On Saturday night Hokie fans will get their final glimpse of two seniors – Erick Green and Joey Racer.  Yep, IT’S SENIOR DAY!  One is a contender for ACC Player of the Year, the other a popular walk-on.  ALL FANS ARE ENCOURAGED TO WEAR GREEN to support The Winchester Rifle, and if you have a green ‘Speed Racer’ shirt to also honor Joey, all the better!

Let’s look back at their careers:

ERICK “THE WINCHESTER RIFLE” GREEN:

Erick will finish his career as one of the all time best Virginia Tech basketball players of all time, possibly even one of the 10 best.  And his senior season has been nothing short of magical.  No one could have expected this evolution of his game, but it shows that hard work can take you from a guy that scored just 88 total points his freshman year (2.6 ppg) to one of Tech’s top 10 all time scorers (he’s just 68 points from making the top 10).

Here’s where he ranks currently on the all time VT lists:

• POINTS: 15th (1638)
• ASSISTS: 9th (319)

Here’s a look back at the evolution of Mr. Green.

HIGH SCHOOL:

It seems like Erick Green has been a Hokie for forever, and in fact, he committed to Virginia Tech almost exactly five years ago on January 25th, 2008.  At that point, Erick was a junior at Millbrook High School in his hometown of Winchester, VA.  I remember watching him lead the Pioneers in the Virginia AA State Championship Game, scoring 18 points in a 53-43 win over Bryant Stith’s (remember him from uva?) Brunswick County squad.  Erick was named Virginia AA Player of the Year after averaging 19 ppg.  You could tell he was a winner and I was giddy about getting him in burnt orange and Chicago maroon.

Erick’s senior year he switched to private Paul VI Catholic HS in my hometown of Fairfax, VA, and had no trouble adapting to the more competitive private school scene, averaging over 16 ppg.  Erick made theWashington Post All-Met team among other honors and led Paul VI to the Virginia Independent Schools Division I Championship.  After that senior season, Erick would play in the Capital Classic (and get arm curled), as well as the Reebok All-American Game, both in Washington, DC.

VIRGINIA TECH:

While Green adjusted to Paul VI very easily as a high school senior, his transition to college was not as smooth.  In fact, it was pretty brutal at times, on the court, that is.  Erick was not an instant star by any stretch.   Remember that awkward, lurching jumpshot he had?  Many of you have probably forgotten it, but the odd, falling away stroke did not produce much success early on.

Freshman Year:

Bank!

2.6 ppg.  That’s it.  The NCAA’s current leading scorer averaged just 2.6 ppg in 13 minutes, playing in every game.  The shooting numbers are even tougher to believe given the diamond he is today.

• 29% on FGs
• 28% on 3s

And those stats are misleading.  Once ACC play got underway, Erick couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat.  I’m talking a Doo-Doo (last year) like slump, or a Robert Brown-like (current) struggle.  Here were his ACC numbers.

• FGs: 12% (5/41)
• 3-Pointers: 16% (3/19)

In Tech’s final 12 ACC games, he was 2/30 on FGs (7%) and 1/12 on 3-pointers (8%), and he banked  in that 3-pointer against uva!  When Erick hit a jumper in the NIT Quarterfinal game against rhode island, a mock cheer went up from the crowd and one fan yelled, “Stop the game!  Give’em the ball!”

There was chatter that Green wasn’t an ACC-caliber player after the season.  Well, that would change…

Sophomore Year:

Green’s sophomore year started much like his freshman year, with that weird hitch in his shot and limited success.  After six games, he was averaging 5.0 ppg and was just 2/12 (17%) from 3-point range.

Then, the news came that Dorenzo Hudson was going to be shut down for the season and Erick was inserted into the starting lineup for Tech’s game with penn state on December 12th, 2010.  The results were instantaneous.  Green tied his career high with 15 points on 6/11 shooting, including 2/5 from behind the arc.

And a star was born.  Erick would go on to score in double figures in the next 10 games, and 22 of Tech’s final 26 contests.  That was highlighted by a new career high of 24 points at maryland on January 20th in a 74-57 win over the terps.  Green was 12/16 from the floor that night, along with 4 steals.  He followed that up with 14 points, 3 steals and 5 assists against longwood, leading to him being named ACC Player of the Week.

Erick wasn’t just scoring, he also became one of the best point guards in the ACC.  He had an incredible assist-to-turnover ratio after becoming a starter, with 84 assists to just 37 turnovers (2.3-to-1).  In one 6 game span he dished out 15 assists without a single turnover.

The only drawback his sophomore year was his 3-point percentage actually fell, from 28% as a freshman down to 25%.

Junior Year:

With Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen gone, and Dorenzo Hudson shaking off the rust from his injuries, Erick Green became Tech’s star.  And he answered the bell, going on to be named 2nd-Team All-ACC as a junior.

Erick scored in double figures in the first 27 games of the season (the streak was at 30 games overall) before clemson snapped that streak in the second-to-last game of the regular season.  Green was the model of consistency, scoring double digits in 29 of 30 games, but never eclipsing the 25-point mark.

In the ACC Tournament, Erick carried the Hokies to a first round win over clemson, avenging the tigers holding him to 8 points a week earlier. Erick had 24 points on 7/11 FGs, 2/4 3s, 8/8 FTs, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

Green’s success came in large part to his fixed jumpshot.  He hit 38% of his 112 three-pointers, helping him go from 11.6 ppg as a sophomore to 15.6.

Senior Year:

Erick Green is having a phenomenal senior season, but where does he rank all-time?

EG might as well be short for ‘Every Game’.  Erick comes to play every game.  Green reaches double figures in points almost every game.  Check out these stats since becoming a starter early in his sophomore year (in terms of scoring 10+ points):

• 51 of 56 games
• 30 of his last 33 ACC games (amazingly, clemson supplied two of the three he hasn’t reached double digits)
• 30 games in a row (sophomore to junior year)
• 22 games in a row (current streak)

This year, he’s even turned it up a notch:

• 20+ points in 18 of 19 games
• 22+ in all 6 ACC games, including a career high 35 against uva

But what has impressed me the most is his shooting numbers.  Remember that lurching jumpshot?  It’s gone.  Erick is now deadly from the baseline behind the arc (and inside).

• FGs: 49.5%
• 3-Pointers: 36%
• FTs: 82%

Those numbers for a guard are incredible.  He also has that Jordan-like fadeaway jumper that is unstoppable, a nice pull-up jumper and runner in the paint, and gets to the line at almost Malcolm Delaney-like frequency.  He’s 139/170 from the line (7.3 makes on 8.9 attempts per game).  Green likely won’t catch Delaney’s records of 230 makes on 273 attempts from his junior year, but could reach his 181/213 from his senior season.

Green has been named ACC Player of the Week twice this year, giving him the honor three times for his career.  After winning it on November 26th for 53 combined points against unc-g-spot and appy state, Erick won the award for the second week in a row thanks to 52 combined points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals on 14/25 FGs, 4/11 3s, and 10/22 FTs against iowa and oklahoma state.  His performance against undefeated okie state was legendary – 28 points, 6/10 FGs, 4/7 3s, 12/13 FTs, 7 boards.

Plus, Erick is starting to enter hallowed ground in terms of Virginia Tech basketball players.  He’s currently 15th on the all time points list with 1638 (he just passed our good buddy, Chris Smith, who’s #5 on our top 10 list of all time greatest Hokies).  To make the top 10 on the scoring list (and knock VT legend Ace Custis out of the top 10), he needs just 68 more points in Tech’s final four-plus games (three regular season games and the ACC Tournament).  Green likely won’t be able to get higher than #10 unless Tech goes on a run in the ACC Tourney and the Rifle really starts lighting it up (Bob Ayersman is #9 with 1782 points).

Green will come up just short of the top 10 in terms of steals.  He’s at 152 and needs to get to 183 to tie Carlos Dixon for 10th.  But Erick has already cracked the top 10 in assists.  He’s at 319, 9th on the all time VT list, and will likely finish #8 on the assists list.

Erick’s 24.9 ppg would be the 5th highest season average for a Hokie, behind Bimbo Coles (twice — 26.6 and 25.3), Bob Ayersman (26.5), and Allan Bristow (25.0).

The accolades should also follow.  First Team All-ACC is a lock at this point, and Player of the Year (no Hokie has done that before) isn’t out of the question though Tech’s record may prevent that and allow Shane Larkin or Mason Plumlee to win it.  Could Erick be a First Team All-American?  It is certainly possible if he leads the nation in scoring.  And he has to be considered for the Wooden Award, though that almost always goes to a player on a winning team, so that isn’t likely.

IT’S BEEN EASY WATCHING GREEN:

Erick was blessed with good height for a guard at 6’3?, has a great vertical leap, and his instincts on defense off the ball to intercept passes seems ingrained in him.  But he had to work to be a great scorer, or as is the case right now, the best scorer in the NCAA.  What you see today is the by-product of lots of hard work and hours spent in the gym.  To think he could go from averaging 2.6 ppg as a freshman and shooting 12% in ACC play, to potentially one of the 10 greatest Hokies of all time, is nothing short of remarkable.  It has been a pleasure to watch him evolve, as a Virginian and as a Hokie, and here’s to one of the greatest success stories in Hokie basketball history!  And let’s hope he’s rewarded with the ACC Player of the Year honor and a NCAA scoring title.

Erick’s Accolades:

• All-ACC Second Team (junior year)
• ACC Player of the Week (3 times – once as a sophomore and twice this season)
• Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 (senior year)

Erick’s Greatest Games:

• The Coming Out Party – 12/12/10 – @VT 79, penn state 69 – 15 points on 6/11 shooting including 2/5 on 3s in his first start of the season (2nd of his career)
• Homecoming – 1/20/11 – VT 74, @maryland 57 – 24 points on 12/16 shooting and 4 steals – went on to be named ACC POTW

• The Warrior – 11/30/11 – @minnesota 58, VT 55 – 25 points (his career high entering this season) on 9/18 FGs and 4/8 3s — nearly injured badly falling down metal stairs (yes, they have an elevated court with metal stairs) but came back and almost hit a game-tying 3.

• Sixth Man – 12/7/11 – VT 78, @rhode island 67 – 24 points on 10/14 FGs and 3 steals – had been benched for the start of the game.
• Not Dead Yet – 3/8/12 – VT 68, clemson 63 – 24 points on 7/11 shooting and 4 assists as VT knocks off clemson in the ACC Tourney first round.

• OK Shootout – 12/1/12 – @VT 81, #15 oklahoma state 71 – A then career high 28 points on 6/10 FGs, 4/7 3s, and 12/13 FTs, and 7 rebounds.

• Mountain Man – 12/8/12 – @wvu 68, VT 67 – 23 points and a career high 10 assists.
• Be Brave – 12/22/12 – VT 66, bradley 65 (OT) – 31 points (11/20 FGs) and 8 rebounds in 41 minutes of play.
• hoo’s Your Daddy – 1/24/13 – uva 74, @VT 58 – A career high 35 points on 11/18 FGs, 3/6 3s, 10/13 FTs, and a career high 9 rebounds.

• u the Man – 1/30/13 – #5 miami 73, @VT 64 – 30 points on 11/20 FGs and 5/8 3s against one of the top 10 defenses in the nation.

JOEY “SPEED” RACER:

• Joey has been a two-year player, appearing in 6 games last year and 9 this year.
• Majors in civil engineering.
• Has scored 8 career points, including his only 3-pointer this season against east tennessee state.
• Went to Clarke County HS in Berryville, VA.
• Leads the team with a 67% shooting percentage this season (2/3).
• Saturday will be his 2nd career start after starting in the home finale last year against nc state (his first ‘senior day’).