Brielle Blaire verbally commits to Virginia Tech

Do you remember the name Brielle Blaire? We did when we saw that the 6-2 forward verbally committed to Virginia Tech earlier this week. If you remember this post (and we understand if you don't as it's from 2010),  we reported Tech had offered Blaire a scholarship -- when she was in eighth grade.

"They were the first people to offer me and they've always been there," Blaire said. "Sometimes you have coaches who are interested in you but don't keep up with you. But they've been here through the whole thing -- calling, sending letters. They really support us."

The rundown on Blaire. She's finished up her junior year at Knox High School in Salisbury, N.C.,
where twice she has scored 600 points in a season, averaging 24.1 ppg her junior year. Fullcourt ranks Blaire 51st nationally and Blue Star 56th, and we can't help but repeat the quote from our 2010 post:

 John Jordan, the director of girlshoopscout.com who had Blaire in a fall exposure camp in 2008 noted back then:

This young lady totally dominated the camp," Jordan wrote. "Right now she could start for many D2 and perhaps even a few D1 programs. ... An athletic forward with a great jump shot including 3-point range who has the ability to attack the rim and finish with contact. And when I say finish I mean she's finishing on 6-4 girls who are mid- to high-major level players. Extremely skilled, aggressive and athletic. I predict that she will be getting major D1 offers before she ever starts high school. She is that good." 

And good for the Hokies for sticking with her even with the coaching change. When Blaire committed back in 2010, Beth Dunkenberger was coach at Virginia Tech. Dunkenberger resigned the following season, replaced by Dennis Wolff.

"Dennis is a good guy," said Brielle's father, Paul. "His daughter (Nicole) played at UConn, and she
was a McDonald's All-American. He understands the concept of having a high-profile player in his program."

"When the new coaching staff came in, they let me know that they still wanted me," Brielle said. "I really respected that. If anything, it made me feel better about Virginia Tech."

Brielle keeps the mailman busy......

Over the years the mail stacked up for Blaire -- Paul Blaire said she had offers from Louisville and South Carolina -- but her heart never left the Hokies. "She'll have the opportunity to come in and showcase her talent and be a pioneer for this program," Paul Blaire said.

Dad loves that Tech boasts a 100 percent graduation rate for its players, and both he and Brielle are crazy about the campus.

"I feel like Tech is my home away from home and I'll be with people who want to take care of me," she said. "I think Blacksburg is really pretty. The campus is beautiful. It's not too small, not too big. I think it's a good fit for me."

Before she gets to Blacksburg, Blaire, also a volleyball player for Knox, plans to work on her ballhandling and finishing with her left hand. She's also crazy about drawing -- animated characters are her specialty -- and she enjoys watching the pro game -- Candace Parker is her fave. Ask her which player she plays the most like and after a good deal of thought, she rattles off this name: Maya Moore.

"I say that because she has a lot of diversity in her game," Blaire said.

As far as Heat or Spurs?

"I was kind of rooting for the Pacers."