Basketball is kicking into gear and this page will be updated frequently as football season winds down. Tech is 3-0 and I think will be better than most expect. I have gotten a bunch of crap for Tech beating Mercer in overtime. How many of those people knew that Mercer had beaten Auburn and Alabama? Probably Not Many.

Be back later for more Jacketball info.

2009 Recruiting Class

In regard to the 2009 Basketball recruiting, if we can land two more recruits, words will hardly be able to describe it. We have already signed four players, and even if we land nobody else, it would still be a strong class. Three of the four are in state commits, while the fourth comes from the heralded Oak Hill Academy.

The First commit was Brian Oliver, from Oak Hill. Oliver is a three star on both Scout and Rivals, and is ranked as the 108th best player in the nation by Rivals. Oliver had offers from Cincinatti, Xavier, West Virginia, Virginia Tech among many others. Oliver is an unbelievable three point shooter, and when he gets hot he can make them from all over, he is also a top notch athlete, and will fit right into Hewitt’s system. When asked about his commitment, “I like Coach Hewitt a lot,” he said. “I like the way they play. I feel I can come in and help out. I just have to work hard.”

The second commitment was Kammeon Holsey. Holsey chose tech over FSU and Clemson, and is a three star on rivals, and a four star on scout. Rivals ranks him as the 124th best player in the 2009 class. Holsey is an explosive player, and is becoming better and better at finishing around the basket. He runs the floor very well for his size, and had this to say about his commitment: “Tech is the right fit for me,” Holsey told Scout.com. It’s in the ACC, they have good academics and they fit my style of play. I like the tempo and the coaching staff.”

The third commitment was the biggest so far for the Jackets, PG Mfon Udofia. Udofia, from Stone Mountain, is ranked 30th in the Rivals 100, and the fifth best point guard, and is ranked as the 6th best point guard on Scout, checking in at #40 overall. Udofia is a true leader, and won’t back down from tough competition. He is explosive off the dribble, and is able to take over the game in more ways than one. Udofia is a southpaw, and once he grasps the true meaning of point guard, he should run Hewitt’s offense to perfection. He had offers to Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, among many others. “It was the relationship, They felt like family. I talked to them all the time and I just felt like it was the place for me,” remarked Udofia after committing.

The most recent commit was Glen Rice Jr. from nearby Walton high School. Rice is a four star on Rivals, checking in at #46 on the top 100, while he is a three star on Scout. In the scout article talking about Glen’s commitment, they had this to say: “Presently not ranked in Scout.com’s Top 100, Rice has seen his stock rise as much as anyone this summer. He should be a lock to jump into the rankings when they are released following the AAU season.” Rice is the definition of a do it all player. He can dunk, slash through the lane, or hit the three point jumper. He is very long, and is Hewitt’s prototype shooting guard, size wise. He chose Tech over Florida State. He had this to say about his commitment, “It is close to home, I really like the environment, and I really like the coaches. Also they have (Kammeon Holsey) going there.”

Now that i’ve gone through and talked about the four players already committed, now it starts to get interestiong. Tech is currently after three, maybe four more players for the 2009 class. The biggest two recruits are Derrick Favors and Kenny Boynton. Favors goes to nearby South Atlanta, and is unbelievable. I had a chance to watch him play a couple of times, and he can get it done. Favors is set to narrow his list down soon, and Tech is almost a lock to be in that list. He is an excellent scored, rebounder and defender. He takes pride in blocking shots, and does it better than any other player in the country. He can finish with the best of them, and is the top player in the Scout 100, while checking in at #3 on Rivals.

Kenny Boynton is # 8 on both Rivals and Scout, and is a big time scorer. He has an uncanny ability to take over games, and seems to able to score at will. He is a great competitor, and just needs to polish his passing. Once he does, he could be the next great point guard to come through Tech. He has his college choice narrowed down to five schools, Tech, Memphis, Texas, Duke and Florida. He claims he has no leader within those five.

The next biggest recruit is Noel Johnson. Johnson is #36 on Rivals and #34 on Scout, and goes to Fayette County HS, in Fayetteville Georgia. Johnson is an unbelievable shooter, and has NBA deep range. Very hard worker, and just needs to polish up his ball handling and passing. His three favorites are believed to be Tech, Louisville and USC, all which have offered him.

Tech has also offered Sherrod Wright, and they are still recruting Wheeler star Ari Stewart, but with a commitment from two of the above could lead to the retracting of Wright’s offer.

If hewitt was to land any combo of the three players above, that class would simply be unreal. Favors, Boynton and Johnson could all make a huge impact as freshman, and Udofia definitely looks like he will. I honestly think Tech is the team to beat for Favors, but getting Boynton could be stretch. I believe Johnson’s leader is Tech as well, and think we have a good chance at landing both. If we were to land all three, it would be a class for the ages, and even though Favors, and maybe Boynton, might be one and done’s, Tech could still surge back up around the top of the ACC.

JE