When the first half of the men's college basketball July recruiting period began Sunday, Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg turned his focus toward evaluating rising juniors for the Class of 2010.

Tech's Class of 2009 likely is complete after it recently received a commitment from Manny Atkins, a 6-7 wing player from Tucker (Ga.) High School in DeKalb County. Tech beat out ACC rival Georgia Tech and Marquette, among several other schools. Atkins played AAU ball with Tech sophomore wing Terrell Bell, who is from nearby Stone Mountain High School.

Tech's other commitments for 2009 are Ben Boggs, a 6-4 guard from Hidden Valley High School in Roanoke, and Erick Green, a 6-2 point guard from Millbrook High School in Winchester.

The Hokies will have 12 scholarship players heading into this season, one shy of the NCAA maximum, because guard Kendall Durant will not enroll as scheduled, for unspecified reasons. Tech is scheduled to lose seniors A.D. Vassallo and Cheick Diakite after this season. Barring another player leaving with eligibility remaining, or any of the 2009 recruits changing their commitments, the Hokies will have 13 scholarships for the 2009-10 season.

Still, recent history has shown that Greenberg might have to prepare for roster changes. After the 2006-07 season, point guard Nigel Munson and center Robert Krabbendam left the team. Last summer, incoming freshman forward Augustus Gilchrist backed out of his letter of intent.