The 2005 Commonwealth Classic featured many ACC recruits, including Virginia Tech's Terrance Vinson. Below is a report on the game followed by an interview with Terrance.



Summary



The Virginia All-Stars came to play last Friday night, defeating the National All-Stars by a score of 147-131.



The National team, led by team MVP Courtney Fells, surged ahead to a 41-32 lead early in the second quarter. Fells, who scored 27 points for the game, showcased two awesome dunks and knocked down a three on the 11-3 run. AD Vassallo, a 6-6 shooting guard headed to the University of Richmond, led the charge back as the Virginia team not only tied the game, but surged ahead to an 62-54 halftime lead. William & Mary recruit Calvin Baker knocked down several three pointers in the third quarter as the Virginia team extended its lead to 17 and never looked back.



The 6-6 Fells, a N.C. State recruit, was the MVP for the National team while Tyree Evans secured MVP honors for the Virginia team with 29 points and 7 assists. Evans, who is headed to Cincinnati, played his high school ball at George Wythe High School in Richmond, Virginia, before prepping at Winchendon this year.



Box Score (Starters in bold)



National All-Stars



Luc Richard Mbaha Moute (SG/UCLA)

10 points (4-9), 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals



Jeff Adrien (PF/Connecticut)

8 points (4-7), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals



Marcus Ginyard (SG/UNC)

22 points (10-18), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals



Josh Thornton (G/Georgetown)

16 points (5-15), 2 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals



Octavius Spann (F/Georgetown)

14 points (6-18), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals



Courtney Fells (SG/N.C. State)

27 points (11-19), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals



Denis Clemente (PG/Miami)

22 points (9-21), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals



Kevin Swinton (PF/Wake Forest)

8 points (4-10), 10 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals



David Weaver (C/Wake Forest)

4 points (2-2), 1 rebound, 0 assists, 1 steal



Virginia All-Stars



Tyree Evans (SG/Cincinnati)

29 points (12-22), 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals



Terrance Vinson (PF/Virginia Tech)

9 points (4-7), 7 rebounds, 0 assists, 1 steal



AD Vassallo (SG/Richmond)

19 points (9-17), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals



Mamadi Diane (SG/Virginia)

7 points (3-7), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 steals



Andray Blatche (PF/Undecided/NBA)

21 points (10-17), 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals



Eric Maynor (PG/VCU)

11 points (5-9), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal



Calvin Baker (SG/William & Mary)

19 points (7-16), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals



Tyrese Rice (SG/Undecided)

11 points (4-10), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal



Laurynas Mikalauskas (PF/Virginia)

17 points (6-6), 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals



Tomas Jasiulionis (C/St. John’s)

4 points (2-4), 6 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals



Score by Periods: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total

National All-Stars: 30 24 33 44 131

Virginia All-Stars: 29 33 42 43 147





Notables



Courtney Fells appeared to be by far the most athletic player on the court. After a quiet first quarter, Fells got things rolling with back-to-back dunks (including a one-hand dunk off a missed shot) that created a buzz among the crowd. The dunks also seemed to spark Fells, who played with much more confidence for the rest of the game. He also displayed nice range, nailing four of eight 3-point attempts, and figures to be a player for Herb Sendek and company. Fans should keep his name in mind in ACC play next season. … AD Vassallo looked very solid. Vassallo plays with a smooth, calm demeanor out on the court but shows a big game. He did a lot of things well and displays a nice jump shot. He finished with 19 points and 5 rebounds. …UNC shooting guard Marcus Ginyard turned in a good performance, finishing with 22 points on 10-18 shooting for the National team. Ginyard is a versatile, intelligent player with good ball handling ability and good athleticism. He is a solid but not spectacular shooter. Ginyard appeared to be one of the most popular players on the team. …Calvin Baker should be a good one for William & Mary. He likes to shoot the three and can really light it up if he gets it going. He ended up with 19 points on the night and was 5-12 from 3-point range. Baker is a tough competitor who led Woodside to a state title this year. …Andrey Blatche, a 6-11 power forward out of South Kent Prep (CT), has is considering a jump to the NBA but did not show his best stuff. Blatche looked tired for much of the game and drew the ire of the crowd when he missed a breakaway dunk. Still, Blatche earned the respect of the players for his performance the night before in practice.



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Virginia Tech’s Terrance Vinson



Vinson got off to a great start on Friday night. In the first few minutes, he scored 4 points, had one block and one steal. By halftime, he tallied 6 points, 5 rebounds (including 3 offensive boards), 2 blocks and 1 steal. For the game, Vinson had 9 points, 7 rebounds (4 offensive boards), 2 blocks and 1 steal in 36 minutes of action.



The best way to describe Vinson’s play was active. Terrance really hustles out there and gets after it on the boards. Although he is probably only 6-7 (maybe slightly under) and 215-pounds, he certainly doesn’t mind mixing it up in the low post. Vinson is aggressive and actively pursues rebounds.



Offensively, Terrance is working on a mid-range jump shot and made one in the game. He also showed a nice low post up-and-under move in the second half. Vinson is a little raw offensively but there does appear to be some potential.



Next season, Vinson should be able to come off the bench for coach Greenberg and provide energy, rebounding, defense and maybe a little bit of scoring. Once he adds muscle and strength (which is what he needs the most), Terrance should become an excellent rebounder and defender and he is constantly working on his offensive game.



I caught up with Terrance following Friday night’s game and he was very candid (and funny) in his responses.



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Q&A with Terrance Vinson



TSL: How ready do you think you are to compete on the ACC level?



Terrance Vinson: “It’s going to be hard. The ACC is one of the best conferences in America. Mentally I’m not ready. I’ve got to put on more weight and play in that atmosphere to be ready. But once I get a taste of it I’ll be ready. I’m about 70 percent of the way right now.”



TSL: In what way or ways do you think you’ll be able to contribute the most next season?



Terrance Vinson: “I’m just going to go after the boards man. I see the boards as a piece of chicken…you just have to go get it (laughs). Seriously, I think I can help in rebounding. They need another big man who can help Coleman and Deron out.”



TSL: What did you think of Virginia Tech’s run in the ACC this year?



Terrance Vinson: “I think it was beautiful man. Everybody doubted ‘em. You know you always root for the underdog, but we proved that we really wasn’t the underdog. We proved we could hang with the big boys and it’s going to get better.”



TSL: Have you gotten to know some Virginia Tech players pretty well since you signed?



Terrance Vinson: “Actually I knew Jamon [Gordon] before I went up there. I knew him from the AAU circuit. So I knew Jamon and I really got to know Zabian while I was up there also. I really go to know everybody, but Jamon was my host so we got to talk and reminisce.”



TSL: So college will be an easy transition for you?



Terrance Vinson: “It’ll be a comfortable change. I’ll just go in and help where I can. I’m not a selfish player. I’ll get a few boards here and there and play hard. That’s all I want.”



TSL: What do you hope to be for Virginia Tech next season?



Terrance Vinson: “Just be a presence out there that’s ready to do anything – rebound, take charges, foul (laughs), just anything you need. I’m just an all-around player, kind of like a handyman.”



TSL: How would you describe your game?



Terrance Vinson: “I’m a gritty guy. I like to get down in the trenches and work hard and get everything I deserve. So it’s going to be fun.”



TSL: How did your team do this season?



Terrance Vinson: “We did pretty good. Our offense is kind of a stalled offense so we didn’t get that many shots. We just won. We wanted to win. And I wanted to do whatever it took to win. Me not shooting the ball enough really doesn’t matter to me as long as we win. I averaged about 15 and 10 this year and averaged about nine shots per game.”



TSL: How much did you improve from your junior year to this year?



Terrance Vinson: “It was a big change. Last year I tried to be more finesse and it really wasn’t doing it for me. I wanted to get in there and grind. I wanted to be a different type of player so I became more active on the boards. I tried to hit the weight room. It really didn’t work, but I tried to. But it was a big change. I went from a timid player to more aggressive in going after rebounds and trying to alter some shots.”



TSL: What type of player do you see yourself being in a couple of years?



Terrance Vinson: “I want to be a forward. I want to be able to hit a 15 footer, go in and get 8 or 9 rebounds a game, a couple steals and just be a role player.”



TSL: What do you like to do other than basketball?



Terrance Vinson: “I just like to look after my little brothers and I’m an at home kind of guy. I don’t really get into too much stuff.”



TSL: What was the reason you chose Virginia Tech?



Terrance Vinson: “It was a real homey environment. I felt real welcomed when I went there. They opened their arms and let me in. I felt real comfortable with the players. I played a couple games with them. They were real nice and subdued you know. I’m going to miss Carlos [Dixon] next year. I got to meet him a little bit.”