John Ojiako Commits To Virginia Tech Basketball


John Ojiako
Center
Admiral Farragut Academy, Orlando, FL
6-9, 209

Virginia Tech picked up another 2019 men’s basketball prospect when center John Ojiako committed to the Hokies.  He is the fourth 2019 high school recruit to verbal to new head coach Mike Young.

Ojiako, like Jalen Cone and Nahiem Alleyne, was originally a member of the 2020 class before deciding to reclassify to 2019.  He is listed anywhere between 6-9 and 6-10 at various recruiting sites, and his most up-to-date listed weight is 209.  He chose the Hokies over Kansas State, LSU and Pitt.  Virginia Tech assistant coach Chester Frazier was his primary recruiter after originally recruiting Ojiako at Kansas State.

Ojiako’s commitment gives the Hokies a much-needed big man for the 2019 recruiting class.  His playing time will be dependent on whether or not Kerry Blackshear returns for his final season, but either way expect to see Ojiako on the court a lot this season for Virginia Tech.

TSL confirmed with a source this morning that Tyrece Radford is a scholarship player for the Hokies, which means Tech has no remaining scholarships if Kerry Blackshear elects to return.  If Blackshear decides to transfer, they’ll have one scholarship remaining.

C Kerry Blackshear, r-Sr. (transfer portal, may not return)
C Branden Johnson, r-Sr. (graduate transfer, eligible immediately)
G Wabissa Bede, Jr.
F PJ Horne, Jr.
F Keve Aluma, Jr. (Wofford transfer, must sit out the 2019-20 season)
G Isaiah Wilkins, So.
G Jonathan Kabongo, So.
F/G Landers Nolley, r-Fr.
G Tyrece Radford, r-Fr.
G Jalen Cone, Fr.
G Hunter Cattoor, Fr.
G Nahiem Alleyne, Fr.
C John Ojiako, Fr.

31 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. I, for one, was grateful to Buzz for elevating VT basketball, BUT, I did not like the guy. He was arrogant and a bit of a nut. I would not have wanted to play for him. MY’s personality is much more suited for VT. Good luck to you Buzz but really excited for MY.

  2. School year for 2019/2020 begins in Aug/Sep. If he has “committed”, when does he sign?

    1. If I understand it correctly, simply enrolling in school negates the need for LOI.

  3. CMY and Staff serving up some awesome John Snow “CROWE” for all those hating the hire a few months back…dig in and chew wholeheartedly y’all!

    GO HOKIES

    1. I’m not so sure OLYMPUS is falling Hokies. Mike Young and many of his assistants are “our” guys from “our” backyard who I believe are intent on proving they belong. We might want to strap up the Shield and get ready to Jump.

      1. I believe when all is said and done, MY and staff will far surpass Brent’s accomplishments. Young is definitely-and perhaps his staff-in it for the long haul!

    2. Yes, a lot of folks have changed their way of thinking about the Coach MY hiring !

  4. The school he attends is in St. Pete not Orlando.Glad to have him onboard.

  5. Hot dog! We be rollin’ now! Welcome to Hokie Nation, Mr. Ojiako! Congrats to Coach Frazier for all his effort and commitment! Awesome!

  6. Man, that’s a young team. Two-thirds of the team are freshmen and sophomores. That’s good. The future’s so bright, I need Orange & Maroon sunglasses.

    1. I don’t mind some youth. We knew we were looking at a rebuilding year even if Buzz had stayed. If we lose KJ, we’ll be a little younger than I would like. But I’m actually getting a little excited for 2019-2020. And maybe more so than if Buzz had stayed (wondering if next year would be the time he splitsvilled). Since Young is a bet of an unknown as far as how he’ll do in the ACC, it’s hard for me to figure out why my expectations are. I just know I’m looking forward to November again when I did not expect to be a month ago.

    1. …and lack of official visits …Thanks Buzz.
      I am rather impressed with what the new coaches have accomplished.

  7. Wow, Coach Frazier keeps reeling them in. A big man too. Maybe the supposed “dark days” won’t last long in Cassell.

    1. Hmmm, no raised eyebrows on his skills? Maybe those two were in his back pocket? Maybe he’s just a good closer, there is such a thing.

  8. Hoping this latest signing convinces KJ to stay and mentor a fellow FL big man.

    Either way, hats off to Frazier for wasting no time making a recruiting impact.

  9. So the guys who reclassified from 2020 to 2019…..did they previously hold themselves back a grade such that they’re of the ‘normal’ class of 2019 age, or were they academically advanced and finished all requirements, but will essentially play for us next year instead of as a High School Senior?

    My guess is that they were planning on prep school for a year, but changed their mind?

    1. Definitely true for Alleyne as he’s graduated from HS and he’ll be 18 soon. Not sure about Ojiako

    2. Vast majority, if not all, generally were held a year or did a growth year prior to kindergarten or early on in elementary school….mostly summer months babies, parents hold them back to give the kid an advantage athletically/academically.

      1. And a number of athletes voluntarily stay back a year in high school to improve skills and recruiting development. This is called reclassifying. They can then reverse this and reclassify to their original graduation year if they can swing in any required classes for graduation.

    3. I have heard of a couple of kids who “held” themselves back a year to get that extra year of high school. They transferred from a public school to a private between 8th and 9th grade.

    4. Might be a good idea for a TSL column “the art of reclassifying” On the side though did Frazier hit the ground running…or were all these guys in his back pocket somehow?

      1. Funny how many were down on this hire right? Heck…people were down on the MY hire for that matter.

        From my perspective………this “kid” Frazier is obviously putting in the work (side pocket or not) and the sun is shining Bright and rewarding us for his efforts.

        1. I don’t think it’s funny WADR but just a natural reaction to bring in a coach from a lower level program that had never coached or recruited on not only a P5 level but an ACC level. His hard work and not making excuses for the cards he was dealt and putting together a solid coaching staff and support staff has yielded solid results. He made a believer out of a lot of us who where skeptical. I am not ashamed to say I was wrong and I certainly don’t think that’s funny just as a figure of speech.

  10. I feel a lot better after hearing this than I did when MY was first hired. Makes me excited to think about what he will be able to do with all of the allotted visits after this year and after he has had a full year under his belt with what is looking to be a solid coaching staff and support group. Go Hokies!!!!!!

  11. Yes. That’s just what the Hokies needed. Looking forward to seeing this team play!

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