Home Virginia Basketball signs Cofie, Sharma to NLIs
Sports News

Virginia Basketball signs Cofie, Sharma to NLIs

Chris Graham
uva basketball
Photo: UVA Athletics

Two Class of 2025 recruits signed NLIs with Virginia on Wednesday – 6’10” four-star power forward Jacob Cofie from Seattle, Wash., and 6’5” three-star shooting guard Ishan Sharma from Milton, Ontario.

Cofie projects as a stretch four as he develops, already possessing a nice midrange game with touch out to 17 feet.

The big 225-pounder averaged 20.9 points, 11 rebounds and 5.2 assists during his junior season at Eastside Catholic School in 2022-2023.

He is ranked No. 61 in the ESPN recruiting rankings.

“Jacob is a strong athlete with positional size,” UVA coach Tony Bennett said. “His ball-handling and passing skills along with his ability to post up and face the basket make him a multidimensional offensive threat.”

Sharma served as team captain for Fort Erie International Academy, which was the second-ranked team in Canada in 2022-2023. He was named to the Nike EYBL Peach Jam All-Breakout Team after shooting 45 percent from three-point range.

Sharma was a starter on Canada’s U16 and U17 national teams, respectively, leading the team in scoring in 2022.

“Ishan is a complete guard with good size and feel for the game,” Bennett said. “His shooting ability and passing stood out to our staff.”

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham, the king of "fringe media," a zero-time Virginia Sportswriter of the Year, and a member of zero Halls of Fame, is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].