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Word broke Saturday evening that Virginia Tech had secured the commitment of Kerry Blackshear Jr. He's the first commitment in Tech's 2015 recruiting class, the second for Buzz Williams in Blacksburg.
The importance of Kerry Blackshear's commitment to Virginia Tech is beyond words. Versatile post who is developing into a very good player.
— Alex Kline (@TheRecruitScoop) October 5, 2014
Giant get for Buzz Williams and crew with Kerry Blackshear. A guy that can grow into quite the potent big man for Vtech @ny2lasports
— Corey Evans (@coreyevans_10) October 5, 2014
Blackshear is a 6'8", 220-pound power forward from Orlando, FL. He's rated a four-star prospect, the No. 75 overall recruit and No. 21 power forward by 247Sports.
He chose the Hokies over scholarship offers from SMU, Vanderbilt, Clemson and Kansas State among many others.
Blackshear is an active defender who is athletic enough to rotate and extend on the perimeter. He uses his size effectively to alter shots and has the frame to add enough weight to become a significant presence in the post. Adding strength will be the key to realizing his full potential against ACC bigs.
On offense, he shows the ability to dribble and drive as well as getting good position in the post.
The Hokies desperately needed to land a recruit like Blackshear with the dwindling number of post players on Tech's roster. Joey van Zegeren and JUCO transfer Shane Henry will both be seniors when Kerry steps on campus and transfer Zach LeDay will be a junior.
Buzz likes his wing players but building depth in the post is a major priority.
Kerry Blackshear (Q6 All-Stars) is off the board to Va Tech tonight. Great get for the Hokies who have made recruiting FL a priority.
— Winston Neal (@CoachNeal) October 5, 2014
Williams and his staff have made a significant effort to open two potentially lucrative recruiting pipelines, working both the Boo Williams EYBL club and Florida high schools very hard since arriving in Blacksburg. The Florida emphasis is likely a reflection of assistant Steve Roccaforte's connections from his time on the staff at South Florida.
Florida has long been a hotbed of athletic talent and Buzz and Co. have tried to tap into that talent by pursuing a number of targets like Blackshear, Keith Stone and Jeantal Cylla.
Boo Williams is one of the premier EYBL programs located in the hotbed of Virginia talent in Hampton. Buzz has been beating the pavement with regularity at EYBL and high school recruiting events in an effort to raise Tech's profile in the eyes of top players like the heavily recruited Chris Clarke.
The early results continue to be impressive with Buzz reeling in another strong recruit.
Stay tuned to Gobbler Country for complete Hokie basketball recruiting coverage.