The Hokies will need to haul in some huge recruiting classes the next two years to keep the program’s momentum going.  Tech has signed two recruits, Jarell Eddie and Tyrone Garland, for next year.  But the 2011 Class will be even more important as the Hokies’ top five scorers this year are all juniors.

Tech has already picked up verbal commitments from two 2011 prospects, C.J. Barksdale of Danville, VA and Robert Brown of Clermont, FL.  Robert’s Head Coach, Mike Clutter, was kind enough to give us the skinny on Tech’s future shooting guard.  I was surprised to learn that Coach Clutter coached in Virginia for 20 years in Louisa County, Albemarle County, and Osbourn HS in Manassas.  He also has a very good relationship with the VT coaching staff.

QUESTIONS:

Q: What were Robert’s stats this season?

Coach Clutter: He finished the year averaging 21.0 ppg, 4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, shot 46% from the field, and 70% from the foul line.  He recently scored his 1000th point at East Ridge and now ranks 4^th on the schools career list with 1159 points.

Q: What honors has he picked up?

Coach Clutter: Robert is our team’s MVP for the 3^rd straight  year and was for the second time  selected 6 A Coaches District Player of the Year. He has been All-County for 3 years and will most likely be Player of the Year this year.

Q: How did East Ridge do this season?

Coach Clutter: We finished 16-7 and tied for 4^th in our district which is called the District of Dome.  We had 5 out of our 9 teams ranked in the top 10 in the state for most of the season. We finished ranked 12^th in the state in the top division in Florida, 6 A

Q: On offense, is Robert more of a slasher or a three-point shooter?

Coach Clutter: Robert is very quick with a great move to the basket. He can slash to the basket and dunk it in your face. He had a great 3-point shooting effort last year but got a lot more pressure this year and his 3-point shooting percentage fell down some.

Q: How is Robert’s mid-range game/runners?

Coach Clutter: He has developed a great runner this year and it continues to get better.

Q: How are Robert’s ballhandling skills?  Can he run the point or is he strickly a 2-guard?

Coach Clutter: Good ball handler and does run the point and even plays the 3 sometimes.

Q: How is Robert’s defense on the ball (as I’m sure you know Coach Greenberg really preaches defense)?

Coach Clutter: He is a good defender on the ball, when he wants to and runs the floor filling the lanes very well.

Q: How are his intangibles (leadership, work ethic, etc)?

Coach Clutter: He is a leader by example and loves to have the ball in his hands.

Q: What area(s) does Robert need to improve on the most to be ready to play in the ACC in 2 years?

Coach Clutter: He will need to get stronger and become a better rebounder.

Q: Any other information you’d like to add?

Coach Clutter: He is running track right now and has won 3 straight high jumps with his best being 6’4’’, not too bad for someone who never did it before. He will be a great player when he gets to Tech.

Thanks again to Coach Clutter for giving us some great insight on one of the keystones of the future of Hokie basketball!