Jay Huff to Virginia: Cavaliers Land 4-Star PF Prospect

The Virginia Cavaliers will be one of the best college basketball teams in the country next season, and their future looks even better Thursday after the addition of power forward prospect Jay Huff.

Evan Daniels of Scout.com noted that the Cavaliers secured a commitment from the forward.

The 6’10”, 180-pound Huff is a 4-star prospect, per 247Sports’ composite rankings, and the No. 54 overall player in the class of 2016. He is also the No. 12-ranked power forward and No. 5-ranked prospect from the state of North Carolina.

Huff ultimately chose the Cavaliers over the defending national champion Duke Blue Devils, which is a testament to Virginia’s rising power in the ACC. The conference is no longer Duke, North Carolina and everyone else after Virginia earned the No. 1 seed in the past two league tournaments.

Huff will immediately bolster Virginia’s attack from the moment he steps on campus.

He is an impressive perimeter shooter for his size who can face up defenders and beat them off the bounce or with soft touch. He is also tall enough to finish around the rim and is a solid ball-handler for a power forward.

Huff is a matchup nightmare for slower and bigger defenders.

However, Rob Harrington of Scout.com pointed out the downside to a skinny stretch forward:

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That risk, indicated by the numbers above, is that Huff may need several years to develop legitimate college weight. He’s extremely thin and lacks the ability to hold his own physically versus the average post player, including Edrice Adebayo in this past season’s playoffs. While Huff enjoyed early success in that season-ending defeat, he ultimately succumbed to Adebayo’s power and fouled out in limited action.

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Fortunately for Huff and Virginia fans, he still has time to put on weight before he arrives at the college level. Experience in an ACC program will also help along those lines.

Huff is a formidable defender as well and will protect the rim with impressive shot-blocking abilities and mobility.

Virginia figures to be among the best teams in the country next season with Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill, Mike Tobey and London Perrantes, but it is building an exciting future for established and consistent success as well.

Huff is already the fourth commitment in a 2016 group that includes two dangerous guards in Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome and another forward in Sacha Killeya-Jones. That foursome represents a solid core that should keep the Cavaliers among the top contenders in the ACC for years to come.

Duke and North Carolina are officially on alert.