All National/Positional Rankings are taken from 247Sports.
Current Signed NLI Recruits
Jalen Hudson, Shooting Guard, 6'5", 185 LBS, St Vincent-St Marys
Ranked Nationally: 192
Ranked Position: 46
Ranked State(OH): 4
ESPN ****
247Sports ****
Rivals ***
Youtube
from Lebron James old high school, led his team to a district title and they won seven playoff games before falling in the state semifinals. He appears to have averaged 17 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds a game this season.
Justin Bibbs Shooting Guard, 6'5", 180 LBS, Montverde Academy, FL
Ranked Nationally: 118
Ranked Position: 29
Ranked State(FL): 10
ESPN ****
247Sports ****
Rivals ***
Youtube
The last two seasons Bibbs helped Montverde win the Dicks Sporting Goods High School National Tournament. Last season Bibbs helped Montverde achieve the #1 ranking in every high school poll in the US. This season it appears they will finish either #1 or #2 in the nation and are currently 29-0. Bibbs averaged 16.5 points, 4.5 assists and 5.4 rebounds a game this season. Comparisons have been made between Bibbs and James Harden of the Rockets for their style of play.
Leaving
Trevor Thompson 7', 210 LBS, Power Forward/Center
ESPN Current
ESPN ***
Rivals ***
We have hashed and rehashed the story so no more needs to be said. He is leaving Tech, having put up 5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game this season. He is expected to transfer to a Big10 school more than likely with visits to anoSu, Purdue and possibly even Butler.
Reopened
Class of 2014
TJ Lang - Small Forward, 6'7, 195 LBS, Mobile, AL
Ranked Nationally: 333
Ranked Position: 71
Ranked State: 8
247Sports ***
To give you an idea on why this was not a significant loss, our class recruiting ranking on 247Sports only dropped two spots when they removed Lang as a commitment. He would not have been an immediate impact player, likely would have redshirted and still may have had difficulty finding a solid reserve role in his second year. It was probably best for both parties that they part ways. Oregon State is his next high level program that was recruiting him prior to his commitment.
Class of 2015
Warren Craft
Ranked Nationally: NR
Ranked Position: NR
Ranked State: NR
Rivals NR
247Sports: No Profile
Craft so far hasn't even warranted ESPN or 247Sports creating a recruiting profile on him that I could locate. I was curious when I saw that JJ offered him, because even though several bigger schools have shown interest, Tech was currently Craft's only offer. I think JJ jumped the gun on this offer and it might end of being the best thing that he has decided to look at other opportunities.
This list is only those recruits from the 2014 class that I have seen linked to Buzz Williams giving an offer and does not include those players currently on NLI to Marquette. If any of those players are released from their NLI in coming days I will add them here.
Offered 2014
Shane Henry 6'8, 215 lbs, Power Forward
JUCO Stats
Henry averaged 13.2 points and 12.5 rebounds per game this season at Georgia Perimeter Junior College.
Malek Harris 6'7" 170 lbs, Small/Power Forward
Ranked Nationally: 105
Ranked Position: 23
Ranked State: 8
ESPN ***
Rivals ****
247Sports ****
YouTube
He has seen his offers fly off the charts since the change of coaching happened. He has received 7 new offers in the last couple of weeks. We again are competing with mainly BIG10 schools for his services, especially Iowa.
The talent is there but so are the issues. He has had several disciplinary issues in high school that played major parts of two seasons. He was suspended for 11 games his Junior year and ended up being suspended his entire Senior season after additional disciplinary issues. I would be concerned with his potential to get himself into trouble at Tech as well as possibly other players if they go out together.
Richard Lee Shooting Guard, 6'2, 190 LBS, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Ranked Nationally: 172
Ranked Position: 44
Ranked State: 17
ESPN ***
Rivals ***
247Sports ***
YouTube
We are competing against Florida and Miami for his services at this point so hope that Florida loses or this might be a lost cause. I have to think Buzz likes him for his bulk, lock down defensive skills and apparent ability to take an open shot from anywhere on the court with confidence. Blanche Ely uses a pressure defense to force their opponents to bring the ball all the way up the court contested which is similar to what Buzz is looking for.
Other 2014 Top150 Players Not Committed
These players are currently in 247Sports Top 150 recruits for 2014 that have not yet committed to a school. I am not going to speculate on any of these players coming to Tech until I see something to indicate that. It just gives you an idea of the pool of players that Buzz has to work with for his three scholarships.
Josh Cunningham Small Forward 6'7, 190 LBS Chicago, IL
Ranked Nationally: 107
Ranked Position: 25
Ranked State: 8
247Sports
Cunningham is believed to be leaning towards Indiana, likely to replace the draft bound Exum.
Andre Adams Power Forward, 6'8, 200 LBS Tolleson, AZ
Ranked Nationally: 140
Ranked Position: 34
Ranked State: 5
247Sports
Tolleson is being strongly pursued by Arizona State, Texas, Miami and Indiana. He is believed to be an ASU lean.
Offered 2015
Nick Noskowiak Point Guard 6'2, 180 LBS, Sun Prairie, WI
Ranked Nationally: 49
Ranked Position: 13
Ranked State: 2
ESPN
****
Rivals ****
247Sports ****
YouTube
This kid has the ball control skills to possibly come in as a freshmen and push Devin for a starting job at the point even giving Devin another year of development. Worst case he would probably be the sixth man off the bench. His ability to create his own shot or distribute the ball, especially in the lane is exactly what Buzz is looking for from a point guard. He was Buzz's lone commit to Marquette for 2015 but is from Wisconsin so I am not sure if it is a no brainer for him to follow Buzz to Tech.
Justin Robinson Point Guard 6'1 170 LBS, Manassas, VA
Ranked Nationally: NR
Ranked Position: NR
Ranked State: NR
Rivals
247Sports
YouTube
This is a Boo Williams connection but I cant seem to find a lot of relevant data on Robinson. It worries me to see a new offer out to a Point Guard and what that might indicate on our chances of getting Noskowiak. I would also prefer to see Buzz put a full court press on the couple kids at Oak Hill from this class, one of whom is also a point guard. Right now its just an offer so if Buzz gets better talent committed we would be able to take a step back here but nothing I have seen tells me he is anything but a background player at best going forward. We will keep an eye on him as the rankings change for next season.
2016
Buzz Williams news on the 2016 class. I will only post if I have seen news specifically attaching Buzz or his staff to a recruit from this class.
Eric Hester 6'3 175 Lbs Combo Guard
Ranked Nationally: 51
Ranked Position: 5
Ranked State (FL): 4
247Sports
Rivals
Future150
YouTube
Virginia Tech offers 2016 4-star guard. http://t.co/tGr3A29D22 @TheClubhouseKB— Jerry Meyer (@jerrymeyer247) April 13, 2014
Comments
Dante Exum is considered a definite lottery pick and has been projected as high as 3rd in the draft. I am shocked he is ranked 90th nationally. He says he only wants to play for the Lakers. He is NBA bound for sure.
Part of the rankings are that he is a foreign player so not as much visibility but it also speaks to how watered down the NBA draft and league is as a whole.
Thanks for the update!
Exum is considered a big time prospect in the NBA immediately. I am not sure I agree with you that the NBA is watered down. 98% of these college recruits will never play in the NBA. Exum is going straight to the pro's and is a top 5 pick. So, being ranked 90th is wildly innacurate by whoever is rating him that low. I think visibility on Exum is very high actually. NBA teams are salivating over him.
Other than that, I love your write ups on the the Hokie prospects. Thanks for taking the time to keep us informed on the potential Hokie recruits. Its clearly a sign that interest is growing about our basketball team. A year ago, no one would have been talking about the team.
Keep up the good work!
I read this and was lost until looking up a few comments to see it was Dante Exum, not Antone Exum. I thought it was some sort of sick joke regarding Tone blowing out his knee playing basketball at first.
How many scholarships do we have available for 2014? I count 2 here, and I assume Rankin would give us at least 3? I thought I read somewhere else that Johnston lost his scholarship?
EDIT: Welp guess I should have read a little more... "It just gives you an idea of the pool of players that Buzz has to work with for his three scholarships."
Any word on Satchel Page Pierce? We need bigs... JVZ, CJB, Kirby and Wood are it... Wood more a 4-3 than true 4 and not sure Kirby will be ready.
Until any news comes out that the current Marquette class has been released from their N LIs I won't include them here
I'll take Atwood, Harris and Lee, thank you.
I would prefer to eventually see Paige-Pierce decommit to Marquette, add him, Atwood and potentially a Skara/Cekovsky if Buzz thinks they are a fit. If not the last, then Harris if Buzz is sure he can keep him on the court.
I'd like to see Thon Maker get an offer. No interest in the 7'0 2016 prospect from Carlisle School in Martinsville?
We aren't discussing the 2016 class here. We have had several posts regarding Thon Maker and that we absolutely have to try to bring him in. Bringing in a Satchel Paige Pierce and having him be successful under Williams make us a more attractive destination for Maker but we will have to fight every top program in the country for Maker regardless. This thread is more about the immediate moves Buzz has made and more importantly the impact on next year.
might want to add this guy to the list out of IUP
looks to be a pretty prolific scorer
6-1 G, 30 min/gm, 15.8 pts/gm last year. Here's his player card http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/56540/ian-chiles
Added the profiles for Justin Bibbs and Jalen Hudson to the top of the OP for reference. I will look into Ian Chiles and see what else I find about him above the post with his stats. Not sure if Buzz offered him or if he is just interested since Buzz came here.
Do you think we will pursue Nick Faust or Shaquille Cleare from University of Maryland now that they are transferring?
Not sure if they would be able to transfer in conference though or have to sit out a year.
Someone enlighten me :p
Remember Maryland will not be in the ACC next season so I think they could transfer to an ACC school now.
Wow silly me, that's very true. Thanks for reminding me!
they will have to sit out a year wherever they end up
Gotchas, thanks!
I just saw that Faust is transferring and immediately came here to say that HE NEEDS TO COME TO TECH! Would we then have a buttload of 6 foot 5ish shooting guards? Yes. But he would be the most proven even after sitting out a year.
You say that as if its a bad thing.
I would love nothing more than to see VT built with a roster that is taller and stronger than the rest of the ACC. We do that, Buzz will be EXTREMELY successful in his time here.
Faust is rumored to be trying to find a way to graduate by this summer but is currently slated to graduate in December. If its December, he would have to sit out a season before transferring, if he manages to get in done this summer he could be available to play as a graduate transfer.
Of the three Peters would be the best get but I think that whoever gets Peters will also have to make a spot for Cleare, as they are kind of a combo deal. Cleare really hasn't been that impressive and I don't know if making room for him to get Peters would be worth it for us. I think Buzz could do better recruiting the next class.
We seem to be in on a lot of transfers right now.
How are your thoughts on our abilities to land any of them?
I know I'm not Rob, and he knows more than me, but from what I've seen from Buzz at Marquette was that he recruits a lot of JUCOs and transfers and has had a lot of success with them, Jae Crowder and Jimmy Butler were JUCO guys who went to the NBA.
Just an update on two of the three Maryland players
Nick Faust did commit to Oregon State yesterday.
May have this JUCO forward locked up.
I believe Arkansas might not have any scholarships available anymore
We need him since Atwood is probably out of the picture at this point.
What is going on with Atwood? He is the recruit I want the most.
I think by the time we offered him he considered us but we were just so behind the other teams catching up would be tough. Unless we can get him in for a visit before Signing Day next Wednesday the odds are very slim that he will be a Hokie.
Indications are he is a heavy lean to Iowa right now with a possibility he heads to Florida State. I agree that we got in a little too late in the process to really sway him unless we get him on campus for an official visit.
That's what I meant about Thon Maker a couple of days ago. I know the discussion isn't about 2016 recruits, however, are we going to wait until it's too late to offer Maker. We should be more proactive and aggressive especially for a 7 footer in our own backyard. We can offer early while continuing to work on the program's attractiveness. What can it hurt?
Biggest thing we can do for Thom is to get a team built right now that is establishing a gameplan of feeding the ball down low for points. Show him we will not only rely on size, but we have a system in place to capitalize on it. If we can do that, we'll be a realistic possibility for him, and with Buzz in control, anything is possible.
Offering him right now won't do much. We'll just be a part of the static.
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Thon-Maker-139172
Thon Maker has had an offer from us almost since the day he arrived from Australia. I am sure that Buzz Williams is continuing the work since Maker plays for Boo Williams AAU squad. We already offered his point guard for next year.
Who's that?
See the OP, Justin Robinson
Cool thanks, but I don't see a VT offer for Thon M. at 247 Sports.
247 doesn't necessarily show everyone who has offered. They show the schools a recruit is supposedly interested in.
Needless to say, their lists shift regularly throughout the year. And while I'm at it, don't put too much weight into what 247 says where a guy will go and where he is hot/cool towards. They were wrong about most of the guys I followed last year in football. At one point they had us at close to 80% lean for DaShawn Hand right up to the point where he left us off his Top 3. Those experts over there are just guessing on where kids will end up, and more often than not, they are wrong. Where they are good, I have found, is how they evaluate the players.
and you also don't see one on ESPN. None of the recruiting services are perfect and they don't spend a ton of time on the recruits profiles until right before their senior seasons. They may have also pulled down all the offers that involved James Johnson to confirm that VT was still pursuing them with a new coach in place. The Boo Williams connection makes me certain that Buzz is still recruiting Maker. What better way to get a guy to come to Tech than get the guy that he is most comfortable with feeding him the ball?
Good points.
Also, in case you didn't notice Cekovsky committed to Maryland on 4/7/14.
Sounds like a classic Hokie recruit...
http://www.gpc.edu/successstories/shanehenry
I read about half of that before I realized I love this guy. Classic blue collar, lunch pail Hokie. I watched his highlights too, he's very athletic and a versatile scorer.
Arkansas still has one scholarship open as they are also in the picture for Atwood. I added Henry's JUCO profile up in the OP. He averaged 13 points and 12.5 rebounds a game this season.
wow.
A basketball recruiting thread.
Will wonders never cease?
*Used
Yeah I typed it up so fast and didn't bother to notice that. Thanks!
It's OK, Sam Rogers will donate the "d" that everyone puts in his last name.
One thing of note, it now appears that Wojo has convinced all but Malek Harris to stay at Marquette. Harris is still considering Marquette among others.
But Ahmed Hill, Satchel Paige Pierce, Sandy Cohen and Marial Shayok all look as though they are staying based on their twitter profiles.
I thought that Pierce wanted out of his LOI?
This is the summary on his twitter profile, which he had taken down when competing over in the Junior championships
Looks like Wojo is losing another one.
That's good news. Could mean others are to follow.
Yep. Additionally, this was posted afterwards. Do you think that Buzz isn't interested in getting him? Seems like we would have offered him.
Edit: I guess we are already pretty loaded at Shooting Guard. Filling another position would be better.
Yep we are good at SG with Bibbs and Hudson assuming we keep both.
Shayok was the lowest rated member of his class so with the other names we have seen Buzz involved with and taking into account Emelogu, Smith, Hudson, and Bibbs at a minimum for the two spot I would see getting him as the least priority from that class. I just have to hope that there is a chance that Paige-Pierce also opts out but it seems unlikely.
This is terrible. I hastily put all of my eggs into the Satchel Paige Pierce basket. He would have been a huge boost. A true center would have been game changing. I hope Buzz has some sort of trickery up his sleeve to pull him away.
Trust me, I has the big sads right along with you. I thought by having Satchel Paige Pierce be successful here, it would make getting Thon Maker that much closer a reality. Kid was decimating people in the Juniors over in China.
Might want to keep an eye on 7-foot center Legend Robertin from London. Had an offer from Marquette. Plays at a prep school called Believe Academy in SC. http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/1902... ESPN has him as #17 center.
I have to think that his skill set must be really really raw if he is 7 ft and 220 lbs and only has the one offer from Marquette and limited interest from other schools.
247 has him at 268th in the country and the 25th center which still is better than what we have right now.
http://www.cityleaguehoops.net/legend-robertin-2014-cityleaguehoops-prof...
I am also seeing reports that he has chosen to go the JUCO route with a year at Chipola College to try to improve his game and draw better attention next year once he has improved.
... @JucoRecruiting: Legend Robertin (7'0/C/2015) has enrolled at Chipola College. Will be an impact player next season. Will have 3 years to play after next yr
Maryland gurus think that Buzz has shown interest in Roddy Peters.
That would be a huge get for us. He was a 5* PG out of high school, #1 recruit in MD, #4 PG recruit and #20th overall recruit in 2013 according to 247.
Bibbs is now number 70 in ESPN's rankings!
According to Brewster Academy's Facebook page, VT has contacted them about visiting Devonte Graham a 6-1 PG. He was released from his LOI, yesterday I think, to Appalachian State after Jason Capel was fired. It's a complete release. UVA, Florida, Kansas are among the many to have contacted the school.
There are several very high profile schools going after Devonte Graham. He would be a very good one for Buzz to snag. It will take a few months to decipher what Buzz decides to do initially with the team. I feel confident that the roster will be vastly different in November 2015 than it was when he was hired - ignoring the usual graduations. The players that signed up for the equivalent of summer camp with Johnson will discover they're now in Marines boot camp. The final result will be worth all the hand wringing done by some in the interim. If we can score a Devonte, etc. that will speed the process.
App St is already accusing NCSU of tampering, claiming they were trying to sway him after the LOI was signed.
The were accusing them of tampering last year which is why he went to a prep school this year
ok so i know stars cant be considered really, but how is a 2-star recruit receiving this much high power interest?
He's a high 3 star (89) on 247 sports, so his ranking definitely warrants interest this late in the process. Hope we get him so we can actually have some legitimate depth at PG/SG next year...
edit: didn't realize the same link is posted above - the preview is outdated.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/the-dagger/newly-released-devonte-graham-w...
This gives you some more background on how his profile changed by spending the year at Brewster Academy rather than going to App State. His profile raised significantly and as the article states, he is the best available PG left unsigned at this point. This becomes huge with the schools that have one and doners that are headed to the NBA including Kansas.
DEVONTE YOU FORGOT TO TURN THE FLASH ON AND YOU'RE STANDING IN THE SHADE
Apparently these will be his first two official visits. I will be surprised if he even makes it to NC State after visiting Kansas.
So does that mean he will visit anyone else after seeing Kansas?...just following the bread crumbs here...
He may visit everyone on the list but if I had to guess, he wont leave Kansas without committing. Just my feel from reading the posts by his coach and a few other articles out there on him. The only pull that might get him to his visits on the East Coast is family and being able to be closer to home and/or the ability to be on the court from Day 1.
I didn't read much on him but I wouldn't underestimate Mark Gottfried's recruiting capabilities especially with a guy who went to HS in N. Carolina. Plus Kansas has higher level guards on roster unless I missed Wayne Selden or Nadir Thorpe declaring for the NBA. I wouldn't be surprised if he signed with Kansas, it's Kansas, but after the debacle of his first recruitment I think he does his due diligence.
Y'all need to check out the new Sports Illustrated, there's a feature on Thon Maker who has a 4.03 GPA and speaks three languages
on a slightly different note, has buzz officially hired assistant coaches and other staff yet? i know there were rumors of people following him from marquette but i havent heard anything official
The arrangements have been made, and announcements will come in a few days. Folks need to tidy up at the current/former places of work. Buzz does have his guys, though.
I figured he would go B1G. They love big men. But Purdue tho? Who coaches there now?
Matt Painter has been the head coach there for about a decade.
Then that clears that up.
Past 3 years we had players transfer to Florida, Louisville (not technically a transfer) and now possibly Ohio State. Those are some pretty high profile basketball schools. I would appreciate if they returned the favor...
JUCO Stats
16.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game
Sounds like Deron Washington clone for us.
...and this has made me the happiest I have been in several weeks regarding Buzz:
Paul VI class for 2015 is a gold mine as I outlined in several other posts. He could fill all his scholarships for next year from this school and it would likely be a top ten class.
Buzz's been busy! I like the energy he brings!
He has used the tech plane everyday this week to go see recruits. Guy goes no stop.
Rev says that we have our assistants and are just waiting to announce them.
Met two of the guys yesterday. It's going to be a fun ride with Buzz here.
When do you think they'll announce them?
They love to announce stuff on Monday's so if I had to guess, I'd say Monday. Only thing I could see delaying that is if they are still ironing out the fine details or something.
ESPN ***
247Sports
Yahoo
Background
YouTube
We are one of the few big schools on that list. Most of the others are small private schools.
Yeah but Nova is on that list which will be the big competition.
They might be smaller schools, but there are some big time basketball schools on the list.
I added 2016 to the subject but until I see something officially linking Buzz to Thon Maker, I wont be adding his profile. Buzz did put an offer out to a Combo Guard in 2016 whose profile is now in the OP.
JMU Stats Profile
Transfer Article
As you can see, it lists Tech as a possible destination but I have seen nothing that indicates Buzz has offered him a scholarship. He would have to sit out a season, but is in the same mold of player as many of the wing players we already have committed. I would expect he lands somewhere else where he likely would be more in line to start after he sits out a year.
Malek Harris is visiting Kansas State this weekend and they seem to be the most likely to land him. I think that Buzz may have moved on from Harris and possibly rightfully so. Just read this. Also we made Devonte Graham's top 5 along with Kansas, NC State, Providence, and UVA.
reading the blog you linked makes so happy that keyplay looks so nice
The staff at 247Sports for basketball recruiting all seem to agree with you on Malek Harris. Some of this is probably group think but there has to be some smoke here as well.
Apparently he will visit us though on the 28th assuming he doesn't sign at Kansas State on his visit there.
Interesting....
Must be a morning visit because Buzz is speaking in Raleigh that afternoon.
That or Harris could be meeting with Coach Chew if Buzz isn't in town.
Apparently with the change of coaches at Cal, Idrissa Diallo has reopened his recruiting. He originally was recruited by Tech under JJ, but is still thought to have an open offer from the current coaching staff.
Idrissa Diallo 6'11, 225 Lbs, Power Forward/Center
Ranked Nationally: 170
Ranked Position: 42
Ranked State (CA): 16
247Sports
Future150
ESPN
Rivals
Yahoo Video Highlights
I would expect that he will become a lot more popular with the number of underclassmen that have elected to go to the NBA draft so it could be a challenge to get this kid. Hopefully once the NLI is cleared up, Buzz gets a chance to get in and put in his two cents.
Would love to see Buzz get his big man.
Satchel Pierce may commit today, not sure.
To VT or Marquette?
Has he even been released from his NLI? I have seen nothing that indicates he has even requested release and his twitter page still has everything Marquette.
Apparently there is an inside rumor going that he has been released and is deciding between VT and Marquette soon.
Why would he get a NLI release from Marquette only to sign back with Marquette?
This doesn't make sense at all.
Yeah that's what I thought as well. Seems like if he did get released he will likely be a Hokie.
Makes me think that whoever started the rumor doesn't know what he or she is talking about.
I'll believe it when its reported by someone in the know, or by any of the major recruiting agencies.
I just cant see a release of a high profile recruit like Pierce not getting out if it has happened. Too many people involved for it not to have been made public. Besides, I know Pierce likes Buzz but once his name is out he will have a laundry list of suitors that he didn't have initially before committing to Marquette. James Madison was in his final top three at one point before committing. After the U-19 Junior National team performance he put on in China, I wouldn't be surprised to see all the blue bloods make him an offer if they have an open scholarship with the high number of kids going to the draft.
Hopefully SPP will think what Buzz would think himself - 'You chose me at the beginning, before everyone else knew what I could become. You were loyal to me, I'll be loyal to you.' That's certainly not the way most recruiting works, and understandably so. It would be nice if it fell our way this time.
If thats the way recruiting worked, the teams we had under Seth Greenberg would have vied for numerous Natty titles.
Because he is 18....
To make sure he is picking the right school he wants to go to. Marshall Wood and Harrell did the same thing when Greenberg was fired. Harrell left and Wood stayed. It's only to give the athlete options.
I know Buzz is out flying all over the place recruiting...I know good things are happening behind the scenes.
I can't wait to see some committments come rolling in however...just hoping to logon and see that Buzz pulled in a biggie.
I would expect to hear one or two things by the end of the weekend. Sounds like SPP is a real possible get and we might hear something by Saturday afternoon about it.
I thought he had reaffirmed his committment to Marquette?
Ahmed has been released from his LOI. The fact that he said he chose Marquette because of his relationship with Chew and Buzz probably favors us greatly.
http://247sports.com/Player/Ahmed-Hill-19955
looks like a stud. Jerry Meyer immediately crystal balled him to us
we also offered 2015 small forward C.J. Williamson
http://virginiatech.247sports.com/Board/59428/Contents/CJ-Williams-picks...
Regardless if he chooses VT or not, this is really classy.
Yup. He didn't have to do that at all. I think this is a sign that the guy has some level of awareness of what it means to be a highly recruited athlete and the presence of mind to provide some level of closure to both himself and the fans who were likely excited about his future contributions.
I'm most impressed that he was able to type that message, snap a screen shot and post the tweet all with 1% battery life. This kid has talent.
https://twitter.com/RussHoops/status/456544344359841792
Dumb Question here:
When is Signing Day? I know there is the early signing period in basketball but when can we expect to see some of these 2014 guys signing?
It started yesterday and ends May 21st.
C.J. Williamson, 6'6, 185 Lbs, Guard/Small Forward, Orlando, FL
Class of 2015
247Sports
Future150
Rivals
YouTube
Top teams we are competing with are Texas, Kansas State and Louisville. I am surprised that with the attention this kid is getting there isn't a lot of information out there on him as of yet. He hasn't even popped on ESPN for a profile. Yahoo has him as a three star as of right now and 247Sports have yet to rank him. His entire highlight video on YouTube is practically all clips of him taking it to the rim so this apparently is a big part of his game. He seems comfortable handling the basketball in space and against multiple opponents which would have been my big knock on Jarell Eddie this year.
Ahmed Hill: 6'4" 185 lbs, Shooting Guard, Augusta, GA
Ranked Nationally: 62
Ranked Position: 16
Ranked State (GA): 2
247Sports
ESPN
Rivals
Background Article
YouTube
He would be the star of the class, a pure fluid shooter, that needs to improve his on ball defense to really take the next step. He scored over 3000 points in his high school career and has the potential to challenge scoring records at Virginia Tech if he follows Buzz and Chew. He will instantly draw attention though from all the top programs so we have to hope that the rapport he has with our new coaches is enough to get him in.
Possibly an obvious answer to this, but I'll ask anyway - who is Coach Chew?
He is the other assistant coach that was announced yesterday. See this thread:
http://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2014/april/16/isaac-chew-joins-virgini...
Thanks. i decided to not be lazy and check out the hoops forum, where I found that post. I'll give you a leg for the link since I gave you one for the great info you provided over there on Isaac Chew. When people step back and look at what Buzz is doing, they should be mightily impressed. To compare - I really liked the passion and dedication that Greenberg brought to Hokie basketball. Some criticized his courtside antics, media presence and phraseology, but I saw them as a function of his attempts to be an actual P-R-O-G-R-A-M at Tech. He did indeed build one, that attained a certain level. It was a level far better than anyone expected prior to our joining the ACC. All that being said, it had a glass ceiling. I think Buzz is also building a program based on relentless work and passion and media presence and phraseology. It seems very evident that this program can attain much higher levels than previously reached. That all still has to occur, but it is overwhelmingly reassuring to see what Buzz is building.
Seth formed the program, but it hit its plateau and started to fall off a bit. There was definite potential to have good years the last 2 had we kept him, but I understood the reasoning behind letting him go.
We made a mistake in hiring Johnson. He was not the right guy for us and we were not the right program for him. That's all I'll say about that, but in the end, it was only a 23 month mistake.
The hire of Buzz shows our admin understands where our basketball program was just a short time ago, and is intent on building upon that. The annual upset of a top ranked program is still in the minds of many in this area. There is absolutely no reason we can't at the very least quickly get back to where we were in the spring of 2011 very quickly. We are not the wasteland people are so hoping for us to be. We clearly have the financial dedication to compete with the big boys, and we have a guy in charge who isn't afraid to use it. At this point, I would not be shocked to hear within the next 18 months a financial push within the Hokie Club to help fund either a major overhaul for Cassell or that we're underway to secure funding for a new all purpose facility.
The Virginia Tech Status Quo is dead. This is a whole new era, one in which we're going to be the athletic program we know we can be.
Lots to agree with in that post. I really want to avoid the quicksand of rehashing a lot of recent history on hoops, as that can become a toxic tangent for many. Thus, I'll try to stay on point. Agreed on Greenberg, I think he knew he'd not receive the support necessary from above and elsewhere in the ath dept, and it reflected in his final year's performance. he probably should have fought tooth and nail for the St. Johns job and grabbed the first plane up there. He'd achieve his desired end result, and Weaver wouldn't have embarrassed us. SG's in a good spot for him now, so I'll turn that page. As for Johnson, that was Weaver being lazy & apathetic. Johnson wasn't prepared but Weaver only saw financial savings on paper while ignoring the overwhelming opportunity loss. Thankfully, Weaver is now 'retired'. Turn the page, giving us new & shiny - Whit. He get's it. He's got his man for basketball now, who also gets it. We can be just what Whit rationally desires - top half ACC, regular NCAA visits beyond 1st round, and respected nationally. We should defeat #1 teams and fear no one. Buzz will get us there.
Even though he plays a position where we have incoming talent (and Emelogou), you'd have to take him if you can and sort it out. We could go all Villanova and play 4 guards.
A lot of good guards can take you a long way. Just ask the two Uconn championship teams from the past few years. Dang I hope we can get Ahmed.
Keep in mind, he projects as more talented than Emologu. Ben might find himself going from being favored by the previous coach to having to scramble for a spot.
Yep, this is the difference between *Hill and T.J. Lang, who opted out. Ben has a nice shot, while Cohen has a great shot. Cohen is also a better ball handler by the looks of things than Emelogu. Ben hasn't shown me the capability to create his own shot or draw the defense to get his teammates open looks.
Not intended as a jab, but an honest assessment - what it is, is the difference between a Buzz recruit and a Johnson recruit. Buzz recruits ACC level talent.
Do you mean Hill or Cohen?
Meant Hill, was on Twitter on my list of potentials when I typed it. Either would be true though.
I am hoping that was a freshman issue and can be coached/corrected for Ben. He showed lots of promise early on before he got injured.
Don't want to read too much into one tweet, but it sounds as though he is pretty high on Buzz & Chew. Maybe we can get a quick flip on him.
Ty Graves, Class of 2016, Point Guard, 5'11, 155 Lbs, Greensboro, NC
247Sports
ESPN
MaxPreps Stats Profile
Background Article (Academics and Athletics)
He comes from a basketball pedigree, parents having both played at UNC. He has stated that Duke is probably his dream school but he is being highly recruited by most of the ACC schools as he is projected to be one of the top point guards in the 2016 class. He currently is putting up about 15 points and 5 assists per game and speaks to fashioning his game on that of Stephen Curry.
Parents played at UNC and his dream school is Duke?! Maybe his parents can convince him VT is a good middle ground between the two. We play both teams every year (sometimes more than once) so he can be happy when VT beats UNC and his parents can be happy when VT beats duke. Everyone is a winner.
That reinforces the notion that the shine is off Roy Williams' apple with more than a few tar heels.
I never really fully bought into the Roy Williams greatness at UNC. He always struck me as just a more successful Seth Greenberg. He could recruit the hell out of his schools, but on gamedays, he always seemed to be lacking.
That game in 2007 when we took them to the woodshed when they came in #1 before Seth called off the dogs far too early. A couple timeouts early in that second half and a couple substitutions and they would have won that game going away. But he did absolutely nothing to help them out and just let his guys out there get taken to the shed. And games like that happen annually to Carolina. I know he likes to play it off as if he's letting the kids figure it out on their own, but it happens to frequently that I just think thats an excuse.
Sorry, but Grennberg would give his left nut to have a resume like this:
Championships
NCAA Division I Tournament Championship (2005, 2009)
Regional Championships - Final Four (1991,1993, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009)
ACC Tournament Championship (2007, 2008)
ACC Regular Season Championship (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012)
Big 12 Tournament Championship (1997, 1998, 1999)
Big 12 Regular Season Championship (1997, 1998, 2002, 2003)
Big Eight Tournament Championship (1992)
Big Eight Regular Season Championship (1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996)
Awards
AP Coach of the Year (1992, 2006)
Naismith College Coach of the Year (1997)
Henry Iba Award (1990, 2006)
John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award (2003)
ACC Coach of the Year (2006, 2011)
Big 12 Coach of the Year (1997, 2002, 2003)
Big Eight Coach of the Year (1990, 1992, 1995, 1996)
He has been a winner everywhere he has coached. Sure he could have been better the last few years, but to downplay his achievements is ridiculous.
Yep, took two different schools the Final Four. Very few people have that on their resume. He has the highest winning percentage of any current coach in the ACC at almost 80% (.792) 724-190 record as a head coach. Does he have disappointments on his record? Similar to the Buffalo Bills making four straight SuperBowls and losing all four? Yep. But you cant compare him to any coaches that aren't Hall of Fame bound.
25 years of coaching and has never had a losing record.
Worst record? 19-12
How many seasons with less than 20 wins? 2 (19-12, 19-11)
How many seasons with over 30 wins? 10
I wasn't downplaying shit, but thanks for putting words in my mouth.
He's an excellent recruiter who is not that great of a gameday coach. Many of his teams, especially now, win on talent alone. You can throw out all the awards and accomplishments he's won, but that isn't going to change my claim.
Curious...in the face of his Hall of Fame credentials...what do you base the claim of his week game day coaching on?
I don't think you win championships and coach of the year awards (and 30 games a year) without being a solid game day coach.
He's a great team builder. He puts together squads that can win on their own without much help from himself during games. Teams with players that are on the court coaches for the rest of his guys. Yes, that comes in preparation, and there's a lot of coaching in practices that comes out of that. But on gamedays, when you're coaching against the man on the other bench, and his team needs the coach to stop the bleeding or provide a spark they need, I just don't see it. When UNC isn't as talented as the team they're playing against, they struggle. I rarely see them playing above their abilities, except for the obvious games, like against Duke, when the team comes in jacked.
Remove all the accolades and awards he's been able to have, and I see a coach very similar to Seth Greenberg. Had Seth had the opportunity to recruit with the financial and prestige backing of a Kansas or a North Carolina, I could easily have seen him build teams the quality of which we saw Roy do at UNC. And those teams would have won a lot of games on their own. I mean, Seth had us on the bubble annually and not many are going to claim he was a great gameday coach.
There's a contingent of basketball experts who agree with you on this. So for those who are bashing Alum07's opinion it's actually well founded. It's not saying that he hasn't had success. It;s saying he's a great recruiter helped by his program's prestige but doesn't have the Xs and Os ability of some others.
In the last 2-3 years, those voices have gotten a little louder. There are some reasonable people in Baby Blue Nation who think that Roy has underachieved recently. That is not the same as saying he is not a good coach, and I don't think anyone above was saying that either. That is just to say that some noteworthy UNC backers think Roy needs to step his game up re:winning tourney games and in control of his program overall. They're not questioning his recruiting. They're questioning his gametime decisions and his discipline over his program. When you consider the recent academic issues that have been uncovered at UNC, I think folks can connect the dots on that level of his control and awareness. When you watch his teams perform over the past few seasons, the word discipline doesn't come to mind. Then, do like the UNC folks can easily do - travel fifteen miles over to Durham. Discipline, structure, results.
One thing to think about here is how did he even get the chance to BE a coach at UNC or Kansas. Its not like EVERY coach in the country wouldn't have wanted those jobs and weren't going after them. He had to have proven his worth at every facet of coaching (sure, some areas may have been weaker) to be offered these positions. The crazy thing is, he didn't even play a full 4 years of college basketball before he started on the road to coaching.
I respect what you are saying but just don't agree. It is true that he has the benefit of great recruits. But you have to look at the challenges that this also brings (egos, entitled kids, etc.). Winning a national championship in the sport is no easy feat even with the best recruits. It takes a team. And that is on the coach.
He got the Kansas job because he was a Dean Smith protg having learned under him because he played for Carolina, and being an Alum is why he got the UNC job.
Even James Johnson didn't get as sweet of a first head coaching job as Ole Roy.
I don't think the only reason he got both jobs is because he was a protege and then an alum. I respect your opinion but disagree.
To downplay this resume is crazy. The guy has two national championships, two AP coach of the year, and a Naismith Coach of the Year. He won the John Wooden Legends of Coaching award....this is Hall of Fame type stuff.
You don't have to like him, but to not respect his incredible resume is way off base...IMO.
Any word on Buzz checking out Jordan Goodman for filling the Power Forward spot? Seems to almost be a no brainer compared to Atwood and even Henry. He played for DC Assault, AAU out of DC, and went to a JUCO in Maryland.
He scored 1090 points in two years at Harcum.
Jordan Goodman, 6'9, 210 Lbs, Power Forward, Largo, MD
18.9 Points per game
6.6 Rebounds
70% Free Throw shooting
JUCO Stats
School Stats
Maybe it comes down to whether he can qualify, but he appears to be getting interest from plenty of schools so I am surprised we aren't on the list.
http://www.jucorecruiting.com/atwood-sets-two-visits-kansas-now-involved...
The Hoops Wiz is asking us? If you don't know, we probably don't know, and that's a compliment.
I was putting it out there mainly for HokieJoe11 who seems to have some behind the curtain moments just to see if the name has been mentioned. I cant find anything on it and size/game wise he seems to fit the mold of the instant lineup addition Buzz has been trying to get with Atwood and Henry and he has closer roots to this area so just would seem to be a good transition if he qualifies. I really need to find out who the person is that schedules Buzz' plane trips or flies the plane to find out all the places he is going. Would make tracking down the talent from those areas a bit easier.
Well he committed to New Mexico over the weekend so he is no longer an option at Power Forward.
Missouri's coach just left to Tulsa and they were supposed to be our top competition from Ahmed.
Our true top competition are going to be the "Bluebloods in Need" which is why the sooner Buzz can get him to visit and sign a new NLI the better.
Duke lost one
UNC lost two
Kansas lost two
Kentucky lost two
Syracuse lost two
Arizona lost two
Michigan lost two
UCLA lost two
Michigan State lost two
That's 17 scholarships that may or may not have already been recruited to fill at the top schools in the country and Hill is definitely one of the top available players at this point.
Just an update on Trevor Thompson. I played pick up with him today and boy is he immature. Can definitely see him being a problem to Buzz. And quite frankly I'm glad he's gone.
Did he stop the game to take a phone call?
No but he transferred to the other team after the game.
But only after watching the former team's post game talk?
No, he dunked on softy while he answered his phone!
Ohio State just announced they are converting Trevor Thompson to Tight End...
This is a good article about what his next plans are.
This concerns me a bit but I think his relationship with Chew and Buzz will be enough to convince him to be a Hokie.
This is our challenge. Having Buzz and guys like Chew and Roccaforte here is great, but they have a more challenging sales job than many others do.
Andy Moore, one of Johnson's assistants, has landed at Air Force for his next job:
http://blogs.gazette.com/afasports/2014/04/17/air-force-hires-basketball...
That is pretty fantastic news. He was a pretty good guy and seemed to be doing well after transitioning from Director of Ops. With the way that position was a revolving door for people to get their feet wet, I wonder how Buzz is going to use the Ops position.
Well if Jeff Reynolds being his DoO at Marquette, it says to me Buzz views it more as a way to have a fourth assistant coach with a lot of experience.
Looks like both of them could be Hokies very soon.
This would be the best of all options. I could deal without Harris signing, would much prefer we get Atwood or Shane Henry instead.
my dreams are coming true
This gif just makes me lose it every time. I know absolutely nothing about Wrestling these days (I'm from the Rick Flare, Arne Anderson days) and have no idea who this guy is, but that's funny.
They were supposed to keep this quite til Saturday so I wonder who the source is. They are both here and I wouldn't be surprised if they are hokies by Sunday.
I was waiting for confirmation from you haha.
Hill and Paige are definitely on their officials here right now, just saw them both by Burruss wearing VT jackets
Just saw them in west end
Is that Chew in the black and gray jacket? Also I'm digging Ahmed's fro.
based on google images of chew, i'm pretty sure that's him
That's what I thought. Thanks.
The food at Tech should make up their minds.
Did you try to play it cool or did you just walk up and snap a picture?
i was sitting at the table next to them
That makes it a lot easier. I've been a few situations where I wanted to do that, but figured I wasn't smooth enough to pull it off.
Maybe a dumb question, but can you give away VT apparel on an official visit or would they have had to buy it?
school can give some apparel to recruits on officials
my understanding is that a certain amount of money is given to whoever is hosting a football recruit to cover money, apparel, etc during official visits. i imagine the same thing is done for basketball?
One interesting tidbit, Satchel Pierce started his prep basketball career at St Vincent St Mary, which is where Jalen Hudson, one of our current signees is at. I don't know if they were ever teammates there with how prep academy's change rosters but could be just another little connection that works in our favor.
Hill, Pierce, Hudson and Bibbs would be a dandy of a class.
It's a shame it couldn't have timed out to get them here next week with the spring game so they could see a hungry fan base.
This article gives you an idea of how important its going to be for Buzz to land these guys:
http://msn.foxsports.com/college-football/blue-chip/ranking-the-availabl...
Buzz is recruiting three of the top five remaining players in this years class according to the author
No way Graham is better than Hill. Harris maybe, but not Hill.
Folks should take note of the other schools recruiting these players. That is yet another freshness with Buzz. It has been a while since we've been in the final mix for players of that caliber. You know, players of ACC caliber.
Jordy Tshimanga 6'11, 210 Lbs, Center, Canada/Springfield, MA
Background
Rivals
Twitter
YouTube
Good to see the new coach starting off BIG. This kids stock is just starting to take off now that he is in the States full time to play basketball. He is a really solid option especially if we don't win the Thon Maker sweepstakes.
Newbie here. This thread is awesome. Thank you all so much, particularly Rob, for all this recruiting information.
Welcome to TKP!!
enjoy the ride :D
Averaged over 16 points and 5 assists in his freshmen year at Marshall. Would be big if Buzz could land him.
Any more info on Canty?
If you're talking about him visiting that's all I've seen. He is from Brooklyn, NY and would have to sit out a year but could instantly start the year after. Saw somewhere today that Buzz isn't afraid to put 4 guards on the court on the time and isn't worried about having too much guards.
As hunterhokie said above, Coach Chew appeared to be with Hill and Pierce today. This could be that Hill and Pierce have both committed and are waiting to announce it.
Is this real life?
Why yes, yes it is! :)
or this just fantasy?
That or maybe he just realized that everyday is a good day to be a Hokie.
Pierce has not committed yet. I wonder if Chew's tweet was referring to Hill.
Hill reminds me of this sick player I created on 2k14 haha.
Can we get someone to clean up the cords near this VT if its such an important part of recruiting? Give photos that much cleaner look like the football version has?
Also love not seeing the Marquette stuff on Satchel Paige Pierce's twitter info:
Kareem Canty, 6'1, 185 Lbs, Point Guard
16.3 Points, 5.5 Assists, 36.7 Minutes Per Game as a Freshmen,
Very much like Devin, Canty was forced to play some extraordinary minutes at Marshall this last season. He was second on the team in scoring, but essentially led the team because the leading scorer only played in nine games early in the season due to injury. His quest to transfer after the head coach resigned got a little ugly at Marshall where he was forced to appeal an initial decision to deny him release from his scholarship. He won on appeal.
Marshall Stats - ESPN
Background on Appeal
He has indicated that he would prefer to be closer to home, which is NYC, so I am not sure that this is a likely fit and he would have to sit out a season before being eligible. He was a two/three star guard prior to having such a breakout season at Marshall. I am seeing he has been in touch with Penn State, Kansas, Auburn, and South Florida with visits planned with all but Kansas so far. Not seeing a visit to us discussed other than from the twitter handle above. Guy does seem to have some inside track on Tech stuff so I wont dismiss it.
Trust me, if Rev says that he's visiting then he's visiting. He is probably the most respected Tech basketball guru of the last ten years, like you said he just has an inside track on Tech basketball and probably more than anybody else from outside the program. On Canty he has also visited Auburn.
Canty appears to have committed on his visit to Auburn so I guess he wont be coming to visit Tech.
Yeah, he planned a visit but obviously he won't visit now.
Well it seems like now he will also visit USF and has backed off his Auburn commit. Linkhere. Wonder if his VT visit will still hold up but I doubt it.
Me after watching this:
Mind blown
This is why all the guards currently on the roster need to be on notice. Step up or you may get passed by.
According to Roger Gonzalez of the News Virginian (he has a tweet with a picture of Pierce above that Rob posted) Hill and Pierce will have breakfast with Buzz tomorrow morning and then fly back home. This is what Roger told me about if they commit tomorrow or not.
Let's hope that Buzz can close the deal!
Man it's going to be hard to sleep tonight. I want Hill and Pierce to be Hokies so bad.
Is it breakfast time in blacksburg yet?
Checking TKP as I'm eating breakfast in Blacksburg right now. Wake up Buzz!!! There's work to be done!
Today could be a big step in the progress of our program
By "big step" you mean this right?
No, that was the hiring of Buzz
Actually I think it was Whit's hiring but splitting hairs really
Sup
VICTORY IS OURS THIS DAY!!!!
FUG YEAH!
YES! YES! YES!
So do we now have 3 SG commits for 2014?
Yessir
I think this is the route Buzz doesn't mind going. Best players on the court, even it means 4 Guards at one time.
I wonder if getting these 2 guys helps with getting Malek Harris? We could use a SF/athlete to rebound
I'd rather have Shane Henry
We also jumped 30 spots in the 247 team rankings to have the 29th ranked class
Team Rankings just went up 30 spots to #29 on 247 sports
Rankings
I was expecting us to actually move higher than that so surprised by us only jumping to 29th. I am ecstatic to have Pierce more than I am Hill even though Hill helps more with the class rankings. Part of it is that in the 247Sports rankings Malek Harris is a lot higher than Bibbs, which is reversed in the ESPN rankings. I would expect ESPN would have us much higher with these two recruits in.
One scholarship left by my count: Who's it going to be? Malek Harris, Shane Henry, Willie Atwood, or someone else?
I would hope that Buzz would push for Shane Henry at this point.
If it came down to it, who would you rather land.
Henry or Gant?
For the immediate impact, Henry is more college ready in terms of body and height. He is used to going up against talent with the size and ability he has every game, so there is less transition. As for long term with the program, Gant has the ability and size that he could come in, develop to where Henry is, and opt to go pro, so I am not sure long term Gant is a better option in that regards.
Gant has more upside in terms of the eventual player he will become but if Buzz can sign Henry, I take him seven days out of seven rather than wait to see if Gant gets out of his NLI and then decides to come here.
I would rather have Gant but Henry is probably more realistic. Both would have instant impacts. If we get both though...
How would the scholarships work on that? Someone else losing one that we aren't aware of? Thought that with Pierce and Hill, we only have one open scholarship remaining.
Don't be surprised if more attrition comes.
It would need to come pretty soon to be effective. Are there known players looking to leave?
I wouldn't be surprised if Smith heads elsewhere. Also Buzz will make room of both Henry and Gant want to come to Tech.
If Smith transferred he'd only have one year left after sitting out another year. (Correct??) That would be a real tough situation for him if that's the case.
It's the composite ranking - all the recruiting services put together and most of them have not updated since Hill and Pierce have committed. I'd imagine Tech will be higher after the others update. Also it appears we could have a legit chance at JaKeenan Gant now since him and Hill are teammates and supposedly best friends as well.
So with Pierce and Hill on board - who do you guys think would be our starting 5 right now?
PG-Wilson
SG-Hill or Emelogu
SF-Bibbs or Emelogu
PF-Barksdale
C-JVZ or Pierce
One thing to note is that Buzz is a big believer in playing upperclassman. The one time he played a Freshman he later said it was a mistake. Doubt he'd go 3 Freshman in the stating 5.
Yeah I honestly think Hill will be the only freshmen to start consistently. Bibbs, Pierce, and Hudson could still see serious minutes though assuming none of them redshirt.
Wilson -1
Hill -2
Bibbs-Emelogu-Hudson battle it out for 3
JVZ -4
Pierce - 5
I can envision a rotation interchanging Pierce and JVZ at the 5 while Barksdale is in the game at the 4. I get excited thinking about a half court offense with both Pierce and JVZ in at the same time. Very formidable front line there, especially with 2 guards that penetrate.
question: I know we have one more scholarship for next year but what if we choose not to use it? At quick recollection Barksdale is the only senior next year which means we would only have one open spot for 2015 recruits. We have 4 2014 recruits signed now. Should we leave a spot unfilled so that we can sign two recruits next year and thus stagger the classes somewhat?
I'm excited to have some guys coming in that are scorers. We have had shooters but not many scorer. Green and Delaney but they didn't put it together in the same seasons.
COULD THERE BE MORE?!?!?
I saw that and was wondering what the 3rd commit was
Several people have asked him on there and he has been silent so I think he just flubbed it and didn't want to bother deleting it. The first one to ask him was the Rev so if he doesn't know of a third, I am going to go with there isn't one right now.
Removed for my reading skills and brain not matching up.
Well Jeff Garrett will not be coming to Tech as he committed to Alabama over the weekend.
http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/04/20/alabama-lands-comm...
I'm ok with this, knowing who we are bringing in this year and who we have our eyes set on to round out the class.
Well Buzz may have another scholarship to work with if this is true:
Can't blame him. With Pierce being brought in, the chances of him seeing any significant playing time dwindled dramatically.
Best of luck to him. Wonder who Buzz will go after.
I expect that he will look to fill one of the two with a Power Forward and then use the other scholarship next year so he isn't limited to a one person recruiting class.
You know, I took a gander over at TSL over the weekend, and I saw how the big topic of discussion became "why we shouldn't be excited about VT basketball" with people already trying to convince others to temper their enthusiasm and to remember we're VT and good things don't happen to us. (although, I have to admit, that even commentors on TSL have nothing on the constant wet-blanket approach that Gobbler Country has taken towards Buzz every step of the way)
Made me so glad to know I've switched over to TKP full-time.
That's some of the residue from the very significant portion of that group that wanted to keep Johnson and that still fear any change in anything related to Hokie sports. I doubt Buzz will get a lot of love on certain topics over there, because he's not from inside the VT sports bubble. Remember, even after Whit was hired, much discussion on certain message boards was all about how Johnson should be retained, that if he weren't, it could doom VT basketball. As though the past couple seasons were glorious. Also, remember the talk about how it takes 4-5 years to establish a basketball program. Despite all the facts across the country every year proving that fantasy wrong. Some folks are just afraid, and want to cling to the past, even when the past is forgettable.
freakin tell me about it. The most annoying/humorous aspect of this, at least when it comes to VT, is that we don't have a past worthy of clinging to. 0 National Championships in any team sport in the history of our school. Zero. Whatever we've been doing clearly hasn't been working for the 142 years that VT has been in existence, so why both clinging to it?
I would say that the Cenotaph is proof that the original purpose of founding Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College worked pretty well.
We were talking athletically, but if you want to be a smart-ass and bring up academics and preparing young kids to be outstanding citizens, then yes, you are correct.
You are putting the idea that the ultimate goal of the University is to win a national championship. Athletics are a supplement to the academic environment, not the other way around. I will be overjoyed the day we win a National Championship in any sport, but I personally take more pride in seeing VT and VT grads mentioned at the top of their fields or for their accomplishments that better mankind. The fact that we have yet to win a national championship is not a testament to our lack of an ability to do so as much as a testament to where our focus as a whole lies.
If the ultimate goal of your Athletic Department isn't "Win National Championships" you're doing it wrong.
Yet, somehow, some way, schools such as Stanford, Harvard, Yale, etc. all manage to maintain the balance and succeed both ways. Hint - playing the 'academics are pre-eminent' card on a sports message board is missing the point by creating a false tangent. Let's not wander any further down that path needlessly...
Lets all agree to pursue our best in every endeavor should be the goal, be it academically or athletically.
Yep...
But as swvadon was getting to, the Academics card gets thrown around way, way too casually when talking about Athletics. There's this false dichotomy that if you are good at athletics you cannot be good at academics, and vice versa. Its repeated EVERY SINGLE TIME someone brings up the fact we have not won a Natty title, and its an argument that deserved to be called out.
Yes, the university goal is to put out good people with a top notch education. The goal of the athletic department should be to have our teams reach the pinnacle of their respective sport. Unfortunately, it does not appear that has been the case in our past, which is what was being discussed before the "you cannot be good at both academics and athletics" card was thrown down.
Agreed. That is why I threw my Stanford card down to completely discredit that bogus argument, and to try to stop the tangent. The Stanford card proves how silly that tangent remains...
I was not playing the academic card as much as I was stating that the idea of putting all your stock into a single fleeting moment in history of winning a national championship is a fruitless endeavor. I can assure you that college athletics was not started so that one school each year in each sport could claim themselves to be the best in the land. One of many original purposes was to gain exposure for the universities that participate. Bragging rights only last so long, but the impact of learning about a school by way of a sport in which you enjoy watching or playing has a lasting impact on people.
I think Herman Edwards put it best....
Anything else you say is an excuse to why you cannot win the game.
Go ahead, continue your snide comments, but the idea is that there is far more at stake in college athletics than winning a national championship. To say that the lack of winning one means that your athletics department has done everything wrong is a vast overstatement.
*EDIT* The gif of the point going over a stick figure's head apparently died.
Both of you
Vt Athletics wants to be the best. VT Academics wants to the best. Everyone for VT being the best of the best.
so...
That first gif is great! One of my favorite Will Ferrell skits of all time.
classic pearl
And then there's this...
NSFW
all time favorite
And now I must go to youtube to watch it immediately. LMAO!
I think we should just be happy to participate and have fun...everyone should get a trophy and all the kids are good people! Teamwork and sportsmanship, with a focus on academics...thats what it's all about!
Remember...."Student" comes before "Athlete" in "Student Athlete"!
Hooray for everyone and hugs all around....
I don't get these programs like Alabama and Florida State...they like to brag about how good they are, but the jokes on them! Those students aren't getting a good education and they are not being taught to be good people foremost.
I will take 22 good people over a national championship, every day of the week...as long as we all have fun and form lasting friendships!
I was kind of following this until "like Alabama and Florida State... Those students are getting a good education"
"Aren't getting a good education"
Its also sarcasm...
Youth soccer league: No balls, scoring to halt negative effects of competition
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/5/just-pretend-ontario-yout...
Easy now boys...sorry if my sarcasm offended you. Thanks for the downvotes.
Don't forget the orange slices for everyone during halftime...
Screw mankind....Lets win baby...
Whit and Buzz have pushed the basketball program further in the last few weeks, than Jim and James did in the last two years. I don't understand how people could be that skeptical. I'm not saying he is going to Win an NCAA tournament in the next 5 years, but at least there is progress. People just like to complain I guess. I hate to say this, but some of our fan base is very fair-weather, just like every college in america probably. But in 3 years, if we make an NCAA tourney they will all be talking about how they KNEW Buzz was the man for the job from Day 1.
I wouldn't be at all surprised to see us in the NCAA by our third season. I think there will be a lot of people eating their words about this coming season, in fact. All that optimism aside, I will not be complaining if it doesn't happen as soon as I desire. There's a difference in hoping for a result and in seeing progress being made. Whit & Buzz are making progress. Where that takes us, I don't know, but I do know it's far above where we've been. I have been around long enough to understand, though, that what we have in leadership now is very promising.
I will be very disappointed in Buzz if we aren't in the tournament in three years.
1. The definition of insanity is...
Thank God Whit understands this.
2. I think Whit and Buzz are challenging the "4-5 years to establish a basketball program" thinking.
I predict they beat it by at least 2 years if not more.
Saw that too. It was frustrating to read.
How about this to cheer everyone up and settle down the room a bit?
*heads over to TSL to watch the ensuing meltdown*
They are not a fan of his character.
I take it like this, if Buzz wants him than I want him if he doesn't than I don't. I trust that Buzz can help him to get over his past mistakes.
They can get over it.
he made it of K-State visit this past weekend without committing and is scheduled for official visit to Tech next Monday
Damn Skippy!!
So im new here and have been wondering with all the talk about scholarships available I havent seen anything about donte clark in a long time and thought he was the headliner of last years recruiting class but I cant find anything about him anywhere else and was wondering if hes at fork union or something like that?
He failed to qualify academically at Tech and chose to go to UMass on scholarship so he is not coming to Tech.
Welcome! Here's your complimentary leg
Glad Rob answered that. I had no idea.
Edit: Ltrpeter beat me to it
okay thankyou guys for the answer I hadnt heard anything about him so I had assumed he was at fork union qualifying academically or something since there was nothing on him anywhere!! The other question I just thought of is of all the SG's we will have on the roster do any of them show the potential when it comes to ball handling and leading to be able to help lighten the load for devin in playing time atleast?
Malik Mueller is a point guard, so right off the bat, he is eligible this season. As for the others, Bibbs and Hill both have the ball control skills to take it into the lane, as for passing, that's yet to be seen. In Buzz's offensive system though we should get to see what all of the guards are capable of in this regards early on because he expects 1,2,3 to all be able to handle the basketball.
ahhh I had forgotten mueller has anyone seen him in practice or have an idea on how good in relation to devin? And anything lately on Nick Noskowiak I read through most of the posts and didnt see much on him and was wondering if his relationship with buzz was like Hill's and that he might follow him too?
Noskowiak named Marquette his leader a couple weeks back. I think he likes Wojo and Marquette. He would be a tough get but I expect Buzz to go after him hard.
Ahh after hearing about the relationship that chew, buzz, and hill had I was curious if he had established that kind of relationship with Noskowiak too or not.
Noskowiak is from Wisconsin so its going to be tough to get him to Tech if he has indicated he likes Wojo. He has previously stated having family see him play is extremely important to him. That being said, its one reason Buzz has offered Justin Robinson from Boo Williams AAU squad. The other aspect of Robinson, other than being talented in his own right is that he is the current point guard feeding Thon Maker the ball in AAU.
Mueller would have had the starting job last year if he was eligible. Pretty much has in the gym range and is built like a linebacker. I'm sure he'll do fine under Buzz and will be a solid contributor.
So Mueller is pretty good then I take it or does Devin seem like he might be better now? He seemed like a good prospect from what I remember when they signed him.
From a talent standpoint, they are completely different so it is kind of hard to compare without seeing how Buzz is going to use them. I've only seen them doing drills so far and I'd say they were both suited for the drill (lay up drill where they were having to finish through contact) since Deven took a pounding last year and Mueller has the size for it.
There's a Instagram video of Mueller doing a windmill dunk. Big time hops.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4mU5di0xSY
Pretty wierd video...lol
Here is a REALLY good interview with him...he has some really good things to say at the 9:49 mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVZZS6mmbkg
OT question: Is 300+ posts a record for a basketball forum topic on TKP? Admittedly I've never really been this excited about Hokie bball to notice before.
This forum is solid gold. I hope it never ends. I love you all.
All I did was post 1 gif that got 0 turkey legs. But thank you. I love you too.
EDIT: to reflect that gifs have value.
Okay, if GIFs count as "literally nothing of value" then I may as well give back all my turkey legs now...
Edit: To clarify I meant give back all the turkey legs I have earned, not take away any turkey legs I may have given you for your GIFs
Haha fair enough. I guess I meant I provided no analysis or news.
I've honestly never remembered a time where I have been this interested and excited for hokie basketball.
What is this Football game you speak of??
I know we really haven't looked good in terms of Willie Atwood but I think those reports are fairly accurate considering I am seeing reports that he will announce his decision tomorrow and I am not aware of him having used his last official visit to come to Tech. Seems more and more likely Buzz needs to make a big push to get Shane Henry in the fold.
Lets hope Buzz has Henry convinced.
Should we be concerned that we weren't even listed in the preview?
We're not getting Atwood
Dang this thread is long!!
Looks like Buzz and crew stopped by Oldsmar Christian today which is where Jeff Garrett is at. Maybe he didn't sign an NLI to Alabama or they may have already had the trip scheduled and decided it was worth the investment to show up? Had it pointed out to me something I had already written up, that guard Eric Hester from the 2016 class is at Oldsmar as well so putting in a visit with him apparently.
I will be digging into the Benedictine roster to try to determine which player brought them to visit. I know Raymon Minor, a football commit played basketball there as well. Another dual sport stud in the junior class is Clelin Ferrell, http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Clelin-Ferrell-1...
http://247sports.com/Player/Clelin-Ferrell-31469 That 247Sports has leaning our way.
The only other junior that seems to be considered a national prospect is C.J. Wiggins so not sure who Buzz was there to see or if this was just an establish a relationship visit.
Oh we know who Clelin Ferrell is. He is an absolute BEAST. I dream of seeing him and Josh Sweat playing on opposite ends for the Hokies. Okay okay back to basketball :). CJ Wiggins would be a huge pickup, Benedictine is a powerhouse.
Well, Ferrell is a starter on the basketball team there as well, averaging at least 10 points and 8 rebounds per game.
In addition to CJ Wiggins, there is also a 6'8 208 lbs Power Forward in the Junior class, named Jackson White. I don't see any of the recruiting sites with any kind of real information on these two, so not sure why these two are a big focus
At first I read this as "Will Ferrell is a starter on the basketball team" and all I could think of was:
Along with other gifs that aren't safe for work.
If Buzz can pull in Jackie Moon and Coffee Black then we are in good shape.
Is Buzz Williams gonna give Isaiah Ford a chance to make the basketball team?
Think about it - Buzz demands that everyone is 'All In'. That means dedication to being the best basketball player as well as other facets of life. Making the team more important than individual ego. So a football player got a nod from the previous coach who got fired, to come in the middle of January to play at being an ACC basketball player. Once football, Ford's first choice, is done. What do YOU think Buzz will say? I think Buzz will say nothing more encouraging than - 'If you want to come in and do all the work in practice all season long, then you might get into a game when we blow somebody out by 40 and everyone that worked the entire season has gotten their shot already.' I know I wouldn't even say that. I'd just honestly explain that it would be too much of a distraction and that it wouldn't be fair to the guys who spent all summer & fall and half the winter working on the team.
i don't know Buzz personally, but i think you are wrong. i think Buzz would be more than happy to have another player come in and compete for playing time. this assumes Ford is actually good enough to play ACC bball, but if he is, why wouldn't Buzz bring him in? competition is good. as long as he is fully dedicated from day 1 of joining bball, i don't think Buzz would hold his football commitment against him.
Agreed. Come in compete. If he isn't good enough he doesn't play. But telling someone they arent good enough to play before giving them a chance is why Jordan was cut in Middle School.
Senior stats- FYI.
Year Grade PPG RPG APG SPG
13-14 Senior 30.1 6.1 2.1 2.4
Great article and video on why Ahmed chose the Hokies. Seems like a great person as well as a great player, can't wait to see him in O&M. My favorite quote by him, "We will be in the ACC tournament, we will be in the NCAA tournament and show everybody wrong."
CLASS OF 2016
Tony Bradley 6'7, 200 Lbs, Power Forward, Bartow, FL
ESPN
247Sports
Rivals
Still not a lot out there on this player but has been named to several of the 2016 Watch Lists, which are basically the pre-150 rankings lists.
By the way, the ACC matchups for 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 came out.
I'm pretty pumped for this season's home ACC games:
Full List
Just saw the road schedule too - Hokies are coming here to Louisville! WOO!
I don't know if this has been mentioned, but it appears that a sports reporter in South Florida is saying that transfer John Egbunu might land at VT.
As a freshman he averaged 7.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. He is a 6-10 center and weighs 245 lbs. 40' inch vertical leap and can touch the top of the backboard. He is USF's all time leading freshman rebounder and is 2nd for a freshman in blocked shots. He was on the AAC's All-Rookie team this past season.
My assumption is that he would have to sit out a year and would count against our scholarships for next year, but I'll defer to ltrepeter2000 for more information.
as a transfer from a D-1 school he'd be required to sit out a year
Yeah. That's what I'm figuring, but I also know that in some cases players can appeal that (Trevor Thompson is doing so at OSU). I'm not sure what is necessary for a player to be able to do that, but I do know there is a mass exodus at USF after the coach was fired.
there have to be outstanding circumstances to get an exemption. most common one is you have an ill family member so you're transferring closer to home to help take care of them. i dont have any stats to back this up, but i think its rare for coaching changes to be considered valid reasons for exemptions
I like the size. Not sure if he is our best option at the center position though if that's our main area to address for next seasons scholarships (assuming we have any).
As much as I wouldn't want to turn down a 6-10 guy who averages over 6 rebounds a game with potential our biggest need right now is a 6-6 to 6-9 SF/PF type. The best players in the NBA and college are that type of versatile wing: LeBron, KD, Paul George and in college this year it was Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Aaron Gordon, Doug McBuckets. These guys can shoot from the perimeter, drive, rebound, and defend. Right now we have...Marshall Wood? Barksdale? Neither one has shown the versatility needed to make them effective. I'd like to see Buzz reel in Shane Henry, Malek Harris, or Jakeenan Gant and leave one scholarship over for next year. It'd be easier to recruit high schoolers if we had 2 scholarships so that they'd have someone else in their recruiting class. All of that being said I wouldn't be surprised if he comes to Tech, he has a lot of talent.
My thoughts on Egbunu are that he was a highly rated four star in the class of 2013. ESPN had him as the 7th ranked center in the class. He went to South Florida and delivered exactly what you would want from a center, giving them 7.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game in only 24 minutes per game. He would have to sit out a year if he came to Tech unless his family moved for medical reasons, since he is listed as being from Georgia/Florida. That being the case, he would have three years remaining once he was eligible in 2015-2016, which would work out well by giving Pierce a year to play predominantly as JVZ's backup, then they would have a year where they would have three big men down low, and then two years where it would be Pierce and Egbunu. Could all this blow up if Williams is able to convince Thon Maker to come to Tech? Sure, but I would rather deal with that situation when it comes and have a guy of this talent and size in the fold when it comes to ACC play. We already talked about how rare it is to have a center/forward that shoots better than 50% from the field and Egbunu shot 58.9% this last season. Get him if he wants to come since too little has been heard from the other potential candidates over the last couple weeks.
How quickly Buzz has spoiled us. A few weeks ago we would have been drooling over this guy and now people are just like myeh...we should probably try to pick up a really good small forward instead.
Look at what's happening at Kentucky. I don't think Coach Cal is sweating his gigantic lineup of future NBA bigs. I think we should get that SF/PF wing type, but I doubt any coach will turn down a front court of JVZ SPP Egbunu and whoever else
Looks like ex-Marquette recruit Marial Shayok is heading to UVA. I don't think Buzz wanted him as much when he came to VT than he did at Marquette because we already had Bibbs and Hudson and of course just added Hill whom all are better than Shayok.
Yep... Buzz got his guys, and UVa took the table scraps
Yeah, if you check out the Sabre they are acting like they won a national championship. Quite funny actually.
That entire website is so incredibly delusional it knows no bounds.
Whats even funnier is the constant need for some to throw their 2 cents in on everything related to Buzz on TSL, trying to convince everyone that no matter what Buzz does he'll never reach the pinnacle that UVa has achieved. Watching the bickering going back and forth between them and the Hokies over there is quite enjoyable, though I'm sure the TSL staff will gut it soon. They don't like fun.
Haha I actually started it by saying that Shayok wasn't as good as the three guards we already had and then I wake up this morning to see them going back and forth between each other.
Yes, all of a sudden their mediocre program is the stuff after one good year... hello, prior to this year, you won as many NCAA games in 10 years as VT did (one I believe)
Yep... its funny, their basketball program was in the absolute gutter before they hired Bennett. Now, don't get me wrong, the guy is a decent coach, but the pack-line defense, much as any other fad before it, will get broken, and once it does, they'll struggle. He benefitted from an ACC that fell apart as the season went along, with Syracuse and Duke both crumbling once the calendar hit February. They got an extremely favorable bracket in the NCAA tournament, and lost to the first real team they played. Their fans think they have reached an unattainable pinnacle... I just don't see it.
If getting to the Sweet 16 is the pinnacle, Buzz has been there, and still climbed higher despite coaching in a tougher conference. Yes, VT might be a difficult sell, but its not like Marquette is the mother of all coaching destinations. And he developed that program into one that made multiple Sweet 16s and an Elite 8. If there are those that think he can't do the same coaching in the most prestigious conference in the country at a school that is willing to open the checkbook, then they're in for a rude awakening.
Assuming you mean Bennett, not Barnett?
I have no idea what you're talking about
I must have been seeing things! I swear, earlier it said Barnett lol
CLASS OF 2015
Chance McSpadden, 6'3, 170 lbs, Shooting Guard, Winter Haven, FL
247Sports
ESPN
Rivals
Future150 Profile
YouTube
Future 150 has him as the 110th player in the class and the 34th shooting guard. His YouTube video shows a strong ability to drive and create space in the lane with a solid 12-15 foot jump shot.
Buzz going head-to-head with Shaka! Nice...
Hey VCU, VT is after you.
My thoughts on seeing the number of offers Buzz has out so far for the class of 2015 is that he expects some massive attrition from the current roster to happen. By my count he has anywhere from 12-15 offers out which seems fairly high if Buzz is counting on only one scholarship open.
The other oddity is that 247Sports is listing Shane Henry now as part of the Class of 2015, so I am not sure what is going on there. I have put in a question to the head basketball guy over there to clarify it.
Not sure but this could be a second visit over the earlier reports or maybe Buzz didn't actually get to visit on the previous report.
I guess now its official that Buzz has offered the kid that had committed to him at Marquette from the 2015 class. His details are up in the OP for the 2015 group.
The main reason I want to recruit this kid is to listne to bill roth and mike try to pronounce his name every few bits
Unfortunately with that name, haircut, and hometown there's really no other place for him than Wisconsin.
We have moved up to the #18 Recruiting Class per ESPN:
http://insider.espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/classran...
This was more where I expected to be with 247Sports when the two newbies signed.
Looks like Harris committed to Kansas State per Evan Daniels on Twitter. I am on my phone or I would post the tweet.
Annnnnnnnnnnnnd apparently Harris himself tweeted that he will decide on May 11th.
according to the evan daniels twitter he has but Ive also seen others say differently so who knows
Malek Harris retweeted this and nothing regarding committing. That doesn't mean he hasn't already signed an NLI and someone at K-State let it slip earlier than they were supposed to but it seems we have a few weeks before we will see something official.
last I saw Harris is still scheduled for an official visit here on Monday
Is this still happening? Any confirmation?
Meanwhile our staff was busy today visiting Gonzaga, one of the top prep schools in the country for basketball. More than likely there to get a look at 2015 Point Guard Bryant Crawford, 247 Sports Profile currently ranked the 65th best player in the 2015 class, and 15th ranked PG, currently 6'2, 170 lbs. Louisville, Maryland, Indiana, UConn, Georgetown some of the schools already recruiting him.
The Junior class there also has several football standouts that seem to be getting more heavily recruited for football, including Tech recruiting three star receiver Jabari Greenwood that doubles as their starting small forward. Richie Petibon has already committed to Alabama as a two way lineman. The only other junior getting significant basketball looks is PF Sam Miller at 6'7, 215 Lbs.
Also the staff took a stop in at St James Basketball Academy in Hagerstown, MD.
This is where Justin Robinson, one of our PG recruits is at.
This has got to be the longest non-gameday thread on this site.
I know VT's been in rumors about PG's (Graham, Chiles, Peters) but why would that be our biggest target? I haven't seen many mentions of our PG targets recently? We have Wilson, who I think is the most promising player on the roster and could become a Shabazz Napier type by the end of his college career, and Mueller who I've read (probably on this site) would've been the starter last year. Also with Buzz's offensive system, doesn't every guard have to handle the ball? He's offered a bunch of 2015 PG's wouldn't we fill another need now?
A little bit of depth never hurt nodody.
We saw last year what it was like to have only 1 of on the team (only player on the team) who was effective at driving abd making things happen. Buzz knows what he is doing. I'm all for it.
Part of the focus on Hamilton is that he is from the Boo Williams AAU squad so he spends a good amount of time passing the ball to Thon Maker. Also, having a third point guard available means that you are not one injury away from having to have a superman type effort like we saw from Devin this last year. The defensive style Buzz uses requires way to much energy to ever risk being down to one even with the expectation that the players at the 2 and 3 spots are capable of handling the basketball.
What is similar between Wilson and Napier's game?
247Sports just released their final rankings for the Class of 2014, here is where current commits and targets landed:
Commits:
Ahmed Hill up to 61
Justin Bibbs down to 143
Jalen Hudson up to 173
Satchel Pierce up to 198
Targets:
Devonte Graham up to 90
Malek Harris down to 110
Other news:
Marial Shayok up to 117
Jeff Garrett up to 156
You are confusing the composite rankings with 247's. The composite is all the recruiting rankings put together and is listed above 247's ranking.
Willie Atwood committed to Arizona State this afternoon:
Don't tell Willie. it seems as though it would disappoint him.
Cleare from Maryland has decided to transfer to Texas
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/10835610/maryland-...
Any news on Egbunu (I think i got it right), Graham or Henry thats of any signifigance?
Nothing has come across my searches or other info sources. Graham didn't sign with Kansas or NC State on his visits but I haven't seen any other official visits scheduled for him or any other commitment news. Egbunu's name is being thrown around by fan bases of quite a few other schools but I haven't seen any official mentions. Henry there hasn't been any news on since the note about it being down to Arkansas and Tech.
Graham is in Hooville right now on his official.
Yep, you are on it. Surprised he didn't mention it at all on his twitter.
I also thought with the signing of Shayok that UVA was out of scholarships, guess someone on the end of the bench is gonna lose out in Whoville if it goes that way.
I would definitely prefer Peters to Graham if it comes down to that even with Peters having to sit out next year.
Philip Cofer, 3 star PF commit released from Tennessee. Lists VT as possible destination.
http://virginiatech.247sports.com/Bolt/Three-star-PF-granted-full-releas...
His 247 profile: http://247sports.com/Player/Philip-Cofer-24064
Wouldn't be a bad pickup. Still Top 150 player on the Composite and fills a position of need. It will be interesting to see if there starts to be some pressure on some of these non committed guys with scholarships filling up.
Buzz out watching some talent with a couple big coaches.
Good to see he is where he needs to be, watching Justin Robinson and Thon Maker. Not sure if there are potential prospects on the NY-Lightning squad. Notice the list of coaches got a whole lot longer to see Maker play versus the other game Buzz and Roy Williams were watching.
Just makes me glad we have an AD in place that allows his basketball coaches to be out on the road recruiting during this critical period than to throw on a full power trip and hamstring them to Blacksburg to rub shoulders with donors at the football Spring Game...
Montaque Gill Caesar - #18th Ranked
Player 2015
Jamal Murray - #30th Ranked player in 2016
Cheick Diallo - #6th Ranked player in Class of 2015
Tyus Battle - #8th Ranked Player in 2016
Its so refreshing to hear we are even in the gym with kids this high in the rankings. Still going to be an uphill battle for any of these guys but I will take it over the alternative.
One thing of note that I was not aware of with Thon Maker
He has a not so little little brother that also plays for Boo Williams AAU:
Matur Maker 6'10, 210 lbs, Class of 2017
Future150
YouTube
Rivals
He will need to pack on some pounds to be able to really be effective but he has three years to do that in a prep school environment. He has all the comparables of his brother so we could be seeing the future of the NBA center position for all of the 2020's coming soon. Hopefully in Orange and Maroon.
Don't forget the 3rd Maker brother, Rain. He is only in 6th grade but he is already 6'7"....He will probably be the best of all of them.
The funny thing is, Bucky Hodges is taller than all three of them...
...put together.
Bucky Hodges measured in at 21 ft tall just prior to the spring game...
Bucky Hodges is so tall he has to bend down to pat Heather Dinich on the head.
Yeah...check out this highlight of "Rain Maker"...he's pretty sick.
If I had to guess which of our coaches are here it would be Coach Chew, but I am just not sure. Havent seen any corroborating information to confirm. There appear to be somewhere near 200 AAU squads at this event across the age groups.
http://hoopgroup.com/team-tournaments/grassroots-events/jam-fests/pittsb...
Buzz and Shaka sitting courtside, recruiting head to head legitimately. Good thing for VT.
Another Tennessee decommit. Not sure if there's any interest by either side but I'll post it anyways.
His 247 Profile: http://247sports.com/Player/CJ-Turman-19579
Yep and he is not a silent commit to Kansas State.
Graham leaves UVA without committing. No chance we land him according to UVA fans because they say that we have no schollies left, so it must be true right? In all seriousness if we could get him to visit we could have a chance, let's hope Buzz can work his magic.
Did you burst their bubble and let them know we have 2 open slots?
More open spots than fans at their spring game?
Hah, no. I was surfing the sabre and they seem confident that we have no spots left. I wanted to say something but instead I didn't want to ruin the surprise that we will probably get 1-2 more commits this class and one of them may be someone they want badly. :)
Any word on if Malek Harris is making his official today?
according to 247 he is. i cant find any official confirmation elsewhere and harris has a private twitter account
He retweeted a couple people over the weekend that told him to have a good time on his official to VT. Hopefully he arrives on campus today.
This was from 5 days ago...it was a K-State report that Harris had committed.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2040074-report-kansas-state-lands-top...
the reports about Harris committing to K-state are supposedly false. it has also been reported that he won't commit until Mother's Day
I thought he was committing today? I'm confused now
No. He's always been visiting Blacksburg today. There were false reports that he'd committed to K-State previously and he responded to them by saying he would choose his school on mother's day.
only 2 weeks then It'll be interesting to see if Buzz still has any of his scholarships left by then
First offer to the Class of 2017 that I am aware of for Buzz and Company. He is another of the Boo Williams AAU guys.
Matt Coleman - Point Guard, 6'0, 170 Lbs, Norfolk, VA
247Sports
City League Hoops Background Article
Rivals
Nice to see someone from Maury getting a look. Buzz just keeps tapping into that connection.
Also from twitter saw from @TheRecruitScoop that Buzz has offered to 2017 SG Jatrious Smith of Southern Stampede(GA).
Impressed to see that Buzz is looking that far ahead its a pleasant change.
Jatrious Smith SG/SF, 6'4, 185 Lbs, Fayetteville, NC
YouTube
Future150
Phenom Hoop Report (Scouting report)
This kids YouTube clip is definitely worth the watch. He has great court awareness and body control, seems to have great ball handling and ability to drive the lane. His ability to create exciting dunks, while not quite Deron, is pretty evident.
Havent seen a mention of an official offer so I would say this was just a first look. No one appears to have him rated or put a recruiting profile from the major players so I have to think this is a backup plan type player unless they are seeing something most others aren't.
Kentrell Barkley, Small Forward, 6'5, 190 lbs, Durham, NC
Verbal Commits
Any updates on Malek Harris and who will be the latest recruit to commit to Tech for the available spots?
Think Harris visited yesterday but not 100% sure. I have no idea who will commit next but if I were to guess it would be Maryland transfer PG Roddy Peters.
At this point, the odds of us getting another recruit are less than the odds of the class being finished... at least thats the impression I got last night.
Interesting. I think there is a better chance we get a transfer than another recruit this class. Seems like Buzz is going hard after Peters.
Last I had heard I think Peters was down to VT and georgetown and I have yet to hear of a announcement date for his commitment.
Did some checking into this last night and no one could confirm Harris was here yesterday. Also saw that Buzz was out of town yesterday.
Buzz was in Blacksburg yesterday morning. He took a 4pm flight to Raleigh with Whit for a Hokie Club event. They returned to Blacksburg last night afterwards, but apparently has other Hokie Club events to attend every day for the remainder of the week.
He was also on the phone the entire time he was in Raleigh recruiting. He did not say whether or not there was a visit yesterday with a recruit, but then again, I'm not sure he's allowed to do so.
He could state that there was a visit. He could not state who that visit was because of the dumb NCAA restrictions on discussing "potential recruits" until they are signed.
A couple things.
1. Man, is Buzz and his staff doing the work!! They are all over the place and showing the VT faithful how B-ball recruiting is done. That is certainly Chopping Wood! He and Whit are both showing a very common work ethic - hit it hard, often, and continuously. I am very impressed. VT B-ball is absolutely in a new B-ball world... its awesome baby!... OK, perhaps I shouldn't have said that. Urp.
2. This thread is great, but its getting ungainly (TKP Staff: Is this the longest thread ever on TKP?). Rob, I won't even try to wrap up in a nice bow the offers for the next 3 classes that Buzz has done and his still out doing. You do that much better than I and I don't get the visibility to that scene that you seem completely tapped into. Perhaps you could do another recruiting thread to re-establish where we are.
Go Hokies!!
yeah, this thread loads a little slowly and occasionally bounces around in weird ways...nothing the N key hasn't been able to handle, but the thread by have outgrown its britches...
This is currently the 15th longest thread. The top 13 are game threads and the 14th is in regards to the scoreboard update.
15? wow, imagine a bball thread being number 1 on a football first fansite.
15? Isn't that more than attended the UVA spring game?
Or was that Bucky Hodges current height?
No, sorry, thats the number of converted tight ends on the roster...isn't it?
Thanks, I'm showing my TKP "rookie-ness".
Wow, 14 longer threads, that's insane! Game threads go off, obviously...
Trying to check out the new posts from my smart phone never works I cant load all the comments haha.
I know football is in early February, when is signing day for basketball recruits?
there are 2 signing periods:
November 13-20 and April 16-May 21
I have been looking at cleaning it up by transferring the profiles to a new thread but had wanted to wait until I thought our recruiting for this year had finished up.
I have not seen any new information on Malek Harris so I am not sure how the visit went so we may just have to wait until Mother's day. There are too many conflicting reports on his commitment/non-commitment to KSU for me to speculate who is right.
We are reported to be in the final two for Peters out of UMD. He doesn't necessarily have to make a decision until this summer since he is a transfer.
Shane Henry is the only other recruit that we were actively recruiting so far for this class. We are still supposedly his top 2 with Arkansas. I have not heard a peep about him since that announcement was made and I still haven't gotten a good answer as to why 247Sports lists him as Class of 2015.
The other possibilities out there are the reopened commitments from the players at Tennessee and possibly Missouri as I would expect those this week some time now that Kim Anderson has been named head coach at Missou.
Gant from Missouri and Turman or Cofer from Tennessee would be my best guess as to who might be targeted by Buzz from those groups.
The window for signing opened April 16th and closes May 21st. This is just to be "officially" part of the class. Example JVZ wasn't considered as part of his classes signing because he committed to Tech after this window his year.
Malek said himself he has not committed to KSU but there is "around a 70 percent chance" that he ends up there.
So he's saying there is a chance he might end up @ Tech? You'd be welcomed to Blacksburg Malek.
So from what I'm hearing Peters is in no hurry to decide? Has he made any visits yet?
I haven't heard a word on him scheduling or going to any visits. The three schools linked to him right now are Tech, Georgetown and St Joes. If he had been to Tech I think we would have heard something from one of the guys here.
You could just transfer over the current commits so that we can focus on this class and you can take your time on compiling the next few class pages
Tennessee Commits Released from their NLI's
Philip Cofer, 6'8, 205 Lbs, Power Forward: Ranked 144 Overall 247Sports Profile
Larry Austin, 6'1, 165 Lbs, Point Guard, Springfield, IL Ranked 129 Overall 247Sports Profile
Jordan Cornish, 6'4, 185 Lbs, Shooting Guard, New Orleans, LA Ranked 183 Overall 247Sports Profile
CJ Turman, 6'9, 235 Lbs, Power Forward, Madison, GA Ranked 155 overall 247Sports Profile
If I had to rank them in the order I would pursue them to fill our needs it would probably be
Cofer
Turman
Austin
Cornish
Cofer is almost the prototypical 4 for what Buzz Williams likes to run. Tall, rangy kid with surprising defensive length. He has the ability to shoot from outside as well as with his back to the basket in the paint.
The size and athleticism of Turman allows him to bang with the big boys inside but he also possesses the ability to shoot the mid range jumper with consistency. I don't have much to go on in evaluating his defensive capabilities which is why I list Cofer first.
Austin would fill the need that Buzz is going after Roddy Peters for with an extra year of eligibility and no need to sit out a season. Its tough to project how well he would do under Buzz with the emphasis Buzz puts on ball control and defense from the Point Guard position so I could see him redshirting even if he is accepted.
Cornish while a top talent, would just be another 2/3 type player that we already have in several of the commits.
I did a little research on cofer and turman the other night and would say turman seemed to be equals with cofer from what I saw and read both would be nice additions but would buzz actively pursue them less Peters or Henry goes elsewhere? I feel Buzz should save one of the scholarships for next season so he can get 2 in that class.
At this point in the recruiting cycle if you have one ready and willing to sign the NLI right now and you want to use the scholarship than you probably go with it. I could see Buzz or Coach Chew calling Peters and Henry to give them a final chance notice but its the end of the road for most of the 2014 class. Some kids get burned by not being able to make a decision. The plus side to either Cofer or Turman is that they would be with Buzz for four years as opposed to Henry for two. They are not quite as polished as Henry though as you might expect and it means there would be one less scholarship in the big class of 2016 with Henry graduating, rather it would be open in 2018, so I could see that playing a factor as I know Buzz is going to want as many open spots in 2016 as he can get.
I was thinking the same thing with if Buzz fills all his scholarships this season with class of freshman that in 4 years assuming they all stay 4 would open up a big chunk of scholarships in 2018 so my thought was if he does use them a JUCO transfer might not be a bad option to help spread out the scholarships so he can recruit a steady stream of 3-5 each season in stead of 1-2 here then 6 there.
and as if Buzz and Co were reading TKP earlier today, just came across this nugget.
and looks like he will probably be coming to visit if this tweet is correct:
Because Tennessee isn't in SEC.
Edit: Sorry, just realized he had officially committed to vols. Carry on nothing to see here.
If Buzz is serious about pursuing Jakeenan Gant, assuming he opts out of his NLI at Missouri, than he might be best served to also take a look at another of Gant's former teammates as a JUCO transfer:
Jay Wright, 6'1, 180 Lbs, Point Guard, Casper Community College
JUCO Stats 16.5 PPG, 5 RPG, 4.5 APG as a Freshmen
This could allow Buzz to get the PF/PG combination in one fell swoop.
In looking into Gant's 247 profile I see clemson and FSU both were after him so I would assume we'd be in a tough fight for him with a few ACC schools if he opts out which how good of a chance is there that he opts out of his NLI?
Kim Anderson was a solid hire for Missouri, so I am not sure. Wojo was a good hire at Marquette and lost all of his class except one and Tenn hiring Donnie Tyndall was a pretty solid hire but he has now lost all five. Many of these kids open up because they have gotten word of a program of higher profile program or coach having a solid interest in them. We have connections to Gant with the signing of Hill and if we offered Wright, it would possibly give us a second connection.
It'll be interesting to see it all fall into place then and I dunno why but 247 has JVZ listed as a senior along with barksdale which i realize Barksdale is a senior this year but I thought we had 2 more years with JVZ?
i know JVZ redshirted a year, so yeah i think you're right in regards to the 2 years left
Not sure that Wojo was a good hire. Even if he does do well he will probably leave for Duke in 5 years and if he sucks Marquette starts over from scratch.
The recruits always think they can trade up. Sometimes they do, often it is a lateral move for them. This time, it is working out really well for us. One thing I expected is being proven - Buzz will not be outworked.
Buzz and Co offer a consensus Five Star Power Forward from the Class of 2016 today nicknamed Bam Bam (can he play for DGray in the secondary).
Edrice "Bam Bam" Adebayo, 6'8, 230 lbs, Center/Power Forward, Jacksonville, NC
National Rank: 13
Position Rank (C): 2
State Rank (NC): 2
247Sports
Verbal Commits
Rivals
ESPN
Video Clip
He appears to have a solid outside shot along with all the post moves you look for in controlling the ball in the lane and creating shots. Nice soft touch on his shot. Definitely would be a great addition. Being recruited by all the top schools but so far it appears NC State and Old Dominion are the only to offer him so far other than Tech. He also is now playing for Boo Williams if you see the theme.
State may be hard to beat, they offered early and they have the Boo Williams connection with Cat Barber and Dez Lee
Buzz basically is going to offer every kid in the Boo Williams program it appears.
Kenny Williams, 6'3, 170 lbs, Shooting Guard, Chesterfield, VA, Class of 2015
247Sports
Rivals
YouTube of 50 Point Game
Seems odd that 247Sports has not ranked this kid, especially considering he has 10 offers so far, mainly from regional schools to VA. He shows great ball control with a great outside shot and the ability to play stiff man to man defense. Has good body control when taking the ball into the lane or driving on a one off defender to draw fouls similar to Malcolm Delaney. I would expect to see his rankings rise once we get closer to the first commitment window in the fall.
I've been seeing alot of boo Williams players getting big offers the last few days he must have a loaded squad.
one other thing was I saw hokiehaven tweet about big news on one of VTs JUCO targets but it was VIP info so wondering if anyone knows who or what the news is?
We really only have one JUCO target left that I am aware of in Shane Henry. I haven't seen any big announcements on him today.
EDITED: I forgot we were also still looking at Deshawn Freeman, 16 ppg 6 rpg at Hutchinson College
http://stats.njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2013-14/div1/players/deshawnfreeman1r1h
Apparently the paywall news has to do with Shane Henry being down to a top 3. I haven't been able to find any mention of him being down to that three from any of the outside recruiting sources so don't have the list. I would assume Arkansas and Tech are still on it. As for the third school, I currently have no idea. It looks like Tech is going to make a big push on Phil Cofer so I have to wonder about Henry until we see he also has an official visit scheduled.
Huh hope we're the top but interesting news about Cofer he seems like someone we could use gonna have to start watching for news on when he puts a list out.
Good to see that this weekends tournaments was time well spent. Another two players getting interest from our coaches. Here is what I see on them:
Marcus Ottey, 6'1, 160 lbs, Point Guard, Ajax, Ontario, Canada
North Pole Profile
Michael Asemota, 6'3, 175 Lbs, Shooting Guard, Ontario, Canada
North Pole Hoops
Hoops Hype Canada
Taking him off the OP of available Power Forwards in the 2014 class.
Well, the question is going to be who else we have lost from our current team. According to some posts on TSL and from talking to people that attended a recent Hokie Club meeting....Buzz says we have 10 scholarship players for next yr (5 returners and 5 Fresh). With JVZ, Barksdale, Wilson, Emelogu and Smith suppose to be solids....that leaves Johnston out of the loop with a scholarship, Beyer as well, and lots of questions about if Wood is going to be back or not. Apparently Buzz is not conveying a tone that he is overly optimistic about getting any more recruits for this year. This is counting Mueller as a Fresh with Bibbs, Hudson, Hill and Pierce. If we were to assume that this is accurate information, that would leave:
PG: Wilson / Mueller
SG: Emelogu / Hill (flex) / Smith (Johnston- NS)
SF: Bibbs / Hudson (flex)
PF: Barksdale (Beyer- NS)
C: JVZ / Pierce
Sure could use one of those guys from UT. I think Turman, Austin or Coffer would be great for us. I know Buzz continues to re-iterate he is looking for PG...I watched a lot of Wilson and what was said about him early last yr still rings true--he is not a true PG and only played there last yr out of necessity. Lots of word went around that Mueller was "supposedly" the starter if he was eligible...again--from what I know from people inside the program, this too was out of necessity---there really isn't a great/true PG in the program. Buzz has continually said he wants groups of guys that are capable of bringing the ball up court and pushing tempo...I think any group of Hill, Bibbs, Hudson, Smith, Wilson, Mueller can push the ball up the court. A big sure would be nice for depth. Turman looks like his body size is ideal, and he didn't grade out as a much different recruit than Coffer, and he possesses a better body.
Is wood hesistant to take on to the new coach then? I hadnt heard anything of the sort but I hadnt been looking for anything about wood really.
I think cofer would be a good add-on but we will have to wait out and see I think Peters or Henry would both be good grabs personally and would help bring experience to a team thats very young.
I thought Wood said he would be back? Whats the scoop on Wood?
I think Devin Wilson did a great job this year. The kid is a gamer.
He set the school freshman record for assists and had the 5th highest assist total in school history.
Wilson also set records for free throw attempts (178) and minutes played (1043), at right around 34 minutes per game.
I will take that for a true freshman. 4.8 assists a game is pretty darn good. I think you are underestimating him.
I agree to me devin was the big suprise of the recruiting class I expected Emelogu to be good and had high hopes for thompson but Devin suprised me in how well he did for a freshman in the ACC playing the minutes he played I honestly think he will be a good player the next few years.
Yep... And from a convo I happened to overhear before he spoke to the group as a whole, I wouldn't exactly say he's thrilled with the team he inherited. His essential greeting to everyone was "I need more players"
The team has potential but I think when you look at what buzz was used to having around him I can understand his point of view and would say he's got alot of work to do to get us to the next level but I think with the class he is bringing in he should be able to get us headed in the right direction this season.
If he had 4-5 open schollies he probably needed more players just to practice with. I'm sure part of that was also him saying he needs more talent but I think we had the talent to be a better team than we were last year but we are far short of what he was used to at Marquette.
That's not much different from the first words out of Searles mouth, which was "we need bigger guys." We have a solid roster to compete with the bottom half of the ACC, but Buzz wants to be at the top.
this is why we have to give buzz 2-3 years to get his recruits into the mix. i have no doubt we'll be improved next year but it will take a couple years to see a full turnaround i believe
He's not enthused with the team he inherited because by & large, they are not ACC caliber talent. That's why he is loading up on as many recruits & JUCO transfers as possible. He'll coach the heck out of them, but I knew when he was hired that by 2015/16 the odds were we wouldn't have more than three guys from our roster last year. That might not be popular to hear, but it's a realistic appraisal.
I put Cofer ahead of Turman because he seemed to have better control of his body, especially down low. Turman struck me as a bit of a lumbering giant while Cofer had that Durant like smoothness to his movement. That is obviously on little tape though so its possible Turman would be a better option.
Did Buzz call out players by name or are you plugging in the names of who you project to be there. Wood seemed pretty solid when he discussed his decision to return last we heard from him. Of all the players I would expect to want out might be Smith since he is now in a weird Am I a PG or a SG and where do I fall in terms of depth, starter or behind multiple people at each position?
Donlon is also a non scholarship guy that should be back unless something changed there. That's another body at the 4 spot.
I am surprised that Buzz thinks he is done considering we are still rumored with a list of people: (Numbers are how many schools rumored to be on final list for each player)
Shane Henry - 1 of 2
Deshawn Freeman - 1 of 4
Devonte Graham - 1 of 5
Roddy Peters - 1 of 3
John Egbunu - 1 of 3
Malek Harris - 1 of 2
Phil Cofer - 1 of 5
Does not include
Gant if he decommits from Missou or other Tennessee opened commits
I think its a pretty good indication on how he thinks we stand with all those players listed above.
We may have our name in the pot, but it doesn't mean we're the favorite of any of the athletes.
I would be surprised if buzz doesn't pull in at least one of these guys
Great ball handling skills and vision. Has the ability to drive and score when needed as well. Just because he can shoot the three pretty well does not make him a shooting guard. Erick Green and to some extent Malcolm Delaney played PG out of necessity and would have made good shooting guards, I wouldn't say the same for Devin.
I agree- he needs to work on the mid-range game that made Green so lethal. I saw no 8-10' pull up game from him. It was 3 or to the hoop. With his toughness, size and composure I think he'll be great.
He couldn't even manage to hit that distance from the charity stripe until late in the season. Definitely a piece of his game that he needs to work on. Being able to take the first two steps, then step back to create space and hit the jumper is critical in creating opportunities. The defender only has to worry about him going forward if he drives right now.
Okay at this point I have to ask. Supposedly we have only 2 scholarships left for this year/next year. Barksdale graduates and free's up a scholarship? If we have already offered X kids for 2015 and Y kids for 2016 where X or Y > 2/3 what are we going to do if say 4 decide to accept for next year?
It usually plays itself out to even out. The coaches control the scholarship fate of everyone on the team and if they have an incoming recruit that is better than a current roster scholarship player, said scholarship player may not be going forward. That's worst case, but if no one else signs this year, than next season you would have three scholarships to work with. The scholarship imbalance is one of the reasons why Buzz really wanted to get a JUCO transfer that was college ready to balance out the years going forward. Kids aren't stupid either, if they see the writing on the wall that they are not likely to play much, they will likely seek a transfer which would open scholarships.
Wow I hope Peters becomes a Hokie. If he could develop a jump shot he could be lethal, he can already get to the basket.
Welp, we have apparently been scratched from Devonte Graham's list as he is down to NC State and Kansas. He never made it to campus so I am not sure what kind of push we really made to get this guy. At least he has eliminated the Wahoos as well in this move.
I think he's been an NC State lock since last fall. They've invested a lot in getting him.
Kansas might have something to say about that.
Graham has narrowed down his final 2 to NC State and Kansas
Look up, already posted.
I posted this on my phone with like 2G service and it wouldn't let me edit it.
Ah gotcha.
Not even a LOLUVA Game Thread has as many posts as this basketball thread.....
Wow, I know UMD signed a top class this year but I didn't expect this kind of transition from some of the younger players in the program. They have four four stars coming in this season which is at the root of some of this.
Here are Allen's stats for this season:
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/61795/seth-allen
We could be in for some of this next year depending on how people view their playing time as Buzz starts getting deeper into his own classes of recruits.
In other news, because of a decommitment at USC(W) we have moved up to 28th in the 247Sports Team Rankings. We could move up again if Missouri goes through the same loss as Tennessee as well as they are only a few spots ahead of us right now.
Ok, I am about to post a thread strictly cleaned up for the Class of 2014 Recruiting cycle. I am going to continue posting 2015, 2016, and 2017 information to this thread until I can sort those years out as well so I don't lose information but also so eventually we have an easier to manage, more phone friendly thread for each class. It may take a little while considering I have 500+ comments to parse through to ensure I get each class straight. Bear with me.
Thanks
Rob
CLASS OF 2017
Jordan Henry, Point Guard,
http://www.indihoops.com/players/jordan-henry-2017-point-guard
Not much to go on at this point with this kid in terms of information on the net.
CLASS OF 2015
Terance Mann, 6'5, 180 lbs, G/F Hybrid, Tilton, New Hampshire
104th in 247Sports Composite Ranking. 79 on their own ranking. Four Stars on Rivals and ESPN, Main competition appears to be East Coast schools for now. Georgetown, FSU, Miami, VCU.
Rivals
247Sports
ESPN
Just so I remember to look up the info when I break this class out
From reading what I have seems like Buzz is jumping the gun on him he is only a HS freshman and theyre already talking about him in the NBA.
Yeah his profile is up about 50 comments. Once I clean up 2015 and 2016 I will move on to cleaning out the 2017 news.
Seems like a pretty good athlete for a freshman im glad Buzz is really recruiting hard and going up against all hte big boys its a pleasant sign.
For future reference, Class of 2015
@TheRecruitScoop: Virginia Tech has offered 2015 SG Haanif Cheatham of Nike Team Florida (FL).
247 reporting we've offered 2015 PG Jawun Evans out of Dallas, TX. He's ranked 35th player in his class. His top schools are all fairly local (SMU, OK State, Baylor) so not sure what our chances are but cool to see Buzz going after everybody he likes
We have made Evans Final Eight. Others on the list: Clemson, Illinois, USC(w), Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma State, and Cincinnati
Corey Evins also reporting that Buzz has confirmed offer to 2015 small forward Tevin Mack, 4* star guy out of Columbia, SC ranked 108th. Main competition appears to be Georgia
My first thought about the title of this thread was ... Buzz Williams, 2014 and beyond.
Buzz offers two 2015 Showtime Ballers AAU Teammates:
Both sound like very similar wing type players. These were players Buzz was earlier mentioned to have interest in but now has given offers to.
Dwayne Bacon:
http://247sports.com/Player/Dwayne-Bacon-19175
Jeantal Cylla:
http://247sports.com/Player/Jeantal-Cylla-34958
If this Bacon guy is as good as he tastes...
If he commits, he'll be Turkey Bacon.
Kevin Bacon!
All good things are topped with bacon: bacon-bourbon-apple-pie
@coreyevans_10: 2016 center Tony Bradley lists added interest from Florida, Kansas, Syracuse, and Florida State
Are there more than one Tony Bradley's in the 2016 class? The one we were recruiting is 6'7 200 Lbs and is definitely not a center. Unless he hit a major growth spurt, he is at best a Power Forward and if he is still 6'7 is more likely a Small Forward.
Don't know if it has been mentioned yet, but Twitter is talking about the likelihood that Thon Maker reclassified for the 2015 class. Looks like he is just wanting to play at VT sooner. :)
Thats really bad news in my opinion if it ends up being the case. 2016 would have been a much easier audition for Buzz to deliver the results needed to get Thon. With his change of AAU program out of the Boo Williams team and this, its becoming a much harder road for Buzz.
Good evening TKPers. One of my favorite prospects from the 2015 class combo guard Dwayne Bacon will be transferring to Oak Hill. This is huge since he will be spending all of next year really close to VT. I believe it at least gives Tech a shot, especially with Chew and Buzz being the aggressive recruiters that they are.
great article on a visit to Tech today by 2015 guard Justin Robinson
http://hoopsintel.sportswar.com/2014/06/06/coreys-notepad-robinson-visit...
In Robinson's words:
we seem to be in good shape with this 4* prospect
Does anyone have an update on Chris Clarke (2015), I saw he visited last week(end?). Also on 247,5+ guys picked him as a Hokie for next year. I am relatively new to Twitter and other social media updates for recruiting, I just wanted to see if anyone had heard any news.
Side note, this kid is a beast and rising very fast... he is also a Boo Williams guy. Still growing and he is a great re bounder for 6-6.... hustles 100%
Haven't seen much new news regarding him but as of right now with Buzz only having one scholarship available at the moment, I would say he wouldn't be their top priority. Justin Hamilton, the Boo Williams Point Guard or one of the bigger guys to get some depth behind the big men will likely be Buzz' top priority. Buzz essentially has a scholarship offer out to every one of Boo Williams players for the next three years. Not saying Clarke isn't the better talent but with limited options Buzz will have to decide where he needs the depth the most, and wing player is our deepest spot right now. Of course, if Buzz has a few others leave the program, all of the priorities change depending on how many spots open up.
Kevin Dorsey (PG Class of 2015) of Paul VI was on campus today. And offer was extended to Curtis Jones of Paul VI Class of 2016
Update on Kevin Doresy. "Would like to commit before July"
http://nebraska.247sports.com/Bolt/Dorsey-Taking-Two-More-Visits-29315934
That would be a great pickup. Looks like a perfect PG for Buzz's offense.
would also open a Paul VI pipeline which would be sweet (and not because its my alma mater)
As I am trying to make it to noon without falling asleep... I came across an article about the top 100 camp and it featured some guys Buzz has been targeting.
Go Hokies, Go USA!
link?
Must be one of those days........
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/245...
Chris Clarke is blowing up. Kerry Meyer at 247 said he will make the biggest jump in the newest rankings that come out today.
After seeing highlights and reading articles he reminds me of a Deron Washington type player. Hustles 100% of the time, offense and defense. Stout defender who can finish at the rim. The only issue is the only 1 scholarship for next year
It'll be interesting to see what buzz does with this next class. He only has 1 as of now but I have a feeling we'll have 1 more attrition and might have 2 scholarships for next year. But that's still a small class.
Chris Clark is definitely a great player but with us taking Bibbs, Hudson and Hill in the class before, does he take another wing? I know he's recruited PGs Doresy and Robinson pretty hard too but is PG a need with our two current PGs still young? PF is a definite need as we'll have Barksdale graduate so you figure one scholly will be a PF.
Hard decisions. I'm still just excited that we're in conversations of landing such highly rated guys compared to the past.
I don't think Clarke would be a guard Tech. I think he will be used much like Jae Crowder was under Buzz at Marquette. Jerry Meyer of 247 also thinks he could be the next Kawhi Leonard, which isn't a bad comparison at all. :)
Whoops. Meant to say Jerry Meyer. And he is now 35th in the country. Not bad at all!
Shaun Kirk 6'6" PF from Whiteville NC is one to keep an eye on for 2016
Hope he is still growing if he is in fact a pf!
Any word on how Chris Clarke's official visit was this weekend?
I didn't know where else to ask this and I didn't want to start a new thread but does anyone have any updates on our 2016 recruiting for basketball. I know we don't have any commits currently but this is usually around the time that the top talent starts committing. Are we in on anyone?
We only have one senior and I don't know that we'll see anyone else leave the team. That being said I have no idea who we might be bringing in to fill that scholarship.
Early chatter (that's way too early to tell) is it's Javin DeLaurier, a 4 star big man from Charlottesville. I'd be thrilled if we landed Kwe Parker instead....but I may be in the minority on that one.
Edit: Looks like things have changed with DeLaurier since I last checked and he's now pretty heavily favored to go to Texas. So scratch that. I have no idea at this point.