Deron Washington will be participating in the NBA pre-draft camp this week in Orlando, FL. Deron is one of 64 players selected. Check out hokiesports.com for more info.

Champions know what it takes to win.  Sometimes that means a classless act of distraction to get inside your opponents head.  And that’s exactly what The Weekend Warrior did to rattle his opponent in Cornhole (also know as Beanbag Toss or Tailgate Toss where you throw bags at a slightly inclined board), leading them to a 21-19 victory and then a 21-10 woodshed to complete a two game sweep in the RFK parking lot before the Brewers vs. Nationals baseball game on Friday night (yes, I realize they don’t play at RFK but that is still the best place to tailgate). 

Trailing 19-10 in the first game, The Weekend Warrior (TWW) and Nickles, his partner, were up against the wall.  But Cornhole is a game of momentum swings, and TWW and team used old ‘mo, and some head games, to rally.  After Nickles picked up a nickle (5 points), TWW dipped into his bag of tricks - the ole fake toss.  What you do is as your opponent is getting ready to throw his bean bag, you fake like you are about to throw yours.  The first couple of times you can claim you just forgot whose turn it was.  Eventually, you just have to admit you are a jerk.

The strategy worked to perfection as the Warrior and Nickles tallied the final 11 points of the game, prompting one of the losers to state, “I never want to play with you two again.”  TWW and Nickles dominated the next match-up, and cruised to the win, then got the heck out of dodge (we didn’t know any of the people, just kicked their butt and left… oh, and one of them currently attends the u… c-a-n-e-s canes!).

TWW, who was 2nd Team All-State in Cornhole back in ‘94, was named Most Outstanding Bagger.  “I just gave it 110% and things worked out,” the Warrior stated afterwards.  “Oh, and not carrying what people think of me helped, too.  I just thought to myself the immortal words of Reese Bobby in Talledega Nights: ‘If you ain’t first, you’re last.’”

Random Notes:

• Don’t make fun of kids in military fatigues on Memorial Day Weekend around strangers.  But if you do, and an old guy confronts you afterwards, claim a guy 10 feet away said it and laugh as he goes to confront the confused stranger.
• If you are going to try and smuggle beers into a pro baseball game, don’t get to the stadium 90 minutes ahead of time when the security checker has nothing better to do then check you and your bulging pockets.  Guard: “What’s in your pockets?”  TWW: “Beers?”  Guard: “Give them to me.”  Adios, 2 Lites.  Guard: “You have any more?”  TWW: “Yes.”  Good bye, #3.
• Booing zimmerman never gets old.  And TWW actually got a uva fan to admit uva is the most underachieving athletic program in the ACC.  Oh, and “zimmerman lives in DuPont” is always a nice heckle.
• If Cornhole was an Olympic sport, I’d be in Beijing in a few months.

Things I forgot to mention when I originally wrote this:

• I forgot to mention the guys tailgating next to the Cornhole losers.  They were drinking Original Coors - aka: the Banquet Beer!!!  Seriously, I thought it was there just for show at the grocery store.  I asked them if they had cooled it in a creek, or the Anacostia River.  They said no.  This disappointed me greatly.  It is not truly Original Coors unless you’ve used nature to cool it.
• I got tricked into getting Mario’s after the game.  For those of you not familiar with Arlington, 90% of Mario’s business (subs/pizza) is done after 1 AM and everywhere else is closed.  That should give you an idea for the quality of food they are offering. 
• At Mario’s, I ordered a “Gristle Steak & Chee”.  Now, they call it a Steak & Chee on the menu, but trust me, there’s way more gristle than real meat.  Ugh.
• I also got a slice of pizza for some reason.  Or “pizza”, because it is pretty much chee flavored spackling and catsup on cardboard.  Didn’t eat it, threw it out the next morning.

Before you email us and tell us we screwed up by capitalizing “Navy” in the BB&T article, we just want you to know we do capitalize the service academies.  They have earned that right for sure.  Hats off to all you veterans (and currently serving) on this Memorial Day!  And by mentioning the BB&T game next season, I actually turned this into a basketball related article!

The Washington Post is reporting (scroll down to the bottom of the Post article to find it) that Virginia Tech will square off against Navy on December 7th in the BB&T Classic at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. The game will be televised on MASN.

Tech’s last appearance in the BB&T was against george washington in 2006 when they lost 63-62.

The other game of the Classic will be george washington v. maryland. It will be a good chance to cheer for the Hokies and against the terps and former Tech signee gus gilchrist.

Virginia Tech 2009 target and Virginia native Deshawn Painter committed to the florida gators over the weekend.  Painter is the cousin of Vinston Painter, who is joining the Hokie football team next season. 

Painter had been a five-star recruit and Top 25 overall player in the 2009 Class, but dropped to just a three-star and #110 overall on Rivals.com last week.  He is 6′9″ and over 200 pounds and projects as a power forward or center.  His stock may have dropped due to his lack of production (stat-wise) this past season and his performance at all-star camps.  Painter is still a five-star and #16 overall on Scout.com.

Tech was one of the first schools to offer Painter and were aggressively pursuing him early on, but fell out of Painter’s top schools list of late. 

Deshawn is transferring from Booker T. Washington High School in the 757 to Hargrave Military Academy for his senior season.

If you are tired watching the grass grow, check this out:
http://www.hokiesports.com/webcam/

Actually, it should be pretty sweet when the facility is done and you can watch the entire construction time line.

Alright, enough whining, TechHoops.com fans, I’m back from sabbatical.  I guarantee at least 90% new material in every article… but there’s only a 50% chance of that.

OK, so I’m back… what to write about…

THREE POINT LINE

Just a reminder that the college three-point line moves back a foot next year from 19′9″ to 20′9″.   This is the first time the NCAA has “officially” moved the line since it instituted it across the board back in 1986.  The Southern Conference was the first to use a three-point line (conferences can supercede NCAA rules for conference only games, as can tournaments).  The ACC also tinkered with a three-point line that was actually less than 19′9″.  In other words, it was shorter than the top of the key!  Yeesh.  Maybe if they went back to that, VT could actually hit a few.

The funny/annoying thing about the line moving is the Hokies finally became a three-point threat at the end of the season.  Well, I should say two guys were: Malcolm Delaney and A.D. Vassallo.  Even Deron Washington finally started hitting a few.

On the season, VT hit 192 threes in 35 games, or 5.49 per game.  That ranked 11th in the ACC, ahead of just maryland.  But Tech hit eight or more three-pointers in four of their final seven games and averaged 7.4 made per game over that span, including 26 in their three NIT games.  So what happens?  The line moves back a foot.

I see this move a good thing for Virginia Tech overall though.  A.D. still has the range to hit threes from 21 feet, and it will make other teams worse.  Plus, with the line out, defenses will naturally extend out a bit, leading to more room for Jeff Allen and J.T. Thompson inside.  Plus, Hank Thorns could have more room to slash and dish.

I haven’t been in Cassell yet to see if the line has been moved yet on the main court and practice courts, but I know Seth Greenberg said he was planning to do it quickly, and the sooner the better so the guys adjust.  They will either get better, or realize maybe they aren’t three-point shooters anymore.

FYI: The line is 23′9″ in the NBA (22′ in the corners) and 20′6″ in international play, including the Olympics this summer.  So the Olympic distance is actually less than college now, although the line is moving out to 22′2″ in 2010. For more on the three-point line, go to Wikipedia (shocker they have a page JUST about the 3-point line): Wikipedia’s Tribute to the 3

FIRST BLOOD

You all learned about my respect and admiration for Rambo back in February.  Well, while at a comedy last week that I’m embarrassed to admit I was at, I saw a preview that changed my plans for this coming week.  For ONE NIGHT ONLY, First Blood (aka: the original Rambo), is being shown in “select” theaters around the nation.  One night!  One chance!  Crank up Eminem’s song Lose Yourself. This is your one last chance at history!

The biggest debate for my buddy and me is whether to see it locally or drive out to Manassas, VA to see it with REAL Rambo fans.  Smuggle in the tallboys!  I know I’m not going to Tyson’s Corner to see it.  If I saw anyone in a sportcoat there, I’d have to punch them, and I’m sure I would.

For more info and theaters showing it near you, go to http://www.fathomevents.com/ and select First Blood from the Event drop-down list.

RECRUITING

Tyshawn Taylor, a four-star point guard prospect VT was hot-and-heavy on last Fall, has committed to National Champ kansas.  He had previously signed with marquette but was granted a release after Tom Crean left to coach three scholarship players at indiana (yes, they really only have three guys left from last year’s team, plus five incoming recruits). 

The Hokies are still in the running for five-star prospect Deshawn Painter.  Painter is transferring from Booker T. Washington HS in the ‘757′ to Hargrave Military Academy for his Senior season.  He is ranked the #3 Center and #22 overall prospect in the Class of 2009 according to Rivals.com.  He would REALLY fit a need for the Hokies.  His cousin, Vinston Painter, is enrolling at VT next Fall and will be an O-Lineman on the football team.  Let’s hope they are close.