Virginia offers home-grown ’25 point guard Chance Mallory

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Tony Bennett didn’t have to look far to discover a potential future point guard for Virginia’s basketball program. The Cavaliers offered home-grown St. Anne’s-Belfield star Chance Mallory on Tuesday, he announced on his Twitter account.

The 5-foot-9, 4-star (recruiting class of 2025) has rocketed into the recruiting picture this spring and early summer, picking up a mounting number of offers. So far, Mallory has been offered by UVA, Virginia Tech, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, VCU, West Virginia, Seton Hall, Central Florida, Butler and Liberty.

Certainly the Cavaliers have been well aware of Mallory for quite some time. UVA associate head coach Jason Williford’s son, Austin, who is also picking up some college offers, is a teammate of Mallory’s. Bennett’s son played in the same program, which has invited several St. Anne’s players to walk on to the Virginia program over the years.

Mallory is quite a story, having made it on STAB’s varsity program as a 5-foot-1 eighth-grader, earning a starting position by that season’s end.

Saints coach Damin Altizer called Mallory “everything you want in a point guard,” and said “he’s the heart and soul of our team.”

Mallory, who plays on his father Joe’s AAU team, “Team Thrill,” is a guard with great moves to the basket and a true finisher.

He averaged 18 points, 5.5 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game last season for the Saints, including a school record 40 points against Benedictine in a road game. In that contest, Mallory made seven 3-pointers (also a school record).

You can check out the entire St. Anne’s-Woodberry Forest Prep League championship game from this season in the video below. Mallory is wearing No. 1 in white. He had 19 points in the Saints’ 74-64 win.

I am honored and blessed to have received an offer from the University of Virginia! @STABHoops @TeamThrillUAA @UVAMensHoops pic.twitter.com/OvAYjfbHoB

— Chance (@_ChanceMallory) June 27, 2023