Teven Jones commitment:

I got the news about the commitment about two minutes before I was getting on a plane.  Obviously didn’t know a single thing about the kid, had never heard the name, only saw ‘unheralded’ and that we were the first D1 school to offer.  I immediately wondered what the message boards were looking like.  Did the trolls pop up to claim this was a desperation move, that he’s obviously not an ACC talent and Bennett and company had to go to plan F because we failed miserably on all other PG targets.  I was happy to see that type of reaction was minimal.  First of all folks, the Virginia staff was not nearly as desperate or scared about the PG situation as some of you fans were.  Was it a priority? Of course.  But Tony isn’t going to waste a scholarship on a kid that he doesn’t truly believe in just to fill a jersey or have another body at the position.  Consider that Bennett’s successful WSU teams were never piloted by true point guards, and his system doesn’t really differentiate between the guards once you are in the set.  If you have a combo guy with some athleticism that can handle the ball well and get it up the floor, it’s really all you need.  Tony could’ve kept searching for that type of player (Teven isn’t necessarily outside of that model) or continue looking in other directions.  It was not panic time yet.

I was eager to get to my hotel to hit the internet for footage.  Obviously, you have to like the size and athleticism.  There are reports that the kid ran a 40 in the 4.3’s, and is catching alley oops and what not.  In the limited video I saw though, I didn’t see him really showcase that kind of athleticism.  It didn’t appear to me that I was watching someone who had an immediate advantage over the kids around him athletically.  If he has that kind of speed and leaping ability, I would challenge him to use it.  It’s tough for me to really offer any real opinion on Teven past that, highlight videos do little for an accurate evaluation.  I do like that he will go through a prep year knowing his destination.  Not only will he mature mentally and physically, the staff can pinpoint specific things for him to work on before enrolling.  Until I can see him firsthand, I will trust the evaluation process from Bennett and staff.  Not a doubt in my mind that he was closing in on other significant D1 offers outside of the NC State one that came right after us.  He seems like a kid with good character that fits the student athlete that Bennett wants in the program.