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Virginia's momentum is extending to the recruiting trail
Which college hoops program is the only one to already secure commitments from three top 75 prospects in the Class of 2016?
No, not Kentucky. No, not Duke.
It's actually Virginia, which is showing signs that it can sustain the remarkable success it has achieved the past couple seasons.
Virginia bolstered an already strong recruiting class on Tuesday when it landed Mamadi Diakite, an athletic 6-foot-9 forward Rivals.com rates its No. 30 prospect in the Class of 2016. Diakite joins a class that already includes sharpshooting guard Kyle Guy (No. 59), standout point guard Ty Jerome (No. 68) and three-star big man Jay Huff.
As if that weren't enough, Virginia also reeled in one of the most coveted transfers available this offseason. Ex-top 25 recruit Austin Nichols, an elite shot blocker who also averaged 13.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game at Memphis last season, chose the Cavaliers last week and will be eligible to play for the 2016-17 season.
The challenge for that influx of talent will be to preserve the momentum Virginia has built during a golden era for its program. The Cavaliers have won back-to-back ACC regular season crowns the past two years and will almost certainly begin next season ranked in the top 10 despite the loss of defensive standout Darion Atkins and high-scoring wing Justin Anderson.
Before Virginia added Nichols and Diakite, the 2016-17 season appeared to be somewhat of a rebuilding year for the Cavaliers. They will graduate all-conference guard Malcolm Brogdon and key contributors Mike Tobey, Anthony Gill and Evan Nolte after next season.
But with Nichols and the other newcomers joining a group of returners that may include starting point guard London Perrantes and promising wings Marial Shayok and Darius Thompson, Virginia has a good chance to remain among the nation's elite. In fact, that could be the most talented roster Tony Bennett has had in his nine years as a head coach.
Bennett achieved unprecedented success in three years at Washington State, taking a group of unheralded prospects to back-to-back 26-win seasons and two NCAA tournaments. Klay Thompson was the only top 100 recruit Bennett landed during his tenure — and he only got to coach the future Golden State Warriors star for one season.
Virginia has risen from ACC bottom feeder to national contender in six years under Bennett despite not boasting the same bevy of McDonald's All-Americans Duke and North Carolina perennially attract. Bennett has previously lured five top 100 recruits to Virginia, though KT Harrell and B.J. Stith both transferred before they could make much impact with the Cavaliers.
Next year alone, Bennett will add at least three top 75 recruits in one class and an elite transfer to go with them.
That's an unprecedented haul for Bennett and it gives Virginia a chance to sustain the momentum it has built the past couple years.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
