At last year’s NBPA Top 100 Camp, CJ Barksdale had just finished his sophomore year at George Washington High School (Danville, VA) and was considering a number of schools for his college future. A year later, the 6-8, 220-pound forward is now a rising senior and eyeing a future at Virginia Tech. He’s also preparing for his senior year, which will not be at GW-Danville.

“There is always an opportunity to get better and I feel that going to Hargrave Military Academy will improve my game and help me take my game to another level, so when I get to Virginia Tech I’ll be able to play early and put in big minutes,” Barksdale said.

Barksdale committed to Virginia Tech last December and plans to sign in the Early Signing Period in November. He discussed why he decided to commit to Virginia Tech relatively early in the recruiting process.

“Recruiting, getting called by all these people. Everybody was wondering what I’m going to do. I thought it was best to get it out of the way early. That way, I don’t have to get pressure from anybody,” said Barksdale, who also claimed offers from Alabama, Maryland and Wake Forest.

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