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DeMatha guard Jairus Lyles reportedly commits to VCU

Jairus Lyles

Coach Shaka Smart got his first commitment to begin his official reign as a coach of an Atlantic-10 school.

Virginia Commonwealth, expedited to the A-10 at the conclusion of the season, grabbed a commitment from 2013 DeMatha guard Jairus Lyles.

The news was first reported by VCURamNation.com and was later confirmed by other outlets.

“He’s explosive, he can shoot, he can drive, he’s athletic, he can defend,” DeMatha coach Mike Jones has said of Lyles. “He’s one of the leaders on the team in assists. He’s going through the transition of being a full-time shooting guard to being a part-time shooting guard, part-time point guard.”

Lyles joins guard JeQuan Lewis in the Class of 2013, locking in two pieces of the Ram backcourt of the future.

Lyles is a 6-1, 165-pound combo guard who has worked as both a point guard and shooting guard for DeMatha. Alongside Pittsburgh commit James Robinson in the backcourt for the Stags this season, he helped DeMatha to a 30-6 record, including 11-3 in the league.

On the summer circuit, Lyles plays for the powerhouse Team Takeover DC program.

Smart’s 2013 class follows a 2012 class that was headlined by forward Jordan Burgess.

The Rams begin their first season in the Atlantic-10 in 2012-13, having joined the league with Butler.

Virginia Commonwealth finished with an overall record of 29-7 this past season, including 15-3 in the CAA.

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_