Coach Tony Bennett picked up another commitment in his 2017 recruiting class Sunday when power forward Francesco Badocchi announced his intent to play for the Cavaliers. Virginia beat out Illinois and Wichita State to land the coveted forward.
Originally from Milan, Italy, Badocchi spent the last two years playing at Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park, Kan., where he led his team to back-to-back state sectional championships. The 6-foot-7 forward — listed as the fourth best recruit in Kansas by 247Sports — put up 14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks as a senior. In his highlight tapes, Badocchi has shown his tenacity in getting to the hoop and challenging shots on defense. Having never played in an AAU league, Badocchi was not heavily recruited earlier in the year before the end of his senior season. The team held an unofficial visit for him last week, and he officially announced intent to commit to Virginia via Twitter Sunday night.
Badocchi joins guard Marco Anthony as the second member of Tony Bennett’s 2017 recruiting class. The Italy native will look to compete with the likes of senior Isaiah Wilkins, junior Jack Salt, sophomore Mamadi Diakite and redshirt freshman Jay Huff for playing time at power forward if he is not redshirted.
Junior forward Jarred Reuter recently announced his intent to transfer to George Mason, meaning Badocchi will be filling a considerable hole in the team for the coming seasons.
Virginia now holds only two open spots on its roster for next season, cleared by the transfers of Reuter and rising senior guards Marial Shayok and Darius Thompson. Shayok recently indicated his intent to transfer to Iowa State, while Thompson has yet to declare a destination. Bennett successfully filled one spot in April when senior guard Nigel Johnson announced his intent to transfer to Virginia from Rutgers.
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