Tweet

BLACKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Tech head coach James Johnson has announced the signing of four players to National Letters of Intent for the 2013-14 academic year. Donte Clark, a guard from Charlotte, N.C., Ben Emelogu, a guard from Grand Prairie, Texas, Maurice Kirby, a forward from Chandler, Ariz., and Trevor Thompson, a forward from Indianapolis, Ind., have signed to play for the Hokies beginning in Fall 2013.

“ We addressed a lot of different areas with this recruiting class,” according to Johnson. “I’m extremely excited about these young men and know that they will be able to help us right away.

Clark, (6-4, 180 lb.) will play his senior season at Hargrave Military Academy. Clark is ranked a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and ESPN Scout.com and is a three-star recruit, according to 247.com. He is ranked 89th nationally by ESPN Scout.com and 101st nationally by Rivals.com, which also rates him as the No. 27 shooting guard in the country. He averaged 15.8 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game last season at Kennedy Charter Public School (N.C.).

“Donte is a good combo guard,” Johnson said. “We look to play him at both the point and the off guard spot. He’s a long, athletic guard who can score the basketball. He can make plays for himself and for others. With our style of basketball, a running, fast-paced style of basketball, he has a chance to be a really good player. He also has a chance to be a very good defender.”

Emelogu (6-5, 190 lb.) plays for South Grand Prairie High School in Grand Prairie, Texas, which finished 23-9 last season. He averaged 8.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game as a junior. He is rated a three-star recruit by ESPN, which ranks him as the No. 56 shooting guard in the nation and ranked as the No. 19 recruit in Texas by TexasHoops.com.

“Ben is a strong, athletic guard that can really score the basketball in multiple ways,” Johnson said. “He’s an excellent shooter with deep range. He has a strong body and can score in a lot of different ways. One of the better guards in the state of Texas, he is an underrated recruit who we expect to come in and help us early in his career.”

Kirby (6-9, 235 lb.) plays for Basha High School in Chandler, Ariz. He averaged 7.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game last season at Basha. He is a two-star recruit by Rivals.com and Scout.com.

“With Maurice Kirby being 6-9 and 235 pounds, he gives us a big, strong post player with very good skills,” Johnson said. “He can step away to 15 feet and hit the jump shot and he can definitely play with his back to the basket. He gives us a college-ready body right now.”

Thompson (6-11, 210 lb.) will play at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy in Delafield, Wisc., as a post-graduate after playing last season at Ben Davis High in Indianapolis and played as a freshman at South Lakes High in Reston, Va. At Ben Davis, he averaged 10 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks per game. He is listed as a three-star recruit by all three major recruiting sites.

“Trevor is a long, athletic post player with a lot of skill,” Johnson said. “He can score inside with both hands; he can score facing up and he runs the floor extremely well. He is another player that fits our type of style. He is a talented, young man that can help us right away.”

“When you add Adam Smith to this group, you have three guards that can score the ball in different ways” Johnson said. “Then you add the two guys up front. The way the league is, with the new teams coming in, physicality, size and athleticism were very important to us in this class.”

For updates on Virginia Tech men's basketball, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_MBBall).