Randall wants to see some schools

Paterson (N.J.) Catholic went 28-1 this season, its only loss to Jersey City (N.J.) St. Anthony in the state championship and now that the year is finished it's time for junior forward Derrick Randall to focus on recruiting a little bit.

Randall, who averaged about 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocks for Paterson Catholic in his junior season, said Virginia Tech has been showing increased interest and that he'd like to visit Blacksburg soon.

The only problem is that the AAU schedule starts in a couple weeks and he'll be on the road with the Playaz for many weekends in the spring. Then Randall will probably have a healthy camp schedule as well.

"They want me to come down in April but I don't know if that's going to fit my schedule because I have AAU," Randall said of Virginia Tech. "I spoke to them (Sunday) and they want me to come down because they are going to have some recruits on campus. They want to show me around the school.

"Right now I'm still wide open for colleges to talk to me. It's kind of hard to choose which colleges you want to go see but for the most part I do want to visit Virginia Tech because they are showing a lot of interest in me."

Another school that's showing more interest in Randall, a 6-foot-9, 215-pound power forward, is South Carolina, which has also been in recent contact.

Location won't be a factor, Randall said, because he's most interested in finding the program that's the best overall fit for him - be it close or far away. That keeps Virginia Tech and South Carolina in the picture.

"South Carolina called the other day," Randall said. "I don't remember the coach's name because when I talked to him I just got home from practice and I was really tired but they said they saw me play and they're going to come out to some of my games and see how I play and how their program could fit for me.

"I'm open ears for everybody because I'm trying to get a scholarship so I'm really trying to find the right college for me to play basketball to unlock my full potential and be the best player I can be. It's all about where I fit. If I have to go thousands of miles to be where I want to be and it's the right place, I'm going to go."

Schools closer to home are also involved. Randall said Rutgers, Providence, St. Joseph's, Seton Hall and St. John's are the main schools in the Northeast that have been showing interest in him.