Virginia Basketball Target TJ Power Commits to Duke

Power chose the Blue Devils over Virginia, North Carolina, Iowa, and Boston College

Dan Fritz

All summer long, Virginia was the leading favorite to land the services of one of the most highly sought-after recruits in the country. TJ Power (Shrewsbury, MA) picked up an offer from the Cavaliers in May and visited in June. Coming out of the visit, UVA was considered the frontrunner, especially considering Power's strong relationship with Tony Bennett and the fact that he has been a Virginia basketball fan for a long time.

Unfortunately for the Hoos, Power is an even bigger fan of Duke basketball. When the Blue Devils officially offered the 6'8" sharpshooter in July, which Power described as a dream come true, he quickly visited Durham, leading to Duke overtaking Virginia as the favorite to land Power's commitment. Once again, it seems that the brand strength of Duke basketball and the recruiting talents of Jon Scheyer have proven their inevitability, as Tony Bennett's relationship with Power was not enough to lure him to Charlottesville. 

TJ Power, a borderline five-star forward and top 25 prospect in the class of 2023, announced his commitment to Duke on Wednesday, picking the Blue Devils over Virginia, North Carolina, Iowa, and Boston College.

Power made the announcement on a live show on the 247Sports YouTube channel on Wednesday afternoon and yet again, the Cavaliers found themselves as a finalist for one of their top targets, only to see that player ultimately pledge to another school. It happened with Milan Momcilovic, Freddie Dilione, Jamie Kaiser, Trey Green, and others. Now, TJ Power can be added to that list. 

Virginia will have to continue to search for a second verbal commit in the class of 2023 to accompany Blake Buchanan, Idaho's No. 1-ranked player, who announced his commitment to Virginia on July 3rd.

With Power off the board, UVA has offers out to five remaining class of 2023 targets and each has Virginia in his most recent cut list:

SG Taison Chatman (Minneapolis, MN)
SF Andrej Stojakovic (Carmichael, CA)
CG Elmarko Jackson (South Kent, CT)
CG Elijah Gertrude (Jersey City, NJ)
SG Davin Cosby (Richmond, VA)

Stay updated on all the latest Virginia basketball recruiting news, including offers, visits, and commitments here: Latest Virginia Basketball Recruiting News and Updates

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