Former Duke teammates Jared McCain and TJ Power

Former Duke teammates Jared McCain and TJ Power

Former Duke Blue Devils teammates Jared McCain and TJ Power became fast friends after coming in as one of the most highly-rated freshman classes last year.

While Power was a five-star and the No. 20 ranked prospect in the class of 2023 as per 247Sports, the NBA-bound McCain established himself as a bonafide star with his immense production and beyond-the-arc shooting.

On Monday, TJ Power committed to the Virginia Cavaliers from the transfer portal and McCain congratulated him on the move on Instagram.

“My brotherrrr,” McCain wrote.

McCain's IG stories

Power averaged 2.1 points and 0.7 rebounds in just 6.7 minutes per game last season. He entered the transfer portal to seek more game time as coach Jon Scheyer has recruited the No. 1 class in the country, headlined by star Cooper Flagg.

TJ Power comes full circle

TJ Power already visited the Virginia Cavaliers during his high school recruitment cycle out of Worcester Academy and conducted a one-on-one visit with coach Tony Bennett.

The former Duke prospect was highly recruited from high school and was the No. 4 power forward and the No. 1 prospect from Massachusetts, according to 247Sports.

After entering the transfer portal, Power only conducted on-site visits to Wake Forest and Boston College, and he opted to conduct Zoom meetings with Virginia before committing to the program.

After his high school visit to Virginia, he praised the institution, perhaps indicating why he opted to join them the second time.

“I think the campus is beautiful and I had a great experience with Coach [Tony] Bennett,” Power said (via 247Sports). “I got to spend a lot of time with him. It was just me and him in the car when we were on campus and wherever we went.

“So it was good to get some one on one time. He reiterated, some the things that we talked about zoom calls and phone calls, but it’s good to hear it in person. And I think he’s a really genuine person. the whole staff, like top to bottom is super dedicated. So that was good to see.”

TJ Power hopes to play way more than he did for Duke, where he was barely a bench option, playing nine minutes during the Blue Devils’ run to the Elite Eight of the competition.