Isaac McKneely, a three-point shooter on Kentucky’s recruiting radar, picks Virginia
As expected, highly touted three-point shooter Isaac McKneely announced his college commitment to Virginia on Saturday.
McKneely — a 6-foot-4 combo guard from Poca, W.Va. — had narrowed his recruiting list to eight schools, including Kentucky and Louisville, and was originally planning to hold off on a college decision for at least another several months, but he went ahead and ended his recruitment with a pledge to Virginia.
UK and North Carolina were both on his list of finalists despite not yet extending a scholarship offer to McKneely, who lives less than an hour from the Kentucky state line and less than three hours from Lexington.
John Calipari and Roy Williams both called McKneely before he cut his list in November to make sure he would still consider their programs. Poca High head coach Allen Osborne told the Herald-Leader last month that Calipari said he liked McKneely’s game but hoped the UK coaching staff would be able to see him in person before extending a scholarship offer.
The ongoing “dead period” related to NCAA recruiting travel is still in effect, and it’s still unclear when coaches will be able to evaluate and meet with players off campus or have them on college campuses for recruiting visits.
McKneely is the No. 51 overall player in the 2022 class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
As a sophomore last season, McKneely averaged 22 points per game and made 45 percent of his three-point shots. His outside shooting is viewed as his biggest strength — and has often been one of Kentucky’s biggest weaknesses in recent years, especially this season — but the Wildcats will obviously have to look elsewhere if they’re to add accomplished three-point shooters for their 2022 class.
McKneely will be Virginia’s second-highest-ranked recruit since the program signed four Top 100 national recruits in the 2016 class. (UVa signed No. 38 overall recruit Jabri Abdur-Rahim in last year’s class).
