LINK TO 2013 RECRUITING PAGE

Here’s a quick update on the 2013 Virginia Tech signees:

• Ben Emelogu is playing in the Texas 5A State Semi-Finals on Friday at 4 PM EST.  He hit the go-ahead free throw with 1:10 left in a 35-33 win in the Region Finals.  His South Grand Prairie team takes on Cibolo Steele for a chance to play in the State Championship game (and this is in Texas, folks) at texas longhorns’s arena in Austin, TX.  His team is 37-3 on the year.  Ben leads the team with 13.5 ppg and 4.4 rebounds, and also averages 2.2 assists per contest.  They lost to Marcus Smart (oklahoma state) of Flower Mound – Marcus HS in the Region Finals a year ago by a single point.
• Donte Clark scored 17 points, snagged 7 rebounds, and had 5 steals against the Virginia Tech JV team in the Cassell back on January 30th.  He scored 21 points on a couple of other occasions in recent action.  Hargrave finished 36-7.
• Maurice Kirby and his Basha Bears finished a disappointing 9-18 season in the ‘burbs of Phoenix.  Kirby averaged team highs in points (15.6), rebounds (11.5), assists (2.0), and blocks (1.8), while also pilfering 1 steal per game.  But he shot just 44% from the field and foul line for the season.

For game-by-game stats, click on the link at the top of this article and we’ll let you know how Emelogu does in the state semis.

Ben dribbling against #1 DeSoto

Updates on the 2013 VT Recruiting Signees:Ben Emelogu and his South Grand Prairie Warriors knocked off the #1 ranked team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex – DeSoto.  South Grand Prairie was #2 going into that game, and had lost twice previously to DeSoto, but proved the third time was the charm.  Ben had 15 points in the 47-45 win and followed that up with 23 points in a 55-52 victory over Cedar Hill to make the Warriors 29-2.  Ben is averaging 13.5 ppg to lead the team.  He also averages 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists and hits 1.5 three-pointers per game.

In other news, 4-star Donte Clark has averaged 15 points in three recent games for the 27-5 Hargrave Post-Grad hoops squad.  Hargrave recently beat St. John’s NW Military Academy (the team center Trevor Thompson, another VT signee, is on).  Donte had 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in that 90-86 win.

The Basha Bears continue to take it on the chin, but big man Maurice Kirby has played better of late, scoring 24 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in a recent win.  He’s averaging 16 ppg, 11.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.6 blocks for the 9-17 Basha squad.

For more news on the 2013 Class, check out the 2013 RECRUITING CLASS PAGE.

Maurice Kirby

Since the Hokies are in their ‘bye’ (they don’t play this week until Saturday), it is the perfect time to give you some updates on the four members of the Virginia Tech Class of 2013.

For full information on the class, check out our CLASS OF 2013 RECRUITING PAGE.

Here are some items of note…

• Donte Clark has been MIA from the Hargrave recaps for the last month.  Not sure if he’s hurt or what.  There are two kids going to louisville and one to wake on the team.  Donte was averaging around 15 ppg early in the season, with a high of 22 points.  Hargrave Postgrad is 23-5 on the season.
• Ben Emelogu – you want his stats?  TechHoops.com has his stats!  We have his point total from 20 of his 26 games.  He’s averaging 13.6 ppg, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game for the 24-2 South Grand Prairie squad.  He’s been their leading scorer 8 times, with a high of 26 points on the season.  Ben’s made 38 3-pointers.
• Maurice Kirby – you want ALL of his stats?  TechHoops.com has all of his stats!  I have his points, rebounds, blocks, and assists from 16 of his games.  Basha is really struggling, though, with a record of 7-12.  Kirby got off to a hot start but has just 8 points on 4/23 shooting in his last two games.  But he is averaging 15.9 ppg, 10.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game (he leads the team in every category).  Kirby had 22 points, 19 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 4 assists in a game back in November.  He’s had 20+ points and 17+ rebounds three times this season, and had 12/16 in another game.
• Trevor Thompson – couldn’t find stats for him and his St. John’s NW Military Academy Postgrad team.  I’ll keep looking, and if I find anything, you know I’ll let you know.

Emelogu is on the left.

This coming season, like many over the last 10 years, will see the Hokies struggling with the fact they have almost no depth on the interior post.  Well, Coach Johnson is trying to doing something about that, at least for the future.  Tech got a commitment from 6’9″, 230 lbs. Maurice Kirby out of Arizona.  Kirby originally committed to arizona state to be close to home (Chandler, AZ is just southeast of Phoenix and a few miles from Tempe, where asu is), but later re-opened his recruitment.

Kirby might be a huge recruit physically, but he was not a big recruit nationally.  Tech beat out the likes of northern arizona, loyola-chicago, and brown to get him.  He is rated just a 2-star by Rivals and ESPN Recruiting Nation (#37 center on the ESPN list), and wasn’t rated at all by 247Sports.  Still, we need beef, and he’ll bring that.  Is Kirby a project or was he just undervalued?  Time will tell, but probably worth the gamble given Tech has 5 scholarships available this year and Maurice is just the third commit (along with another center, Trevor Thompson, and wing Donte Clark).

Roanoke Times Article