From colleague Tim Pearrell:

New Virginia Commonwealth University basketball coach Shaka Smart picked up a commitment yesterday from highly recruited all-Group AAA guard Troy Daniels out of William Fleming High in Roanoke.

  Daniels, a 6-4 shooting guard, averaged 17 points and 6 rebounds for the state runner-up Colonels. He was the Northwest Region player of the year and the Roanoke Times player of the year.

  “He’s one of the best shooters – by far – I’ve ever coached,” Fleming coach Mickey Hardy said.

    Daniels got offers from Georgetown, Gonzaga, Cincinnati and Marshall, Hardy said, and drew recruiting interest from about 25 Division I schools, including Virginia Tech, Virginia, N.C. State and Marquette.

    He visited VCU last weekend.

    “I like the situation I’m in,” said Daniels, who plans to sign a letter of intent tomorrow. “VCU wins the conference and makes it to the [NCAA] tournament. It’s a great fit for me. It’s three hours to Richmond. Coach Smart said while he won’t give me anything, I’ll have the opportunity to come in and play right away.” 

  Hardy said VCU’s former coaching staff started to intensify its recruiting efforts after watching Daniels play in the state tournament at the Siegel Center. When Smart was hired after Anthony Grant left for Alabama, Smart called Hardy and asked what he thought about continuing to recruit Daniels.

  “I told him the door was open,” Hardy said. “They got a very good basketball player and a very good person.”

  NCAA rules prohibit coaches from commenting on recruits until they sign.

  Smart earlier signed 6-3 combo guard Darius Theus out of Norcom High in Portsmouth. The Rams still have one scholarship available and could use a pure point guard. Hardy said Daniels is more of a shooting guard with a penchant for hitting late-game shots.
  “We did have him play the point in critical situations late in the game when we had to have the ball in his hands,” Hardy said. “He’s a heckuva 3-point shooter [38 percent]. They won’t be able to double-down on the big man on his side of the floor.

    “He’s a gym rat. He runs the floor well. He’s good on defense. He jumps well and handles the ball well. I think he will grow a little more. By the time VCU gets him, he’ll probably be about 6-5.”
 
  Here’s a link to an excellent story about Daniels from the Roanoke Times:
  http://www.roanoke.com/sports/highschool/wb/196965

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All-Group AAA guard Troy Daniels commits to becoming a Ram