Commitment breakdown: Isaac McKneely chooses Virginia

One of the top players in the 2022 class came off the board on Saturday, when four-star guard Isaac McKneely announced his intentions to attend Virginia. McKneely, who attends West Virginia's Poca High School chose the Cavaliers over a long list of other offers, including one from in-state WVU. Below, Rivals.com takes a look at what Tony Bennett is getting and what it means for his program.

WHAT VIRGINIA IS GETTING:

The No. 57 player in the 2022 class, McKneely is an incredibly strong, hard-nosed combo guard that is becoming proficient in using his size and strength to create space and finish through contact. McKneely has long been a good shooter and his trajectory on that front is encouraging as well. He’s turning into a true three-level scorer that sees the floor well and can hurt a defense in a number of ways. West Virginia-based star could be an extremely high-level ACC player as he improves as a defender and a passer in the year ahead.

IN HIS WORDS

“Virginia is a great basketball school, but also known as a great academic school, that is very important to me. Coach (Tony) Bennett has been very honest and upfront with me this whole process. I have a good feel for a lot of what they do there, and it would be a really good fit for me." -- McKneely to Rivals.com’s Jamie Shaw a week prior to his commitment

WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE CAVALIERS

The allure of Virginia’s basketball success and academic prestige has long been hard to match, so it’s not as though winning a recruiting battle for a highly regarded player such as McKneely is unexpected. That said, beating out Bob Huggins and WVU for a West Virginia-born prospect is significant. The Mountaineers do a tremendous job recruiting their home state, so losses like this are rare. The UVA brand is as strong as ever on the recruiting trail and winning this battle helps prove it.