I’ll go ahead and post the story that will appear in tomorrow’s print edition on Tech getting point guard Lamont Jones. I’ll try to get some more comments in here later from Oak Hill Academy coach Steve Smith. But I might not have time because I have to hammer out my football advance for tomorrow before 5 p.m., when the Blacksburg Public Library closes.

One quick point before I get to the story about Jones: Point guard has been a position of concern for Tech coach Seth Greenberg ever since Nigel Munson left after the 2006-07 season with three years of eligibility remaining.

Greenberg had to scramble to get Hank Thorns, who was lightly recruited but proved last season that he could be a spark off the bench and a leader in the locker room. Still, the Hokies have had to use Malcolm Delaney, a natural shooting guard, as their point guard since the middle of last season.

In trying to shore up the position, Greenberg signed a point guard earlier this month: Erick Green. Jones is expected to sign in April. So Greenberg seems on his way to addressing the point guard situation.

Now for the story ...

Virginia Tech has received another basketball commitment for the Class of 2009 – from Lamont Jones, a 6-foot point guard from Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson. Jones, who goes by “MoMo,” originally committed to Louisville but changed his mind in the spring. He chose Tech over Cincinnati, Seton Hall, Arkansas, Southern California and Providence, said Oak Hill coach Steve Smith.

Jones, who starts for Oak Hill, is from Harlem and attended New York City powerhouse Rice High until last season, when he spent his junior year at American Christian Academy in Aston, Pa. That school closed over the summer.

The Hokies already signed four players for 2009, including shooting guard Ben Boggs and point guard Erick Green. Tech’s current point guard, sophomore Malcolm Delaney, is a natural shooting guard who could move back to that position next season if Jones or another freshman plays. Smith, whose team is always among the nation’s best, said Jones is ready to play as a freshman.

Jones is expected to sign in April. He couldn’t sign during the early signing period, which ended Wednesday, because his mother wanted to be present when he signed his letter of intent, Smith said.

Jones’ impending signing will force the Hokies to tweak their roster before next season. Four signed players for 2009 meant that one current player would have to leave with eligibility remaining. The fifth, Jones, means that another current player would have to do the same—or one of the players who signed for 2009 would have to attend prep school.

Tech coach Seth Greenberg began recruiting Jones in September and immediately made him a priority, Smith said. “From that point on, he recruited him basically by himself,” Smith said. “Some of the other schools, the head coach came in one time and he never heard from the head coach again.”

Greenberg cannot publicly comment on recruits until they sign.

Posted by Darryl Slater in • College Sports • Virginia Tech
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