Blair Academy head coach Joe Mantegna feels Jabri Abdur-Rahim - pictured here at the 2019 NBPA Top 100 Camp - is a good fit at Virginia on and off the court. ~ Photo by Kris Wright

Referring to University of Virginia men’s basketball recruiting during the Tony Bennett era, Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) head boys varsity basketball coach Joe Mantegna says, “I think I have a little understanding of what they want.”

It’s no wonder Coach Mantegna, who leads a highly successful prep program known for winning championships and churning out college prospects, has such insight. After all, he coached former Virginia center Mike Tobey, who played in 138 career games for the Hoos from 2012-2016, as well as Marial Shayok, who attended UVA for three seasons (2014-2017) before transferring to Iowa State to close out his collegiate career. Earlier this month, another Blair Academy product – consensus 4-star rising senior wing Jabri Abdur-Rahim – verbally committed to Coach Tony Bennett’s program.

Abdur-Rahim transferred to Blair Academy for the 2017-18 campaign and was an instant success on and off the court. The 6’7” standout, son of former NBA star and current NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim, helped the Bucs to a 22-4 overall record and a Prep A state championship this past season. His all-around performance earned him 2019 Gatorade Player of the Year in New Jersey.

Abdur-Rahim announced his verbal commitment to Virginia on July 10 after making an official visit on Grounds June 28-30. His commitment is where we began our "Q&A" with Coach Mantegna.

From your conversations with Jabri, what do you think separated Virginia and ultimately led him to commit?

Blair Academy head coach Joe Mantegna: “Having the chance to play for one of the great coaches and gentlemen running a program, playing in arguably the best basketball conference, and playing for a program that has sent perimeter players from the wing to the NBA, including my guy Marial – even though he transferred he still developed a lot at Virginia. Between the great academics, playing at the highest level of college basketball for a great coach with a great track record, I think everything factored in.”

Speaking with Jabri at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville in mid-June, he stated that he wanted to take his time in the decision-making process. It wasn’t too long (about a month) after that that he committed with UVA being the only official he made. What went into his decision to go ahead and accept the UVA scholarship?

Blair Academy head coach Joe Mantegna: “That’s true. The family planned to probably make a commitment in August, to take some more visits and then commit. As a family, they decided that, if you find the situation that is right what is the point of waiting. It wasn’t their initial intention, but the visit went so well that that’s what happened.”

There were some former Virginia standouts who are now pros in Charlottesville during the time of Abdur-Rahim’s official visit (Malcolm Brogdon, Joe Harris, Justin Anderson are in the tweet above, which was posted on June 29). Did he have a chance to speak with them, and if so how much of an impact did it have?

Blair Academy head coach Joe Mantegna: “I think Coach Bennett was the biggest factor, but yeah, being around those guys helped. Mike Tobey was there, too. Virginia has helped a bunch of guards reach the next level. It never hurts to have those guys there. Jabri’s not a kid who is wowed by being around players. His father was a top draft pick. It was not his first time around pros, but to know those pros came out of this system is important. It was not the factor, but it was a factor.”

Abdur-Rahim said Coach Bennett likened him to De’Andre Hunter. From your conversations with Bennett and/or the rest of the staff, what do you think they like the most about his game and fit in the program?

Blair Academy head coach Joe Mantegna: “I think they like his defensive versatility and that he can guard multiple positions. He can score on all three levels. Virginia likes to take the shot-clock down, so they like guys who can get their own shot. Kyle Guy could do that to a degree. Jabri has the skill and the length to get a shot and to make a contested shot over a player.”

Last season was your first coaching Jabri. What was the biggest surprise about his game?

Blair Academy head coach Joe Mantegna: “What surprised me the most was his hunger to get better. He is a guy who was nationally known by his name. He was highly rated as a freshman, but he works with desperation. It’s incredible the amount of time he spends on his own in his craft. I guess from being around so many NBA guys, he has an understanding of the level of work it takes to get [to the NBA]. He has a hunger to get better. He’s humble. He doesn’t think he’s a great player yet. He’ll work in the program. All of [the Blair Academy grads who have gone on to UVA] are great to work with.”

Over the course of the past year what has been the biggest area or areas of development in his game?

Blair Academy head coach Joe Mantegna: “Two things he focused on were being able to shoot the 3 at a high percentage and being able to finish with both hands around the rim. His weak-hand stuff has improved. The guy is versatile. If you can score on three levels, that makes you awfully hard to guard.”

I was impressed with Jabri’s humble nature at the Top 100 Camp. The Gatorade Player of the Year speaks to his focus on the court, in the classroom, and work in the community. What did you see from him character-wise in his first year at Blair?

Blair Academy head coach Joe Mantegna: “He’s a good citizen at Blair. We’re a boarding school with 400-plus students living in a community. He is beloved in just one year. His parents have a number of foundations, so he has done a lot of work with those various foundations. His mother hails from Oakland. He has done some service projects in Oakland. He has been raised the right way by two great parents. He’s a great teammate and community member.”

You’ve already had two Blair grads go through Virginia since Tony Bennett took over as coach. What has impressed you about the program’s ascent in the past decade?

Blair Academy head coach Joe Mantegna: “There are a lot of great coaches out there, but I don’t think anyone is any better of a coach than Tony Bennett. I would have said that before the national championship. There are a bunch of great men out there, but not any better man than Tony. He is of the highest character. He’s a fabulous coach. If I’m a parent of a top 50 kid in the country I want to know my kid isn’t going to be taken advantage of. Can I get that from a few others? Yeah. But there is not anywhere above Virginia from that standpoint. I love to see the growth of players in the program. I know when [Coach Bennett] calls and asks about one of my kids, it’s not just about how they score or defend, it’s often about what kind of kid he is. I think I have a little understanding of what they want, and I thought Jabri would be a good fit.”

Jabri mentioned at the Top 100 Camp that Virginia had expressed heavy and consistent interest in him. What kind of contact did you have with UVA in their pursuit of Jabri?

Blair Academy head coach Joe Mantegna: “Orlando Vandross and I go back 25 years. We’re both northeast guys. Coach Bennett did a lot of the recruiting himself on Jabri, at least with me. Of course, I’m sure all of his staff contributed.”