schools in the fall.

“I’m looking for a program with a winning culture and has a family aspect that values relationships,” Ward told 247Sports. “If a coach can value relationships and care for you outside of basketball, that’ll mean a lot to me. I’m also looking for good academics and can develop their guys. I want to see how well they handle guys that aren’t a finished product. I’m not a finished product myself so I want to go to a place that’ll help me get to my dreams, which is the NBA.”

Perhaps Ward should seriously take a look at Virginia and consider that recently Boston Celtics shooter Sam Hauser became the fourth former UVA player to get an NBA contract for more than $40 million. None of the four were Top 50 high school recruits.

Talk about development. Talk about academics. Talk about a family atmosphere, winning culture, a coach that cares about his players outside of basketball. All that sounds like an infomercial for Bennett’s Virginia program.

It would seem that UVA is focused on point guard Chance Mallory, small forward Nate Ament, shooting guard Derek Dixon and Ward, ranked as a power forward.

Meanwhile, a few players offered by Virginia, will not be coming to Charlottesville:

Acaden Lewis (final list: UNC, UConn, Duke, Auburn, Tennessee, Kentucky, Syracuse, Michigan); Adrian Stevens (final list: Notre Dame, FSU, Tennessee, Villanova, Georgetown, Marquette); Brady Koehler (list: Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Iowa, Northwestern); 7-footer Xavion Staton (list: BYU, USC, UNLV, Michigan, Arizona, Stanford); Darius Adams (list: UConn, Tennessee, Alabama, NC State, Notre Dame, Michigan State); and Braylon Mullins (list: UNC, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, UConn, Purdue, Tennessee, Alabama, Michigan, Indiana).