Interest rising in four-star forward
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At last week's NBPA Top 100 Camp, four-star power forward Sacha Killeya-Jones was pretty popular with the media. The rising senior recently de-committed from Virginia and has become a target for many other high-level programs.
A 6-foot-9 four man at Lynchburg (Va.) Episcopal who glides around the court with smooth athleticism and shows a high level of overall skill, Killeya-Jones has had a good grassroots circuit run after a strong junior campaign. His play with Team Felton in the Under Armour Association and NBPA Camp has given him a good idea of what he needs to work on and where he's been successful.
"My strength is a big thing for me and I've known that for a while, but it was reinforced," Killeya-Jones said. "My shot was falling most of the time and I was able to get my floater and crash the boards and everything like that."
Of course, the big question is why did he decide to back away from UVA? As it turns out, like many who commit early, he just decided too soon and Killeya-Jones wanted to give the recruiting process a chance to fully play out.
"The main thing was I committed too early," said Killeya-Jones. "I'd been talking to my parents about it for a little it and I talked to coach (Tony) Bennett, obviously, about it multiple times before I announced it and everything.
"I committed right after the Glaxo tournament in Raleigh and it was a lot of excitement at the time and I felt good about Virginia. I still feel good about Virginia, it's just i felt like I rushed and that I wanted to take a step back and finish the recruiting process which I never really did."
Since opening things up, Killeya-Jones has picked up offers from Kentucky, North Carolina, Florida and N.C. State. He was able to check out the UK campus about a week and a half ago and liked what John Calipari has going in Lexington.
"It was good," said Killeya-Jones. "I really enjoyed it. Coach Cal was great and they have great facilities. I got to talk to Skal (Labissiere) and some of those guys and coach Paine was good too. It was a good visit."
A native of Chapel Hill, Killeya-Jones is able to head over to UNC and spend a lot of time playing pickup and hanging out with players. He wouldn't say it gives the Tar Heels an edge but he sees benefits.
"I wouldn't say that it sways me," said Killeya-Jones. "It's a really good opportunity and I'm really grateful that they let me go over there to work out. It's really good to play against great competition like that."
Moving forward, there is no set timetable for Killeya-Jones to make a decision. He says that he would like to set up a few more visits this summer and from there he and his family will sit down and decide what way is best to proceed further.
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