Upstate N.Y. forward is first to sign for U.Va.'s Bennett

From wire reports

Will Regan, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward from Buffalo, N.Y., has become the first player to commit to Virginia under new men's basketball coach Tony Bennett.

Regan averaged 24 points and 14 rebounds as a junior at Nichols School, alma mater of former Duke star Christian Laettner, a U.Va. recruiting target more than 20 years ago.

"The coaching staff made the basketball side a good fit beyond being in the ACC," Regan told the Buffalo News. "I was basing my decision first on academics and they have a really good business school, so that's a huge attraction to me."

Regan's group of finalists included Maryland, Stanford, Arizona State and Providence. He recently attended the NBA Top 100 camp at U.Va.'s John Paul Jones Arena.

"It got harder and harder," he said of the recruiting process. "You build a relationship with each coach, and in the end nobody is going to be totally happy with the decision. I have to say no to four other coaches."