VT Basketball: Diminutive PG Visited Over The Weekend, Was There An Offer?

22 Feet Academy (SC) PG and DMV native Brandon Chauca has received his first D1 offer, from Southeastern Louisiana. http://t.co/rRx2dWSYGF

— Marcus Helton (@MarcusHelton) April 20, 2014

Well that escalated quickly didn't it? Point Guard Brandon Chuaca (Alexandria, VA) who plays for 22 Feet Academy (Greenville, SC) was in Blacksburg over the weekend. Did he receive an offer? As of right now, nobody's sure. We do know he will visit Mizzou next weekend.

Seems interesting that he got his first D1 offer from SE Louisiana on just April 20th and two weeks later he's got MIzzou and VT hosting him on visits. Why the sudden interest in a marginal two-star guard? Naturally I had to look at the tape on him, provided for you here:

First Impressions

No way that this kid is 5'10 per his mixtape. He is maybe 5'8"? And that 165 lbs. is difficult to buy. I'm going with barely 150, if that. That said, the jumper is fluid and he looks like a pest on the ball defensively. He looks a bit like Damon Stoudamire in his early Arizona days with the quick release from all over the floor.

He averaged 15.3 ppg and 8.3 ppg per Max Preps. He dropped 40 in a game once this year. I'm not sure why he opted to play for 22 Feet in SC as opposed to sticking around the DMV, as the competition in AAA Virginia ball, or playing in the Washington Catholic League would easily surpass these chumps we're watching him break down in the video. Maybe it's just my pride in this area up here, but I think he might have been better served building a reputation locally over four years as opposed to leaving home to play.

Rumor has it that Buzz is looking for another PG for next year, someone who can play the position immediately. I'm not sure about his feelings on Malik Mueller in the first place, but with Mueller just having had surgery on a bone spur in his foot, he may be worried about depth. Personally, I'm open-minded about smallish guards, if they can score enough on offense to make up for the periodic abuse they take on the defensive end. There is no substitute for size while defending the post-up or on drives into the paint, and there is no way this young man is ready for the physical rigors of the ACC.

But Ishmael Smith did a real nice job at Wake as a very small player, as did Muggsy Bogues at an even smaller stature (for old-timers like me). As VT already boasts Adam Smith, a smallish combo guard, I'm inclined to pass on Chauca, particularly since he's such a late mover in the Class of 2014. Since there has been no confirmation either way on an offer, I have decided to present this as a possibility albeit unlikely. Just to give you guys a little news, and because I felt like writing up some hoops tonight.

VT supposedly lost out on Marshall transfer PG Kareem Canty, when he decided he needed to move closer to his home in New York and planned a move to Auburn, Alabama to join forces with Bruce Pearl instead. US Geography must not be being emphasized in our nation's secondary schools anymore it appears. Hopefully he can find the right size point guard who can find his way to Blacksburg.

More Attrition With Marshall Wood's Understated Exit

Marshall Wood says he will remain at VT as a nonplaying student. Leaving #Hokies to focus on school. Will update blog post shortly.

— Mark Berman (@BermanRoanoke) May 6, 2014

Well, this is disappointing....at least to me. I thought Wood had the tools to put it all together in his final two years in Blacksburg. He had demonstrated the range to shoot the three-point jumper as his efficiency jumped from 24% to 35% last year, even if he was erratic overall from the floor.

He had the length to defend guys as tall as 6'9"/6'10", and he had the quickness to stay with the smaller guys too. I've seen him lock down 6'4" guys and frustrate them on the wing. He also rebounded at a fantastic PER rate of 8.9 per 40 minutes, 3rd on the team to Trevor Thompson and Joey Van Zegeren, right on par with UNC's James Michael McAdoo.

The problem was always Marshall's intensity level. It was apparent at times during games that if the minutes weren't coming that he was easily detached. And maybe it was partially because he didn't feel like toiling on a losing team for a under-prepared head coach who amounted to a stern uncle of sorts in James Johnson. After all, Wood had been on the fence about attending VT in the first place after Seth Greenberg's ouster in 2012.

Here are Wood's comments as relayed to the Roanoke Times Mark Berman:

"I felt like I was getting kind of distracted," Wood said. "I ultimately wanted to go to school to get my degree, and I felt like I wasn’t obtaining my education the way I needed to. I think I need to cut out basketball.

I wasn’t giving my academics, my education the full attention I needed to. I didn’t want to just be a basketball player that didn’t know anything after college.

Basketball kind of consumed me, and I got too worried about being a basketball player, and I forgot sometimes about the academic aspect."

Well, how can anyone refute that?  Sometimes people realize that basketball is a vehicle they can use for a period of time before they trade it in for something better. This may be one of those cases.

I will allow that unless Wood's intensity level improved he wouldn't have earned much playing time under Buzz Williams, that much is a given. I have a feeling that the level of commitment required to play for Buzz will be a complete 180 from what was required under Johnson who at some point was just grateful he had enough players to field a team. And even then he jerked Wood's minutes around. So in the end, perhaps it was a good decision for everyone.

In the event he decides to resume his basketball career, he still has two years of eligibility remaining. So perhaps he finishes his undergrad here and then finds a situation where he can complete grad school and go back to enjoying the sport. Best of luck, Marshall, sorry it didn't work out here. The timing of everything couldn't have been worse for you, sir.

Scholarship Situation

With Wood's scholarship opening up, that leaves three scholarships left to fill.

There are six remaining scholarship players:

Adam Smith, Devin Wilson, Malik Mueller, Ben Emelogu, C.J. Barksdale, Joey Van Zegeren

There are four new enrollees:

Justin Bibb, Jalen Hudson, Satchel Pierce, Ahmed Hill

Leaving three open scholarships now with Trevor Thompson, Marshall Wood, and Maurice Kirby relinquishing their scholarships.

Cates and I will be back with another hoop grade tomorrow on Joey Van Zegeren. Excited? You should be! Thanks for stopping in and supporting us!

As always, mi Cassell es su Cassell.