Terry Larrier and VCU

One day after taking an official visit to Virginia Commonwealth University, small forward Terry Larrier committed to play for Shaka Smart and the Rams. A fringe top 50 recruit, the 6’7” Larrier becomes Smart’s highest rated recruit throughout his tenure.

This past spring and summer Larrier vaulted up the recruiting rankings as he played for Team Scan on the Nike EYBL circuit. The Bronx native averaged 10.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in 17 regular season games and then duplicated his effort with 10.3 points per game throughout the Peach Jam.

A long and lanky wing, Larrier fits the HAVOC style preferred by Smart. He specializes in slashing to the basket for lay-ups and dunks and uses his 6’10” wing span to disrupt opponents on the defensive end. 

During the Dallas EYBL in May, Larrier’s stock rose after a solid performance over a four game period. One month later he was one of the most impressive talents at the Kevin Durant Skills Academy in Washington D.C. While the camp was littered with the top shooting guards and small forwards in the country, Larrier stood out during the scrimmages as he drove time and time again from the left wing for thunderous dunks down the lane.

While Larrier is known for his athletic forays to the basket, he does need to work on his ball-handling and shooting ability. He is more than capable of knocking down jump shots from 15-19 feet but shot only 23% from the three point line during the EYBL regular season. In the Peach Jam he increased his percentage to 36.4% while making one more three in 11 less games. 

With Larrier’s commitment, VCU now has three commitments in the class of 2014. Forward Justin Tillman from Michigan committed over Labor Day weekend and point guard Jonathan Williams declared in May. 

Locking up an athletic small forward was crucial for the VCU coaching staff after several early misses. Small forward Vic Law out of Chicago decided to stay local and play for Northwestern earlier on in the summer while Devin Robinson, a top 30 player nationally left VCU out of his top five. Robinson, a Richmond native had VCU at the top of his list before the AAU season began but after several stellar performances had schools such as Indiana, UConn, and Florida knocking on his door. 

VCU’s HAVOC style of play is perfect for Larrier and his skill set as both parties came to that realization after a timely official visit.    

Vic Law: Fireworks in Evanston

In a surprise 4^th of July commitment, Vic Law, a 6’7” small forward out of St. Rita’s committed to Chris Collins and Northwestern. Not only is Law the first recruit to sign in Collins’ brief tenure but he is also the first Chicago kid that happens to be ranked in the top 100 by all major recruiting services.

Despite playing in the Big 10 it is rare for Northwestern to sign a player of Law’s caliber. As a Chicago kid both Collins and Law hope that this commitment begins a nice pipeline from the city to the northern suburbs. Last year, first year coach John Groce signed guards Kendrick Nunn and Jaylon Tate out of Simeon, the top public school in Chicago. Now it is another first year coach in Chris Collins making the splash by signing a kid from St. Rita’s, one of the top Catholic schools in the area.

As a junior, Law averaged 14 points and nine rebounds per game in his third season on the varsity squad. His team was upset early on in Sectional play, but he still teamed with upcoming junior Charles Matthews to form one of the most entertaining teams in the Chicagoland area. 

During the spring AAU season, Law started for the Meanstreets AAU team that went 13-6 in the Nike EYBL regular season and advanced to Peach Jam in July. Law averaged almost six points and four rebounds a game during the spring AAU season. In June, Law played in the NBPA Top 100 camp and while he had to leave early due to an injury he managed to have his best game with 12 points against talented wings such as Keita Bates-Diop (Ohio State), Isaac Copeland (Georgetown), and Theo Pinson (UNC). 

While his ranking dropped a bit (ESPN #66, Scout #70, Rivals #80) his defense has stayed strong as Law has the height, length, and athleticism to guard out on the wing and occasionally in the post.

With AAU play about to pick up again, Law can try to spread the word about Northwestern to his current teammates. Right now Collins is also targeting combo forward Paul White out of Whitney Young and point guard Tyler Ulis out of Marian Catholic. White has been on the national stage since he started high school while Ulis is one of the best floor generals in the country. 

While the Wildcat coaching staff is ecstatic with this commitment, coaches from VCU, Dayton, and Georgia Tech have to be disappointed. Shaka Smart and VCU worked hard on Law following him around in LA and Hampton during the first two open recruiting sessions. They recently had him on campus for a visit and the coaching staff hoped that his commitment would open up a Chicago pipeline to Richmond, VA. 

Fireworks will be bright in Evanston, IL tonight as the newly formed coaching staff celebrates their first commitment, while other coaching staffs will regroup to update their July viewing plans.