University of Virginia men’s basketball has landed one Gatorade Player of the Year from Indiana in head coach Tony Bennett's tenure. Kyle Guy earned the honor in 2016, and all he did was help the Hoos to the 2019 National Championship. Coach Bennett and company are now in hot pursuit of Silver Creek (Sellersburg, IN) star Trey Kaufman, who earned the Gatorade honor in the Hoosier state this past season.
Kaufman, a 6’9”, 215-pound forward ranked a 4-star prospect by 247Sports (No. 31 overall in his class) and Rivals (No. 39), is visiting Virginia and ACC-rival North Carolina this week. He has scholarship offers from both schools as well as Cincinnati, Clemson, Indiana, Louisville, Purdue, Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Wichita State, and Xavier.
The standout prospect and his mother made the roughly 8-hour trip to Charlottesville on Thursday (September 3) according to Silver Creek boys basketball coach Brandon Hoffman.
“He has been to Purdue and Indiana multiple times,” Hoffman said. “He wanted to be able to get official visits in, but that’s not going to happen.”
Because of coronavirus concerns, the NCAA has extended its recruiting Dead Period to September 30. A Dead Period has been in place since the spring and could well be extended beyond September. During this time, prospects are now allowed to have in-person, face-to-face interaction with college coaches. Official visits are not allowed. Recruits can visit schools on their own (still no in-person contact with coaches, though), which is what Kaufman is doing this week.
Virginia has been recruiting Kaufman since his sophomore season, when he helped Silver Creek to the Indiana 3A state championship.
“Virginia has been around for a while,” said Hoffman, who was familiar with the Cavalier staff prior to Kaufman’s recruitment, having graduated from Hanover College in the same class as UVA Director of Recruiting/Player Development Kyle Getter. “Orlando (Vandross) came during Trey’s sophomore year and watched him during a time when they were playing Louisville. Last year, Coach Bennett came to two practices. Trey was one of those he wanted to start forming a better relationship with. The more Coach got to know Trey and the more film we sent, I think Coach realized it was a no-brainer to recruit Trey.”
Coach Bennett offered Kaufman a scholarship this past April.
“I think he’s a playmaking 4 or a 3,” Hoffman said when asked where Kaufman projects in college and if position could play a role in his recruitment. “The (Virginia) coaches there compare him a lot to De’Andre Hunter and how they used him there. Trey could be a back-to-the-basket guy like Diakite and other big guys they’ve had. But Trey is a mismatch matchup. He has guard skills. He can shoot it. He’s really comfortable facing up, but if there is a smaller guy on him, he can play them with his back to the basket. Coach really likes that he’s diverse.”
A number of factors played into Kaufman’s decision to visit UVA.
“They are the defending national champions,” Hoffman began. “They win. Coach Bennett had an NBA career. I think he is super smart, and they have an excellent strength & conditioning coach and their facilities are great. [Coach Bennett] has developed players like Trey in similar situations. They also talk a lot about Sam Hauser, who they feel is an All-ACC player. There is a lot to like.”
Virginia and North Carolina offer distinctly different styles of play. Asked if and how style of play will factor into Kaufman’s decision, Hoffman said: “Honestly, if he was concerned about Virginia’s style of play, I don’t think he’d be taking the time to go out there and check it out. The main thing is who will make Trey the best player. Both fit that bill. Coach Bennett is super impressive.”
Cincinnati, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville and Purdue are among the schools Kaufman has visited prior to this week. Coach Hoffman says the Silver Creek senior “keeps things pretty close to the vest” in terms of possible favorites. Could he be closer to a decision after this week?
“He’s very analytical and not on anybody else’s timeline in terms of a decision,” Hoffman said. “He’ll make a decision based on the knowledge he gathers. Unfortunately, it’s hard to get to know the coaches and everything about a program in this time. The next best action is to at least get on campus and see what it’s like there. Coaches have done a great job with Zoom calls. I think he has an open mind. Is he close to a decision? I don’t think so, but he’s trying to gather as much information as possible.”
Coach Hoffman is hoping for one more chance to see what his team can do with class of 2021 prospects Kaufman and Kooper Jacobi as well as class of 2022 point guard Branden Northern leading the way. Jacobi, who is listed as being 6’6”, has also earned Division 1 offers.
For Silver Creek, Kaufman has “been kind of a do-it-all kind of guy for us,” Hoffman said. “His sophomore year we won the state championship. Obviously, he was a big part of that. He was 6’7” and still growing as a sophomore. He started growing more and filling into his body. He was Gatorade Player of the Year in Indiana last year. We were no. 1 in the preseason and ended the season no. 1 before things were shutdown. He was extremely efficient. He shot 64% combined 2s and 3s. He is probably one of our best passers. He’s skilled and efficient. He has made leaps and bounds.”
Per the Gatorade release, Kaufman averaged 25.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game in 27 games his junior season. The Dragons finished with a 25-2 record before the remainder of the state playoffs were canceled because of the coronavirus.
While Kaufman is clearly accomplished on the basketball court, he is accomplished in the classroom as well. He carries a 4.0 GPA and is no. 1 in his class.
“He is something special,” Hoffman said of Kaufman, who is hoping to meet with someone from the Department of Physics while on his UVA visit. “He is super competitive and that makes him a really good student and a good player. He comes from a very athletic family. His mom’s a good athlete. His uncle played college basketball. He’s a special kid.”
Kaufman’s Competitive Streak/Highlights
Speaking of Kaufman’s competitive streak ...
“There were questions about his quickness, so he goes and works on his lateral movement, makes himself more athletic,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman adds that Kaufman improved his vertical leap by seven inches the past year or so. The talented prospect is in the photo below, his head right against a 9’11” ceiling.
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