UVa hoops targets take in JPJ

The National Basketball Players Association’s Top 100 Camp kicked off Wednesday at John Paul Jones Arena. The annual summer event not only pits the best of the best against each other, but also prepares the campers for life as a potential superstar, with current and former NBA players on hand to coach and mentor them.

This year, two of the camp’s attendees are hot on Virginia head coach Tony Bennett and his staff’s radar. Rising high school seniors Marshall Plumlee and Dorian Finney-Smith are at the top of the coach’s wish list for his class of 2011, and each has turned heads and advanced upward on the recruiting charts at their respective positions nationally.

Plumlee, younger sibling of Duke brothers Miles and Mason Plumlee, is a 6-foot-11, 215-pound center with a ton of potential, and by looking at his college choices, it shows. Described as a lengthy, physical banger, the native of Winona Lake, Ind., now attends the Christ School in Arden, N.C., and has garnered interest and scholarship offers from such schools as Duke, Wisconsin, Florida, Virginia, Purdue, N.C. State and Notre Dame.

Plumlee, rated the country’s sixth-best center by ESPN and the ninth-best by Rivals.com, says that his brothers and the rest of his family will influence his decision, and that the important choice is getting a little clearer every day.

“I hate to list a set of schools and leave out one,” he said, “because they’re all such great programs and at this point I don’t want to release a public statement saying ‘no’ to any of them. Within my family, though, I’m definitely getting more comfortable with certain schools.”

Tony Bennett would love for his young, growing program — which Plumlee called “a sleeping giant” — to be the last one standing. Plumlee and the second-year coach have already established a bond.

“One lasting impression that he’s made on me is, he’s a man of outstanding character, and he’s almost in a sense turned a little bit into a role model for me,” Plumlee said. “The things he’s accomplished, the way he leads his life sends a clear message to me about how his team would be run, how he would be as a coach.

“The way he’s handled my recruitment, I think, for me sets the bar for how top-notch programs should carry and present themselves. This being his first year here, I wouldn’t have guessed it talking with him and getting to know his staff. He’s very comfortable, and I think he’s a great leader by example, some of his qualities and traits that he exemplifies throughout the day, those are things that anyone can take from and learn from and make themselves a better person.”

Finney-Smith, a 6-foot-7, 185-pound forward from Portsmouth’s I.C. Norcom High School, has emerged as an elite competitor over the past year. His success as a junior, combined with impressive performances in AAU and national camps, has made an impression on coaches from across the country.

Recently listed by Rivals as the country’s 12th-best small forward in the class of 2011 (59th best overall), Finney-Smith says he has always wanted to play in the ACC, despite interest from schools such as Kansas, Alabama and Xavier.

“I’ve narrowed it down to six [schools],” he said on Friday. “UVa, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Wake Forest, Florida and ODU. It’s kind of up in the air right now.”

Finney-Smith said that the event, which runs through Sunday, brought him to Charlottesville for the first time, and that he was impressed with the facilities.

“The gym looks good, it’s real big, nice,” he said while taking in the view.

When asked if he could see himself playing at JPJ, the response was short and to the point: “Yes.”

“I could see myself playing for coach Bennett,” he said. “I like his approach.”

Dave Telep, national recruiting director for Scout.com, described how a player like Finney-Smith can benefit from the camp’s unique teaching approach.

“Dorian is one of those guys who I think is a really good player, and will be an impactful college guy,” said Telep, who is also serving as the camp’s director of player personnel for the second year. “But this is the first time he’s been at a camp like this, and there is definitely an adjustment for a guy like that, who prefers structure and who loves the chance to show his basketball I.Q. Sometimes camp games can get a little ragged. Having said that, he’s had his moments. I think he’s a high-level ACC recruit and a guy that I’d want in my program.”

Neither prospect is expected to make a decision anytime soon, but as Plumlee explained, he could end up making his choice tomorrow or months from now.

“At this point I’m just trying to find out what’s best for me,” he said, “but in the end I’m going to make the decision that’s best for me as a player and a person, and me alone.”