Here’s a nice article about Virginia Tech 2009 signee, Erick Green.  It talks about his adjustment to life at Paul VI, a private high school in Fairfax, VA.  It also mentions he has added 15 pounds of muscle since last season.

Washington Post Article from December 10th

Of note: Erick has been named MVP of an event twice this season:

• Green was the MVP after PVI defeated Roman Catholic (Philly) 60-55 in early December
• Erick was the MVP of the John Stone Memorial Tournament at Christchurch HS (VA)

Hidden Valley star and Virginia Tech recruit Ben Boggs will miss the remainder of his senior season after breaking his leg during tonight’s game against Northside. According to WDBJ7.com, Boggs broke the Fibula and Tibia in his leg and will have surgery to repair the damage next week. Boggs led Hidden Valley to the state final four each of the last two season. Boggs should be healed in time for his freshman season with the Hokies.

The Hokies have added a fifth member to their 2009 Recruiting Class, picking up a verbal commitment from Lamont Jones. Jones is listed at between 5′11″ and 6′ and around 170-175 pounds (ie: me about 15 years and 1,200 Quarter Pounders ago).

Jones currently plays for Coach Steve Smith at powerful Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, VA.  Jeff Allen spent his senior season there.  Lamont is a kid that can play either guard spot, and based on the way the Hokies have started this season, they can usually any help they can get there.  Erick Green and Ben Boggs are also guards in this class, with Green more of a point guard and Boggs more of a slashing wing.

Lamont is rated as a 3-star by both Rivals.com and Scout.com.  He originally hails from New York, NY, as does Seth Greenberg.

Since Jones missed the early signing period, he now must wait until April to ink with the Hokies.  The other four members of the 2009 Class have all given Tech their John Hancock. 

By my count, this puts VT at 15 scholarship players next season.  The NCAA only allows 13.  Terrance Vinson may not return for his redshirt-senior season, but another player would have to leave the program, or a recruit attend a post-grad year or drop out to get to the legal limit.

Here’s Scout.com’s *free* evaluation and bio of Jones: Lamont Jones Profile

Virginia Tech missed out on another mega recruit this weekend, but this time it was a Virginian that decided to go elsewhere.  Joshua Hairston, ranked #14 overall in the Class of 2010 by Rivals.com and #5 Power Forward by Scout.com, decided to play for Coach K and the evil empire, duke.  Hairston attends Courtland High School in the Spotsylvania area. 

The Hokies had been in serious contention for Hairston, but once duke offered a few months ago, Tech’s chances became a lot lower.  Hairston visited duke over the weekend and his commitment was not a surprise.

Friday proved to be a big day not only for the Virginia Tech football team, but also the basketball team.  The Hokies received verbal pledges from two roundball recruits: 6′8″ PF/C Cadarian Raines (Class of ‘09) and 6′7″ SF Jarell Eddie (Class of ‘10).

Eddie is the more prized of the two recruits.  He is a 4-star on both Rivals.com and Scout.com.  Rivals has him as the #99 overall player in the Class of 2010 and the #21 Small Forward.  Jarell is from Concord, NC (just NE of Charlotte) and plays for the Cannon School.  He averaged 14 points per game this past season.  Eddie is the first member of the Tech Class of 2010 recruiting class.  It will likely be a small class depending on whether or not guys leave the program early.

Raines is from Petersburg, VA and is a bit of a late bloomer.  He averaged a double-double this past season at Petersburg High School, pouring in 14 points and 10 rebounds per game.  Cadarian is also a big time shot blocker and should play in the low post for Tech.  He was a 3-star on Scout but is not currently rated on Rivals.

The Hokies now have a PG, SG, SF, and PF in their 2009 class, giving them a nice balance.  However, none of the recruits are ranked higher than 3-stars on Rivals or Scout.  2009 Recruiting Class

With Raines’s pledge, the Hokies are one scholarship over for the 2009-10 season, but based on past history, it can be expected that there will be at least one victim of attrition by then (possibly Terrance Vinson who will be a redshirt-senior).

The Roanoke Times reported today that the Hokies got two verbal commitments today; Jarrell Eddie, a 6-6, 210 pound swingman from Charlotte, N.C., and Cadarian Raines, a 6-8, 233-pound post player. Eddie is a rising junior and a 2010 target, while Raines is a rising senior and figures to join the 2009 class.

Read the Roanoke Times article for more info.

Update: Here’s an article I found on Manny from December 2007…

Manny in the Orlando Sentinel

Original Story:

It didn’t take the Hokies long to fill Kendall Durant’s scholarship.  With the news Durant would not be attending VT next year, a scholarship opened up.  That scholarship was quickly snatched up by Class of 2009 recruit Manny Atkins.  Manny is a 6′6″ small forward from Stone Mountain, Georgia. 

Manny is a 3-star recruit according to Rivals.com and Scout.com.  Scout.com has him as the #20 small forward in the 2009 Class.  He averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds per game last season as a junior.

Atkins (Tucker HS) becomes the fourth VT recruit from the Stone Mountain/Eastern Atlanta area in the last seven recruiting classes, joining Class of 2003 signee Coleman Collins (Chamblee HS - signed by ricky stokes), 2005 signee/ gwu transfer Wynton Witherspoon (Lilburn, GA/Berkmar HS), and 2007 signee Terrell Bell (Stone Mountain HS).  Based on that, expect another greater Atlanta prospect to join the Hokies in 2011!

gus gilchrist is at it again. After asking for and receiving a release from his letter of intent with Virginia Tech nary a year ago, the 6-10 forward/center is transferring from yet another team that he has never played for. Earlier today, maryland released gilchrist from his scholarship with the maryland terrapins.

When Gilchrist transferred from Virginia Tech to maryland, NCAA rules mandated that he sit out a season, an obligation that he only partially fulfilled last year. Since he did not enroll at maryland until the Spring Semester, he only sat out one of the two required semesters and would have had to sit out this year until Fall Semester classes ended.  For whatever reason, gus decided he didn’t want to sit those 10 games or so.  And since he is transferring again, he may be required to sit out the entire 2008-09 season unless a waiver is granted by the NCAA.

So far, no word on where gilchrist might end up, but rumor has it that he will put together a short list soon, which will not include any ACC schools due to the transfer rules that have already burned him.

If you want to read more about gilchrist’s adventures, click here to read an article in today’s Baltimore Sun.

Niemo’s Notes:

• LOL!  Oh man, I never check other school’s message boards, but I may have to go read the maryland message boards.  They are sure eating crow right now after ripping VT (and me) on getting gilchrist last year from us.  Here’s a good one: twerp message board
• Favorite quote from the article linked above: “He was totally eligible. He had another semester to sit out. He would have been eligible the day after final exams in December, and that was basically because of the ACC interconference [transfer] rule, ” maryland senior associate athletic director Kathleen Worthington said.  “Totally eligible”???  Me fail English? That’s unpossible! 
• It’s almost sad to think gus will never play in Cassell now.  We were already planning t-shirts to wear to “welcome” him.  Ah, I’ll take maryland’s misery.
• Here’s a nice tribute of mine to gus and the md fans from February: Niemo goes to maryland

 

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.

The Hokie’s quest to have a T. Taylor leading their football and basketball teams continues as Tech continues to recruit 2008 point guard prospect Tyshawn Taylor from Jersey City, NJ. Taylor was a marquette signee but has since been granted a release from his letter of intent with former marquette Head Coach Tom Crean moving to indiana. VT is considered one of five schools in serious contention, including 2008 National Champs kansas.

Taylor had been considered a three-star recruit and #101 overall in the Class of 2008 by Rivals.com but was bumped up to a four-star ranking, #77 overall, and the #11 point guard in their newest ratings.

At this point, it is unknown how Virginia Tech could take him. VT is currently maxing out all 13 scholarships for next year based on returning players and the three signees they have coming in for next season. Someone would have to transfer, quit the program, get a medical waiver (keep a scholarship but it doesn’t count against your 13 since they are unable to play due to medical conditions), or a recruit will have to not enroll.