Seth’s recruiting class rated No. 10
With the addition this week of small forward Dorian Finney-Smith from Norcom High, Va. Tech’s 2010-11 recruiting class has jumped from No. 24 in the nation to No. 10 in the eyes of ESPN.com. That’s right, No. 10. Elite company for Seth Greenberg’s team.
Finney-Smith is rated No. 15 nationally by ESPN.com. The other recruits in this group are point guard Marquis Rankin from Hargrave, forward C.J. Barksdale from Hargrave, and off-guard Robert Brown of Clermont, Fla.
Kentucky is ranked No. 1, followed by UNC, Arizona, Syracuse, Louisville, texas, Duke, Michigan State, Villanova and the Hokies.
You won’t see these players in Tech uniforms until a year from now, but it’s a good sign that VT won’t plummet once Malcolm Delaney and the other seniors move on after this year.
Reggie Rankin of ESPN.com upgraded the class from No. 24 to No. 10 after Finney-Smith committed. Here is what he wrote about the Norcom star:
He “is a very versatile, skilled combo forward who can play shooting guard, small forward or even power forward for the Hokies. He reminds us a lot of former Maryland star Joe Smith. Finney-Smith is a great ball handler for someone his size and can score inside and out to the 3-point line. He also can make a play one-on-one, slash from the wing or drive, draw and kick to an open teammate. On top of his ability to put the ball in the basket, the Boo Williams Summer League standout is a tremendous rebounder. On the offensive end, he goes to the glass hard and is great at anticipating where the ball will end up. Defensively, he can grab a rebound and start the break.
Like most high school kids, Finney-Smith needs to add strength, but he will make an immediate impact with the Hokies. He will excel in transition and be a matchup nightmare for opponents as Greenberg moves him around within the offense. He also will be tremendous playing off the ball and in pick-and-pop or pick-and-roll situations. On defense, Finney-Smith’s length and versatility will allow him to guard three different positions and play at the top or the back of the zone defense.”
September 30, 2010 - 10:48 AM
Greenburg continues to elevate the hokies? BULLSH$T! This Program was elevated by Casteen!
This is great news!! Greenberg has done SO much for this program!!
me thinks Robert doth whineth too much, perhaps he has been drinking too much UVA wine made from sour grapes.
R. N. Howell, BULLSH$T. All warner did was beg Casteen for help, which he was going to help anyway. Casteen always wanted VT in the ACC. Back in the early 1990′s when the ACC expanded and added FSU, UVA under the leadership of Casteen wanted VT. Warner wasn’t even involved then. How can you say warner got you in? And what did he do?
Jerry, I’m just tired of having to support you hokies. You guys have always got your hand out.
To Robert,
No matter who got us in the ACC,it feels good to have a winner
in the state of Virginia and not alays be white meat,per Frank Howard.
I guess Robert honed his vocabulary at Mr. Jefferson’s University? His comments represent the wrong minded attitude that is displayed by certain “fans” of college athletics today, and it reflects poorly on the school he supports. Thank goodness these folks are a minority. It’s a game Robert, a game played by college STUDENTS….go take your anger out on somebody who choses to tolerate your boorish behavior, or is that why you’re so angry?
Top to bottom in most years, the Big East is a tougher basketball conference that the ACC. Greenberg elevated the Hokies. Getting into the ACC only changed our recruiting territory. The ACC is covered by the press more in this area than the Big East, but if you read Northern newspapers, the Big Ease is covered more.
In ACC, national championships have been won by MD, UNC, NC State, and Duke. In the Big East, National championships have been won by Georgetown, Villinova, St. Johns, Syracuse, UConn, Louisville, Marquette and Cincinnati.
It seems Robert doesn’t like handouts.
I suppose he wishes that the UVA @ Charlottesville would return all of the Bowl dollars that Virginia Tech has subsidized the Cavalier athletic department with over the last 6 years. By my count that would be 3 BCS bowls and 3 New Years Day Bowls. In fact VT has contributed more Bowl dollars than any other conference member.
In severance I trust.
DLO
Greenberg upgraded basketball at Tech. The Big East generally is a tougher conference top to bottom than the ACC. Consider this: UNC, NCS, MD, and Duke are the ACC teams that have won national championships; St. johns, Syracuse, UCon, Nova, G’town, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Marquette are the
Big East teams that have won national championships.
Getting into the ACC changed our recruiting territory. Newspapers in our area cover the ACC more than they did the Big East, but Northern and Northeastern newspapers cover the Big East more than the ACC.
Well, UVa has a new president. Let’s see what she can do to support UVa athletics. Our men’s basketball program and football program have been down for years. Maybe she will turn things around! Casteen is gone. Go Hoos!
Nelson
nkscouting@gmail.com
Greenburg upgraded VT basketball? He’s upgraded it with a lot of players that wanted to play in the ACC. Which means that he is not the one that upgraded it. As far as the bowl dollars that VT has subsidized UVA. Where was VT’s bowl dollars before they got in the ACC? They only made about $5 million a year, now they make $13 to $17 million a year (Thanks to UVA) VT hasn’t subsidized nobody, they have & always will need subsidized because they reside in Blacksburg. Nobody wants blacksburg. The metro conference didn’t want them (they kicked them out) , Extortion was used to get VT into the Big East, Political Blackmail got them into the ACC. It is because of blacksburg (Which they should call WHITESBURG, because all the blacks there are playing VT football or basketball) that if the ACC ever de-expands, VT will be the first to go!
Robert – the last time I checked, UVA was also in the ACC. When UVA teams do poorly, they fire their coach and hire another (i.e. football and basketball as of late). This goes counter to your comments. If the coach (i.e. Greenburg) isn’t responsible for the team’s success or failure, how can UVA expect to improve their teams by replacing their coaches? The ACC lights burn just as brightly in Charlottesville as they do in Blacksburg.
Don, all I know is Greenburg would not be getting players that wanted to play in the ACC if they wasn’t in the ACC. If you could go back in time and change a event,you would alter history. What if you went back in time and prevented VT from getting in to the ACC, What would VT’s basketball team look like? No doubt greenburg is a good coach, but he would not be as good of a recruiter because it is the ACC that helps recruiting. VT would be a good team with a lot less 4 & 5 star players. Greenburg himself has stated that VT has benefited from being in the ACC.
You stay classy Robert, just stay classy……. Maybe a few winning seasons will cure your whining. Viva UVA LAX!
Don, The ACC lights wouldn’t be burning in blacksburg if it wasn’t for UVA!
I am glad the light shines somewhere for Virginia sports. Even if Va.Tech was not in the ACC that would not change UVA’s won and loss record in Football or Basketball.
Lets see what the future holds for UVA,we know we have a winner in Va.Tech.
Hokie Jim
Robert,
As a Blacksburg native, VT alumni, and a supporter of ALL Virginia schools, you are a shameful person with language like that. It pains me that some UVA fans are so rude, mean, indecent, etc to Blacksburg folk and VT personnel. Your racial comments are unnecessary and uncalled for! I wish for once people would stop looking at color! We are all humans living together, there is NO reason to bring up race, color, religion, etc. Shows a large amount of ignorance! I am not sure if you are disgruntled because UVA has had a lot of talented athletes, but still struggle and VT has just as talented athletes and gets the wins. But this hatred in your words towards Blacksburg, VT, people of different color is a little much.
Oh and Robert…with your earlier comment, “I’m just tired of having to support you hokies. You guys have always got your hand out.”
There is an easy solution…stop supporting, because honestly with your attitude, we don’t want your support, we have plenty of positive minded folk who like VT, Blacksburg, Greenberg, etc…who come out and support during games, socials, pep rallies. The negativity is not wanted and you can take it somewhere else.
Thanks for sharing your mind.
Robert, you need a history lesson. I have great respect for UVA and their assistance in getting Tech into the ACC. That has improved revenue and helped the minor sports a great deal. It has not helped football and is not the cause for improved basketball. It actually hurt women’s basketball.
Beth Drunkenburger, successful women’s basketball coach, said it best when she said that it neutered her recruiting base because the players she was recruiting wanted to play in the Big East and ruled Tech out when they moved to the ACC. She had to change her entire recruiting territory.
The Metro did not kick Tech out but rather insisted that they include football if they stayed. David Brain, then AD, was not interested in including football which eliminated the Metro as an option.
Tech was always included in the formation of the Big East and initially for all sports. The non-basketball schools did not want to add four teams to their schedule, especially Temple and hence lobbied to exclude those two plus West Virginia from basketball. Miami was such an attraction that they would do anything to get them, which is exactly what the ACC did. West VA. getting in for all sports was a compromise. It is interesting to note that Tech and WVA had agreed to do the same thing ie. both in for all sports or no deal. In the end, Tech told WVA that they had to do what was best for their school, which they did.
The difference in money was due to the different approaches in revenue sharing and the inferior TV contract for the new Big East football.
The reality of the situation is that conference entheusiasm is very periocal. In Virginia, the ACC dominates, From South Carolina South and West of VA the SEC dominates. From DC North the Big East dominates. West of Tenn and Ky, the Big Ten dominates, etc. You can prove that to yourself by reading local newspapers outside of ACC country.
All of the above is verifiable.
Bob, not the cause for VT inproved basketball? Seth Greenberg has said in the past that being in the ACC has greatly benefited VT. Your argument is with him. Also, if the metro did not kick VT out then why did VT sue the metro?
Michelle, I stand behind my statement about Blacksburg (should be named WHITESBURG) According to the 2000 census, blacksburg had a population of 39,284 (and this includes the population at VT) with only 4‰ black. 4‰ of 39,284 is 1571. A large percentage of that number is at VT(which itself has & is having racial diversity problems – only 4‰ of the incoming students are black) Also, a high percentage of the blacks at VT are athletes!
Bob, what have you been smoking? You say getting into the ACC has not helped Vt football and mens basketball? First of all your memory must be short. The last 3 years Vt was in the big east, the hokie nation was calling for beamer to be fired because Vt went into a tailspin at the end of the season. Also, how can you say VT’s mens basketball hasn’t improved being in the ACC? Greenberg himself has said VT greatly benefited from being in the ACC. In addition to this all of Vt’s players and recruits have stated that they came to Vt to play in the ACC? You have got to have a degree from Vt!
Robert,
Get your facts straight…Blacksburg is NOT named that because of color! The family that founded Blacksburg has a last name of Black. Hence the name of our town. You are a racist ignorant fool!
Oh and Robert you should know this history of Blacksburg since you obviously got your info from Wikipedia…scroll down a little more, and you can see we aren’t named for color. And the population of Blacksburg tends to not include Virginia Tech. There are around 60,000 people when VT is in session.
For what it’s worth …
4.1% of VaTech is African American
http://www.vt.edu/about/factbook/student-overview.html
Michelle, according to the U. S. Census Bureau, they do count the population of students in the census if they are there most of the time (and they are) So who’s ignorant? Also according to the Census bureau, blacksburg has a 2009 population estimate of 42,881 (and this includes the population of VT’s, both on campus & off) with a black population of 1884 (a large percentage of these are at VT) VT has a low enrollment of only about 4‰ & they have been trying to fix this for years. The problem is they lower the standards for athletes and will not do it for the non-athletes(white & black) Also, I’m not a racist. I have not used the N word once, I’m just stating facts. Does the truth hurt Michelle?
By the way, VT must be reading my posts. They are about to honor VT’s first black graduate!