Since Varina High's Markus Sailes finished his Virginia Tech men's basketball career in 2007, the Hokies have had no Richmond-area players. That figures to change in 2009, because Petersburg High power forward Cadarian Raines, a rising senior, committed to Tech on Friday.

Raines, a 6-8, 220-pounder, chose the Hokies over Maryland and VCU, picking them because "Tech has been recruiting me the most," he said.

Raines is Tech's fourth commitment for the Class of 2009, joining shooting guard Ben Boggs, point guard Erick Green and small forward Manny Atkins.

Tech on Friday also received its first commitment for the Class of 2010, from Jarell Eddie, a 6-6, 210-pound small forward from the Cannon School in Concord, N.C. He chose Tech over offers from Wake Forest, Clemson, Georgia and Kentucky, among others.

Raines' commitment puts the Hokies in an interesting situation. They will have 12 scholarship players this season. But they have just two seniors, Cheick Diakite and A.D. Vassallo, whose departures would leave Tech with 10 scholarship players three shy of the NCAA maximum. In order for Tech to have 13 scholarship players, a current player would have to leave the program with eligibility remaining or one of the 2009 recruits would have to attend prep school.

It is unclear which of those two options will happen, but redshirt junior forward Terrance Vinson is the only player besides Diakite and Vassallo who is entering his fourth year at Tech. Back and knee injuries have hampered his career, during which he has played three minutes a game.

Tech coach Seth Greenberg isn't worried about the scholarship math. NCAA rules prohibit him from talking about a recruit until he signs a letter of intent, so he could not specifically comment on Raines' commitment.

Raines hasn't academically qualified for college yet, because he said he isn't taking the SAT and ACT until this fall. He said he has a 2.3 grade-point average and that Greenberg hasn't talked to him about possibly attending prep school.

Playing center last season, he averaged 14.4 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks, and led Petersburg to the Group AAA semifinals. He was the Wave's first first-team all-Metro selection since Marcus Johnson in 1999. He would be the first Petersburg player to head to a Division I college immediately after high school since Marco Harrison went to N.C. State in 1995.

Raines, who said Tech started recruiting him last fall, was primarily a defender and rebounder until midway through last season, when he began to develop his offensive game.

"I'm starting to hit the mid-range jumper a little more and move around the wing a little more," Raines said. "I just wanted to be able to be versatile. I know I can shoot a little bit. I've just got to work on my confidence."