UVA recruit Will regan draws comparisons to Duke’s Laettner

The latest basketball standout at Nichols Schools in Buffalo, N.Y., where Christian Laettner starred in the late ‘80s, is Will Regan.

Like Laettner, Regan is a skilled frontcourt player, and the 6-8, 220-pound rising senior has heard others compare him to his illustrious predecessor.

“I get them a fair amount,“ said Regan, who recently committed to U.Va. “Obviously, I’m a different player, but I come from the same high school, so it’s kind of inevitable.“

Regan, who’ll turn 18 in January, was strictly a low-post player when he entered high school, Nichols coach Greg Plumb said, but “ever since his freshman year he’s been kind of [moving] farther and farther away from the hoop. Now if he’s open from 3, you better be on him, or he’s going to shoot it on you.“

Asked if Regan reminded him of another big man, Plumb answered, “It’s hard to say. You feel like he’s almost like he’s got the toughness of a [Kevin] Pittsnogle. I don’t think he’s quite as out in left field as Pittsnogle was - he doesn’t have any tattoos or anything like that - but he’s very versatile.“

Regan needs to work on his “strength and explosiveness,“ Plumb said. “He’s lean like an athlete, but now he needs to get bigger and wider at this level.“