Tony Bennett Inches Closer To Securing No. 1 State Prospect For Virginia Basketball

The most crucial area of recruiting for any college coach is in-state, and that’s the case for Tony Bennett of Virginia basketball as he tries to land the number one prospect in the state. Four-star Nate Ament announced Monday via Twitter that he received an offer from Virginia. Coach Bennett and the Virginia staff have now extended offers to two of the top prospects in the state in the 2025 class.

Prospects in the 2025 class could not be contacted by coaches until June, and Ament received contact from the Virginia staff very quickly. Ament is 6’7″ and is rated as four-star recruit by 247 Sports. He is currently the no. 22 player in the 2025 class and the no. 3 small forward.

Virginia is a good option for any highly-ranked recruit due to the programs consistent success in the ACC and nationally. However, the last five years of Virginia basketball have been quite the roller coaster for Cavaliers fans. First, Virginia became the first ever no. 1 seed to lose to a no. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament. How did the Cavaliers follow that up the next season? With a national championship of course. Last year’s tournament wasn’t so kind to Virginia, however, as the Cavaliers fell victim to another brutal upset, losing in the final seconds to Furman basketball in the round of 64.

The national championship was obviously a special moment for the Virginia basketball program, but the upsets have been heartbreaking. Fans are hoping that those can be avoided in the future, and recruiting guys like Nate Ament that are at the top of their class will certainly help build a better team for the future.