Virginia class of 2021 target Jordan Longino rises for a jumper. He has made quite a few jumpers in his high school career, having scored over 1,500 points in his career. ~ Photo courtesy of Germantown Academy

Jordan Longino has excelled in basketball and football at Germantown Academy (Germantown, PA), so much so that he drew college interest in both sports. Basketball, the 6’4”, 205-pound junior told The Intelligencer in this article posted on April 24, is the sport he will play in college.

Germantown Academy first year varsity boys basketball head coach Matt Dolan, who guided the Patriots to a 16-11 record this past season, had a feeling which way the standout athlete was leaning.

“I’ve never asked Jordan that question,” Dolan said. “He has gotten opportunities at both sports. My feeling is that his college basketball recruitment, and the offers and opportunities he has there, as well as his junior year experience opened his eyes. That’s my feeling.”

Longino has received high-major Division 1 scholarship offers in basketball, including one last month from the University of Virginia. The Hoos join an impressive list that also includes Big East power Villanova as well as Florida, Indiana, La Salle, Marquette, Maryland, Penn State, Ohio State, Rutgers and Temple.

Longino enjoyed a stellar junior season on the hard court, averaging 22.8 points per game on his way to earning Pennsylvania Class 4A Player of the Year honors. The high-scoring guard scored 30 or more points six times during his junior season, helping the Patriots finish tied for third place in the Inter-Ac League.

“He’s a humble kid who works extremely hard,” Dolan said of Longino, who is rated a 4-star recruit and among the Top 100 juniors in the nation by 247Sports (#45) and Rivals (#77). “He wants to win. The first two years, he was primarily a scorer and shooter. Last year I wanted him to expand his role. He guarded the other team’s best players to show his versatility on the defensive end. He sees the court really well and has awareness. He makes the right pass, puts guys in the right position to score. The emphasis this year is that it is his team. I’m just excited to see what’s next for him.”

Coach Dolan recalled seeing Longino in action for the first time during an AAU event in Philly and discussed how he has developed since.

“I noticed his ability to shoot the ball,” Dolan said. “He has a beautiful, quick release. That’s his number one skill. Because he is 6’4”, 205 pounds, he has the ability to play with size. He has a one or two-dribble pull up. Being a bigger guy, he is able to finish. This year we posted him up more. Then, there is how great of a passer he is. He grew up as a point guard. In high school he is more of a shooter and scorer, but I think he is able to make the right decisions.”

(The highlights below were published on YouTube by The Daily Hoosier)

Virginia head coach Tony Bennett and assistant Orlando Vandross have been eyeing Longino at least since the spring and summer of 2019. Longino plays for Philly Pride – the AAU program that former Cavalier star De’Andre Hunter played for - on the Under Armour circuit, and Bennett scouted the talented guard in AAU action in Atlanta last year. The Cavalier staff has maintained contact ever since.

“I’ve spoken a lot with Coach Vandross,” Dolan noted. “He seems like a great coach and the staff is interested in Jordan for the right reasons. They fell in love with who Jordan is as a person.”

“They love Jordan’s size and ability to shoot,” Dolan said when asked how the Virginia coaches envision him on the next level. “They think he’s a great passer.”

Coach Bennett conducted a Zoom meeting with Longino and his parents recently.

“He enjoyed the Zoom meeting with Coach Bennett,” Dolan said. “The family was impressed.”

The Virginia coaches “came to campus last fall,” Dolan added. “There seems to be a positive relationship there. He wants to go see the school.”

Longino has visited in-state programs such as Villanova and Penn State as well as other nearby schools such as George Washington. He has not taken a visit to UVA, although exploring schools in person – not just virtually – is on his agenda in the coming months.

“The next step in the [recruiting] process would be going to see schools he is interested in, hopefully sooner rather than later,” Dolan said. “Hopefully by June, he’ll have the opportunity to go to campuses. In a perfect world, I think he would hope to make a decision in the fall, but he doesn’t want to make a decision until he’s comfortable.”

“For him and his family, they are just so appreciative of everything,” Dolan said. “They are kind of in a waiting period right now. He has gotten a lot of interest, but he is stuck at home.”

EDGE Outlook

Rivals and 247Sports experts are predicting Longino will stay home and attend Villanova, which certainly would not be a surprise considering the Wildcats’ success under Jay Wright. The good news for Virginia and other programs trying to woo the 4-star junior is that he wants to see more schools in person before making his college choice. Right now Villanova is the consensus favorite, but UVA could make a move if he comes on Grounds for a visit, which his coach says he wants to do.

One thing to keep an eye on is the Recruiting Dead Period that is currently in place has now been extended to June 30. Per the NCAA, "no in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations, and official and unofficial visits by recruits to the college’s campus are not permitted" during a Dead Period.

The NCAA will reevaluate on May 27. Currently, another Dead Period is in effect from July 6-31 with some exceptions for evaluation opportunities, so if Longino cannot visit schools until August, perhaps that impacts his decision timetable. We'll see.