The early signing period for men's basketball began today, and Seth Greenberg and his coaching staff received the signatures of three players of the 2008 recruiting class. These players will be freshmen at Virginia Tech next season. The Hokies signed a true point guard, a power forward, and a true center.

The point guard is Kendall Durant, a 6-3, 185-pound recruit from New Hampton Prep in New Hampton, NH. He is a 3-star prospect by Rivals and Scout, and he is listed as a Top 200 player nationally by Prep Stars' Brick Oettinger.

Durant played for the Boo Williams AAU team over the summer, so there is some connection with the state of Virginia. He is ranked the #18 post-grad player in the nation by Scout.com. He chose Virginia Tech over Tulsa, Penn State, South Florida, St. John's and South Carolina.

Durant hasn't been on the national scene for long. He never played AAU basketball until this past summer, which is when the Hokies first began to get involved with his recruitment. He visited Virginia Tech this past weekend.

Victor Davila is a 6-8, 230-pounds power forward from Starmount High School in Hamptonville, NC. He is originally from Puerto Rico. He averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks per game as a junior.

Davila is the most highly-regarded player in Tech's recruiting class. Brick Oettinger rates him as a Top 100 player, and Scout.com lists him at #94 in the nation. Rivals.com rates him as the #133 player in the nation. He verbally committed to the Hokies back on September 17.

Davila chose Virginia Tech over Clemson, Iowa State, Charlotte and Wake Forest. Virginia Tech's academic support system is one of the major reasons he chose the Hokies.

The final player who signed today is 6-11, 260-pound center Gene Swindle. Swindle hails from Miami, FL, where he plays for Gulliver Prep. He is a true center who moves his feet well and has good hands. He is a true low post player, which is something the Hokies haven't had in quite some time.

Swindle originally committed to South Florida, but he opened up his commitment. Always dreaming of playing in the ACC, he visited Virginia Tech over the weekend and received a scholarship offer. He chose the Hokies over South Florida and Penn State. Swindle is listed as a Top 200 player by Brick Oettinger.

Redshirting his first year on campus has been mentioned as a possibility for Swindle, but that will be decided at a later date.

Here is a look at Virginia Tech's projected 2008-09 roster, with the three newest signees included.

Projected 2008-09 VT
Men's Basketball Roster
Name Position Year
A.D. Vassallo G/F Sr.
Cheick Diakite F Sr.
Lewis Witcher F Jr.
Terrance Vinson F r-Jr.
Jeff Allen F So.
Malcolm Delaney G So.
Hank Thorns G So.
J.T. Thompson F So.
Terrell Bell F So.
Dorenzo Hudson G So.
Victor Davila F Fr.
Gene Swindle C Fr.
Kendall Durant G Fr.


That's a total of 13 scholarship players, which is the NCAA limit for men's basketball. If the Hokies sign anymore players for this class, it's because they are expecting attrition from one or more of the returning players.