ACC it is for Atkins

With a little time on his hands and some traveling legs under him, Georgia wing Manny Atkins hit the road over the last week and saw a trio of schools. After the visits, the 6-foot-6 rising senior from Tucker High School decided he knew where he wanted to go to college.

After unofficially visiting Virginia Tech, Atkins decided it was time to pull the trigger and committed to the Hokies on Tuesday.

"I took three visits over the last week, to Marquette, Clemson and Virginia Tech. And after seeing those campuses, I knew I wanted to go to either Marquette or Virginia Tech. I thought a lot about it and decided that with Virginia Tech, it was close to home, only like six hours away, and it was a perfect fit for what I was looking for," Atkins said.

"I got to meet the staff and the players and everyone seemed really cool and their facilities were really nice. I met their academic advisors and they are serious about getting their players to graduation. Everything they had to offer was up to par with what I was looking for."

For Virginia Tech, Atkins looks like the heir apparent to A.D. Vassallo. The three-star wing joins Ben Boggs and Erick Green in the 2009 recruiting class for Virginia Tech.

Having a familiar face on campus already in former AAU teammate Terrell Bell, an Atlanta native, Atkins said he liked hanging out with his old friend.

"He showed me around and we hung out the night I was up there. Me and Terrell are real cool and it was good just to know that I'll have someone to chill with when I'm up there," Atkins said.

Virginia Tech's academic angle was also a major sell, he said.

"I know that if you go to Virginia Tech and get a degree there, you are going to be set for life. You can pick your job once you leave there. I can probably go out and get any kind of job that I want," Atkins said.

He also considered Georgia Tech, Florida State, Michigan, Utah, Alabama and LSU.