Exactly one week after Virginia Tech’s men’s basketball program landed its first recruit in the class of 2014, commitment number two has come on board. TJ Lang , a 6’7″, 175-pound small forward out of McGill-Toolen Catholic High School (Mobile, AL), announced this afternoon that he has accepted a full scholarship to play basketball for the Hokies.
“After talking it over with my family and my dad, and spending time on campus, I’ve decided that I’m going to play my collegiate career at Virginia Tech,” Lang said in a press conference held at his school on Monday afternoon. He joins Montverde Academy (Montverde, FL) shooting guard Justin Bibbs in Tech’s class of 2014.
Here is the skinny on Tech’s newest commitment…
– His father is former Duke basketball player Antonio Lang. The elder Lang is now a head basketball coach in Japan.
– TJ was named the Mobile Press-Register’s Player of the Year last season as a junior. The Alabama Sports Writers Association named him Class 6A first-team all-state as well.
– As a junior, Lang averaged 17.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game that season, leading McGill-Toolen to a 25-7 overall record. He shot 53-percent (53 of 100) from 3-point range and 71-percent from the free throw line.
– Louisiana-Lafayette was the first school to offer a scholarship to Lang, extending the offer this past May. Virginia Tech, Memphis, Oklahoma State, and Oregon State are among the other schools that ultimately offered as well.
Accompanied by his mother, Lang took an official visit to Virginia Tech this past weekend. The experience sealed his college decision, but Tech head coach James Johnson laid the early groundwork with his efforts on the recruiting trail.
Lang noted that the Tech head coach was frequently the first visitor at his AAU games this spring and summer. Coach Johnson also took a flight out to Mobile the day before Lang was scheduled to make his official visit to Blacksburg.
“You don’t see dedication from a high-major ACC school like that a lot of times, so that really stuck with me,” Lang said.
Lang called the Virginia Tech campus “amazing,” noting also that “the academic aspect of Virginia Tech is also outstanding.”
Observing the relationship between the coaches and players, Lang said: “It just felt like more of a home than an actual college.”
“I just felt 100-percent comfortable with the program,” the promising prospect said.
Playing in the ACC is another plus in favor of the Hokies.
“Well, last year the ACC in my opinion was the best conference, and then when I get to Virginia Tech in 2014, they’ve added Syracuse, Louisville, Notre Dame, so you are going to be playing against the best of the best and playing against pros every night and it’s going to be on TV, so publicity-wise and exposure-wise it’s not much better you can ask for,” Lang said.
Rebounding and defense are two areas Lang is looking to improve upon before this season and before he arrives at Tech. Scoring is his strength at this point.
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Well, it seems Coach JJ is using his travel budget effectively, despite the consternation of many.
Interesting that Duke didn’t offer. Hopefully he turns out to be equal to the Curry family. Looks like he’s a good shooter which we always need.
The skinny on Tech’s latest recruit, I see what you did there.
This is very cool to me. I grew up watching his dad play for Duke that won back to back titles. His Dad was a very good athlete and according to Grant Hill he was the nicest guy on those Duke teams.
I agree, It is much more fun to be picking up recruits of great duke players offspring than the other way around.
+1