Virginia men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett announced Wednesday afternoon that the team signed the bulky Brewster Academy senior forward Jarred Reuter to a National Letter of Intent. Earlier in the day, Virginia women’s basketball coach Joanne Boyle also announced high school senior post players Debra Ferguson, Moné Jones and Shakyna Payne would all head to Charlottesville for the 2015-16 season.
Reuter posted 13 points and nine rebounds per game in his junior year at Brewster, with the Bobcats finishing 33-2 and claiming both the New England Preparatory Athletic Council Class AAA championship and the National Prep title.
As a sophomore, the 6-foot-8-inch, 250-pound Reuter earned NEPSAC Class A player of the year honors after putting up 23 points and 12 rebounds per game at Tabor Academy.
"We are excited to welcome Jarred into the Virginia men’s basketball family,” Bennett said. “Jarred is tough, physical and plays with a lot of intensity. He is a gifted passer who plays with great feel for an inside player. Jarred will also value the degree he will earn from the University of Virginia.”
Ferguson, a 6-foot-4-inch center, plays for Amherst County High School, an hour south of Charlottesville. She made First-Team All-Conference 23 last year.
“Debra is a true five who is very strong and will anchor our defense in the paint,” Boyle said.
Jones, meanwhile, dominated defensively for Riverside High School in Durham, North Carolina last year — recording 10 points, eight rebounds and six blocks as the Pirates advanced to the state tournament quarterfinals. ESPN ranks the 6-foot-3-inch forward No. 61 in her recruiting class.
Payne averaged 12.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in her junior year at Etowah High School in Woodstock, Georgia. She will play her senior year at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, NBA star Dwight Howard’s alma mater.
“I am truly excited about embracing Debra, Moné and Kyna into our U.Va. family,” Boyle said. “They are talented young women who will thrive in every environment at the University of Virginia.”