Ryan Odom and Virginia are in the running for one of the top recruits in the 2027 class. Five-star wing Moussa Kamissoko has scheduled nine official visits, one of which is to Charlottesville. He is graded as the No. 8 recruit nationally by Rivals, and is ranked No. 20 or better by all major sites.
Kamissoko will first visit Florida State and Syracuse before visiting the Cavaliers Sept. 5. One week later, he is scheduled to continue on to Oklahoma State, BYU, Illinois, UConn, Louisville and Baylor. Kamissoko also has offers from Alabama, Kentucky, Villanova, NC State and others – but those programs were not on his official visit list.
In terms of playstyle, Kamissoko is a 6-foot-7 wing with Caleb Wilson comparisons. His highlight reel features some aggressive interior slashing, along with a repeatable three-point stroke and strong awareness.
Adam Finkelstein, director of scouting for 247Sports, had this to say about Kamissoko:
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“Kamissoko is a lanky big wing with versatile potential on both ends of the floor. Built with positional size, a 6-foot-11 wingspan, and high shoulders, he’s older for his grade (turns 19 in January of his senior year), but still relatively lean and undeveloped in his upper body. He’s a bursty mover with terrific open floor speed and also fairly bouncy in space, but less so among bodies.”
“He’s at his best offensively when he’s playing with freedom and room to operate. That means transition first and foremost, but he’s also a talented scorer in other contexts. He has an improved skill set, both in terms of the fluidity of his shot (35% from three and 70% from the free-throw line) and his handle. He has an advanced left hand, will drive both sides, is a threat to score over top of smaller defenders on short mid-range shots, and can iso from various spots on the floor.”
“The keys for him are physicality and feel. He can get bumped off his spots, throw up some wild shots, and struggle to improvise when his initial move is cut-off. He’s shown flashes of being a capable passer from a standstill, but is less reliable on the move (2.5 assists vs 2.5 turnovers). Ultimately, the more freedom and space he has to work with, the better he is right now, but he needs to prove he can adapt to playing in an offensive structure when the game slows down.”
The Cavaliers have had exceptional transition offense under Odom. There are aspects of Kamissoko’s game that Virginia would like to clean up, but the efficient scoring and physical talent are tantalizing.
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Odom is also pursuing J’Lon Lyons and Gene Roebuck, two highly-touted 2027 prospects who could excel in Virginia’s system. Kamissoko is the biggest fish among that group – especially considering that the Cavaliers do not have many years left with Sam Lewis, Nolan Adekunle and Jurian Dixon.
If the Cavaliers view Kamissoko as more of a power forward, the roster situation is only compounded. Early playing time is certainly up for grabs for the 2027 recruits, especially if they come with four or five stars attached to their profile.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginia as Virginia to host 2027 five-star Moussa Kamissoko, the nation’s No. 8 recruit .
