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And don't forget to support our our sponsors

Please give a big welcome to our new TSL sponsor, the Golf Club of Virginia and Friends of Virginia Tech. I'm sure you've seen the ads on our message board and site the last couple of days (if not, check out the permanent button on the right-hand side of the home page). We're very excited to have them on board, because what they're offering is very unique and interesting.

Friends of Virginia Tech is an association with the goal of promoting and benefiting Virginia Tech athletics. The Golf Club of Virginia consists of two fine golf clubs in Northern Virginia, Beacon Hill Golf Club (Leesburg, Virginia) and Bear National Golf Club (Dulles, Virginia).

Together, they form an unprecedented partnership that provides the discriminating golfer the chance to enjoy a high-end golf experience, while benefiting the Virginia Tech Athletic Association at the same time.

If you're a supporter of Virginia Tech athletics and you're the type of golfer who enjoys an exclusive golfing experience, then contact Friends of Virginia Tech and The Golf Club of Virginia to find out more about their special Virginia Tech Golf Memberships.

Learn more about this new and exciting opportunity to enjoy the pastime you love and support the Virginia Tech Hokies at the same time. Please contact Ms. Venners at 703-669-4600, or you are welcome to fill out our online contact form (check out their Sponsor Page, linked below, for a link to their contact form). Tell her TSL sent you!

Important Note #1: Stay tuned for details on a special golf outing invitation at Beacon Hill for Virginia Tech Alumni this May 4, 18 & 25. Mark your calendars and make sure to inquire about this special opportunity with Ms. Venners.

Important Note #2: Obviously, what we're describing here is a high-end golf membership, with a twist for Hokie fans. We have purposefully not given away the details of the membership in order to allow the Golf Club of VA representatives to do the best job of describing and selling the membership to anyone who contacts them and is interested.

As such, if you speak with Golf Club of VA reps and find out more about this membership, please do not share any details of the membership -- cost, duration, how it benefits VT, etc. -- via the message board. To do so might be misrepresenting the facts, so to speak, of the club membership to other potential members, without giving the folks at Golf Club of VA a chance to properly describe the membership, its costs, and benefits.

Thanks, and welcome once again to the Golf Club of Virginia and Friends of Virginia Tech!

The Virginia Tech coaches are having player meetings this week, discussing each player's status with the team in private meetings, and it shows in some of the off-field action that is suddenly taking place.

Tailback-turned-defender-turned-wide receiver Keith Burnell will transfer out, as reported by many media outlets Wednesday and Thursday. Burnell told ESPN.com that he will transfer to a 1-AA school, where he can play immediately next fall and will have a year's eligibility.

Burnell understandably wasn't comfortable with the position changes he underwent this fall and wants to pursue playing tailback again. He told the Richmond Times-Dispatch he is looking at Richmond, Hampton, Hofstra, Illinois State, Youngstown State, and James Madison.

There appear to be no hard feelings on Burnell's part, just a desire to play and get a shot at the NFL. He is scheduled to graduate in May in Residential Property Management.

Also granted his release is 6-1, 256-pound fullback Joe Wilson. Wilson is a big, strong fullback (he led all running backs in the bench press and push jerk testing recently) who struggled with keeping his weight below 260. His 40 time was a respectable 4.65, but he was permanently stuck on the depth chart behind other fullbacks.

Wilson, who was scheduled to graduate in December, wants to transfer immediately to a Division 1-AA school, where he'll have two years of playing time. He's looking at Richmond, William & Mary, Norfolk State and Hampton, because he wants to be closer to his fiancee, who recently graduated from Tech and is working at Old Dominion University.

(As an editorial comment, Wilson's case is a perfect example of why NCAA graduation rates are a bogus statistic. He's a good student, is scheduled to graduate in just three and a half years, and yet because of his transfer for football and personal reasons, he will count against Tech as an ungraduated player. Ridiculous.)

Walk-on offensive linemen Will Montgomery and walk-on defensive tackle Mark Costen were both awarded scholarships by the coaching staff. Montgomery is listed as a co-#2 at right guard with Jacob Gibson, behind Luke Owens. Costen is listed as #1 at the Tackle position and figures to see significant playing time this fall, even after recruits Big Jimmy Williams and Jonathan Lewis arrive.

Humes Moves to Fullback

Talented tailback Cedric Humes has moved to fullback, where he is immediately listed as a co-#1 with Doug Easlick, ahead of Josh Spence. At 6-1, 215, the redshirt freshman Humes is the tallest and lightest of the three top fullbacks, and he will attend both summer sessions and work on bulking up.

At this point, the VT coaches are saying that the move for Humes is a one-season move, to be re-evaluated at the end of the season.

With Burnell moved (and now gone) and Humes at fullback, Lee Suggs and Kevin Jones are the only two scholarship players at tailback, with walk-on John Candelas backing them up. True freshman Mike Imoh will arrive in the fall, but odds are he'll redshirt.

New Hokie Walk-ons: Michael Malone and Luke Dales

The Hokies received a commitment from wide receiver Michael Malone last week. Malone, from Friendswood, Texas, is the son of native Virginian and former NBA great Moses Malone. He will enter Tech as a walk-on in the fall.

As you can imagine, given his lineage, he's tall. 6'-5", to be exact. Malone weighs 205 and has a forty time quoted as anywhere from 4.65 to 4.72, so he'll need some time in the strength and conditioning program, but sources tell TSL that he has "scholarship talent." The same source also tells us that Moses has ponied up for some season tickets and is considering a luxury suite in the South end zone.

Michael Malone was once recruited by Michigan State, Northwestern, Texas, and UCLA, and he only recently qualified, we're told, because he simply didn't take the SAT test until a few weeks ago. Once he got around to taking it, it was no problem.

Last season, with Friendswood going 12-1, he caught 53 passes for 896 yards (16.9 yards per catch) and 13 TD's. Malone was named Class 4A Honorable Mention by TexasFootball.com and was a two-star recruit according to Rivals.com.

Also joining the Hokies as a walk-on in 2002 will be Grundy's Luke Dales, a 6-1, 215-pound 2nd Team All-Group AA linebacker. Dales was ranked the #49 prospect in the state of Virginia by Doug Doughty. He is also an outstanding wrestler (it's in their blood in Grundy), winning the state Group AA championship in the 215-pound class.

Henrickson to Stay: Women's Basketball Funding to be Increased

Women's basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson has pulled her name from consideration for the Vanderbilt job and will stay at Tech. Athletic Director Jim Weaver has agreed to increase funding for many aspects of the women's program, including assistant coaches' salaries, travel, and recruiting.

The funding increases total $78,000 per year and will be paid for through increased revenue from the football program. Henrickson will also receive a raise when she signs her new contract, but the amount of the raise was not disclosed. She is in the last two years of a five-year contract, and her new contract will be a four-year contract with a rollover clause that means she'll have four years left on her contract after every season.

This news came on the same day that the Hokies announced they had signed Junior College All-American Brandy Fowler. Fowler, a 6-1 center from Cary, N.C., averaged 15.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.0 steals for Louisburg (N.C.) College this past season and is expected to have an immediate impact at Virginia Tech. She will be eligible for the 2002-2003 season and will have two years of eligibility at Virginia Tech.

Will Stewart
General Manager and Managing Editor
TechSideline.com

Spring Football Wrap-up -- Thoughts on who impressed, who stepped up, and who fell behind.

Big East Bowl Update -- The status of the Big East bowl tie-ins, and what bowls the conference is trying to add.

Where is Division 1-A Headed? -- Wayne Crump takes a fascinating look at new Division 1-A requirements, what they will mean to teams from non-BCS conferences, and how he thinks conferences might realign.

The Nightmare Season -- Jim Alderson takes a spooky look at what the 2002 football season might be like if Virginia Tech was in Conference USA.

Shawn Scales: A Life of Adversity -- Born into a family torn apart by drug addiction and drug dealing, Shawn Scales forged his own path, making his way to college and leading Virginia Tech in receiving during the 1996 season. What happened after he left Tech, where is he now, and what's he doing?

Inside the Numbers: Tight End Production (Cover Story) -- If Keith Willis looks fightin' mad on the cover of this month's TSLX, it's because he wants to catch more than 1.2 passes a game, which is what VT tight ends have averaged over the last nine years. Find out all that and more, as we take a look at tight end production during the Beamer Bowl era.

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Record 8 Hokies Taken in NFL Draft - by Will Stewart, 4/21/02
In the two-day NFL draft over the weekend, a record eight Hokies were selected by NFL teams, shattering the old record of five.

Maroon Wins 2002 Spring Game, 12-0 - by Will Stewart, 4/21/02
Blacksburg, VA - Playing quarterback for both teams, Bryan Randall completed 21 of 38 passes for 211 yards and scored a rushing touchdown, as the Maroon squad triumphed over the White for the second year in a row, 12-0.