Third four-star recruit commits to men’s hoops
Consensus four-star basketball recruit Terry Larrier verbally committed to VCU on Sept. 16, giving the Rams their second four-star commitment in less than three weeks.
Kristopher Mason
Contributing Writer
Consensus four-star basketball recruit Terry Larrier verbally committed to VCU on Sept. 16, giving the Rams their second four-star commitment in less than three weeks.
Larrier is ranked as the 38th-best high school basketball player in the country in the class of 2014, according tot Rivals.com. ESPN Recruiting Nation ranks Larrier 59th in his class.
The Bronx native is the highest rated recruit to commit to VCU since McDonald’s All-American Kendrick Warren did in 1990, and the most highly touted recruit of head coach Shaka Smart’s tenure.
Larrier is regarded as a perfect fit for Smart’s “Havoc” style of defense because of his athleticism and 6-foot-10-inch wingspan. His defensive versatility should afford him playing time early in the 2014 season. He also has explosive leaping ability and a reliable jump shot.
Larrier is a senior at the Phelps School in suburban Philadelphia. He attended Lebron James’ and Kevin Durant’s basketball camps this past summer.
Larrier is the latest highly rated prospect VCU has landed. He’s the third four-star recruit in VCU’s 2014 recruiting class, joining point guard Jonathan Williams and power forward Justin Tillman.
Former four-star recruits already on VCU’s roster include sophomore Melvin Johnson, redshirt freshman Jordan Burgess and freshman JeQuan Lewis. The 2011 Final Four team had one four-star recruit: Jamie Skeen.
Larrier’s verbal commitment is yet another example of Smart’s ability to draw high profile recruits away from BCS conferences. The 6-foot-7, 200-pound small forward was reportedly considering the University of Connecticut, University of Florida, Florida State University, University of Miami and Seton Hall among other schools before committing to the Rams, according to the Richmond Times Dispatch. Larrier visited VCU twice before making his decision.
Larrier can make his commitment final with a National Letter of Intent during the week of Nov. 13. Coaches are prohibited from commenting on recruits because of NCAA regulations.