Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 2, 1995 TAG: 9505020120
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The beginning of May proved memorable Monday for Virginia and Virginia Tech as each school signed the No.1 big man on its basketball recruiting list.
The Cavaliers landed 6-foot-10 Melvin Whitaker from Oak Hill Academy, and Tech added 6-9 Spanish exchange student Alvaro Tor, who is spending his senior year at Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The letters of intent will become official as soon as they are signed by a parent, considered a formality in both cases.
``I just got off the phone with my father,'' Whitaker said late Monday afternoon. ``He said he's real happy for me and ready to support me.''
Whitaker informed Oak Hill's coach, Steve Smith, of his decision after a weekend visit to North Carolina.
``I would say Melvin has been leaning to Virginia since Christmas,'' Smith said. ``I don't think there has been a time when anybody else has been in the lead. He's liked Virginia all along.''
His father originally favored North Carolina State, and North Carolina thought Sunday that it had a commitment from him, but Whitaker had been planning to sign with UVa on Monday since returning from his April 21-23 visit to Charlottesville.
``I liked everything about it: the classes, the coaches, the players, the campus,'' Whitaker said.
Tor picked Tech over N.C. State, the only other school he visited officially.
``It was a difficult decision because the colleges are similar,'' said Tor, originally from Barcelona. ``I just felt more comfortable at Virginia Tech; everybody was like family.''
Tor's high school coach, Howard West, was out of town and unavailable for comment.
Tor, who averaged 18 points and close to 13 rebounds as a senior, has met NCAA eligibility requirements on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and is awaiting results only from an English comprehension exam.
Whitaker said he has scored 16 on the American College Test (17 is required) and will take the SAT on Saturday. Both tests will be given again in June.
Whitaker, originally from the Raleigh, N.C., suburb of Garner, averaged 10.4 points and 8.6 rebounds this season for Oak Hill, which finished 33-3 and was ranked sixth in the country by USA Today.
Whitaker had a team-high 142 blocks for the Warriors and set a record with seven blocks in the recent Capital Classic. He shot 56.4 percent from the field and 64.2 percent from the free-throw line.
The former Oak Hill player with whom Whitaker compares most favorably is Makhtar Ndiaye, a starting center for parts of the past two seasons at Michigan.
``Mel's a little more athletic and quicker, and he's an inch or two taller,'' Smith said. ``Both of them can shoot the ball, but Mel has range out to 17 feet.''
Whitaker was rated the No.53 prospect in the country by recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons before the season and his addition would give the Cavaliers a top 10 class. Chris Alexander returns at center for the Cavaliers, but averaged only 2.5 points and 4.0 rebounds.
``They told him [the position] was wide-open,'' said Smith, aware that 7-3 Chase Metheney is redshirting. ``They told Melvin he would have a chance [to start] and that was fine with him. He's not going there under false pretenses.''
by CNB