Veal off to a strong start

2008 prospect Toby Veal of Johnson High School in Savannah, Ga., made quite a splash in his first game of the season with 31 points and 14 rebounds against Savannah High School, the No. 5 ranked team in the state. Veal, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound power forward, has continued to play well through the first five games of the season, and the high-majors are taking notice.

"South Carolina has been on him hot and heavy and have been in to see him," said Johnson head coach Keith Arrington. "Now Auburn and Alabama are starting to get on him. He's not really well known right now, but people will soon find out."

Other schools involved with Veal are Charlotte, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Arizona.

Averaging 20 points per game for 3-2 Johnson High, Veal has an enormous upside according to Coach Arrington.

"In the 25 years that I have been coaching, Toby is the best kid I have ever coached," said Arrington. "It doesn't matter how hard you get on him or how hard you coach him, he just looks you in the eyes and says, 'yes, sir.' He'll do anything to get better, and he is the same way academically.

"He will get a whole lot better. His growth plates are still wide open, and there is a chance he could grow to 6'10 or 11. He already is a high D-1 kid, but if he gets to that height, there is no telling how special he is going to be. He is the type of player that immediately takes things we are working on and then uses them in the games."

According to Veal's AAU coach Curtis Wheeler of the South Carolina Ravens, Veal has already received an invitation to the Nike All-American Camp, which is quite an honor for a sophomore.

"Toby can really run the floor," said Wheeler. "He can step out and make shots and can put it on the floor and get to the basket."