The majority of the players in Virginia Tech’s front court rotation heading into the 2014-15 season, including Joey Van Zegeren, junior college transfer Shane Donlon and USF transfer Zach LeDay, are upperclassmen. As a result adding a talented player or two in that area would certainly help head coach Buzz Williams as he looks to rebuild a program that has finished last in the ACC in each of the last three seasons.
Saturday afternoon Williams was able to do that, with 6-foot-9 three-star power forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. verbally committing to the ACC school according to multiple outlets. Blackshear’s a native of Orlando, where he averaged 12.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game as a junior at Evans High School. Blackshear was named to the Orlando Sentinel’s all-area team following his junior season.
In Blackshear Virginia Tech adds a forward who scouts have praised for both his versatility and high motor, and his commitment is an important one for Buzz Williams’ program. Both Marshall Wood and Trevor Thompson decided to transfer at the end of last season, as did seldom-used forward Maurice Kirby, which left Virginia Tech with just one underclassman entering the upcoming season (freshman Satchel Pierce).
With that being the case it was imperative that Virginia Tech land a front court option in their 2015 class. And in Blackshear, the first commitment in Virginia Tech’s 2015 recruiting class, they were able to do just that.