Former Assistant Coach James Johnson has just been officially named as Virginia Tech's new basketball coach.

Johnson spent the last five years working under Seth Greenburg, who was just recently fired last Monday. It seems that maybe Greenburg wasn't the fit that Virginia Tech needed-- a good guy from Long Island, he just didn't fit in culturally. He was brash, and definitely not the quiet type, but what pushed the decision forward?

Greenburg spent nine seasons with Tech, but it seemed that he wasn't making the connections that were needed with other staff members. The decision to fire Greenburg came after a second assistant coach in two weeks, and the sixth in four years, announced he was leaving Greenberg's staff. The lack of coaching continuity bothered Athletic Director Jim Weaver.

Johnson was offered the same position at Clemson, and he took it; although Tech offered to match the salary that Clemson had offered, he reportedly told Weaver that it had nothing to do with money. After leaving for a short period to go to Clemson, Johnson found his way back to Blacksburg quickly after rumors flew that Johnson was coming back as head coach.

"I can certainly understand some coaches leaving, but to have as many leave as we had sat the wrong way with me," said Weaver. He added in that the decision "had nothing to do with losing. It had nothing to do with NCAA appearances. It had something to do with people leaving and it had something to do with me wanting to change the direction and leadership of the program."

Weaver said that Johnson is a native of Powhatan and a graduate of Ferrum. His five-year contract is worth $680,000 a year. The current players lobbied for Johnson to be the new coach.

“I really appreciate you guys, your trust, your respect in me, believing in me. I think this is going to be a real good ride," said Johnson.

I came across an interesting post on the great website CollegeFootballTalk that was written by John Taylor (presumably not the guy who played WR opposite Jerry Rice for so many years - or the bass player for Duran Duran for that matter).  He compared the hysteria of college football signing day with the hysteria on steroids of the NFL draft.  Then, he researched whether there was any correlation between the college rankings (the 5 star system, with top recruits getting 5 stars) and the players that get drafted in the NFL's 1st round.

Editor's note - I'm especially facinated by this type of research because: 1) I'm a bit of a data nerd, and 2) I'm generally too lazy to do this type of research myself.

Anyway, he found surprisingly little correlation.  Check it out:

Below is a year-by-year breakdown of the first round of the NFL draft:

2012
5-star — 4
4-star — 13
3-star — 10
2-star — 4

2011
5-star — 7
4-star — 11
3-star — 11
2-star — 3

2010
5-star — 6
4-star — 15
3-star — 6
2-star — 5

2009
5-star — 6
4-star — 12
3-star — 6
2-star — 7

(*Brandon Weeden, selected by the Cleveland Browns at No. 22 overall, was drafted by the New York Yankees in 2002 and played professional baseball through 2006.  He enrolled at Oklahoma State in 2007 as a “no-star recruit”.)

Now, this data is skewed a bit because there are FAR MORE 4 star recruits than there are 5 stars, more 3 stars than 4 stars, etc.  So, if you look at it on a percentage basis the vast majority of 5 star kids actually do get selected in the first round.  That said, it was still surprising to me how many 3 star and 2 star kids develop into top NFL prospects.

Good stuff.  If you aren't familiar with CollegeFootballTalk or its big brother ProFootballTalk you should definitely add them to your regular web-surfing list!

Alright, it's time to come out of your depression football fans, the NFL is finally re-entering our lives as the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft starts tonight at 8 pm.  Friday will be the 2^nd & 3^rd rounds (starting at 7:00 pm), and the 4^th-7^th rounds will finish up on Saturday beginning at noon.

However, there’s going to be a change this year. We're taking it as good news for draft viewing: ESPN and the NFL Network have agreed to not show prospects on the phone in the green room right before they are selected. It seems that most people found this practice annoying; it was spoiling the actual moment when the pick was announced.

The NFL will be setting a record this year with 26 prospects on hand in the green room to walk across the stage upon their selection, with Andrew Luck of Stanford, and Robert Griffin, III of Baylor, expected to be the first two picks. This event has even shifted into Primetime viewing for the Thursday night slot, making the draft the "American Idol" for sports. According to marketwatch.com, " In 2009, when the draft started on Saturday, ESPN’s first round garnered 5 million viewers; the first year of Thursday night prime time coverage in 2010 drew 7.3 million viewers while last year 6 million people watched the first round."

SportsRichmond may be setting our own record for sports journalism by seemingly being the only sports media entity NOT to do a mock draft.  There are a few of main reasons for that:

• Everyone else does a mock draft - the web is littered with literally thousand of them.
• NONE of the mocks out there are going to be correct.  NFL teams guard their player rankings and war room boards like they are state secrets.
• There are so many trades that occur during the actual draft that it's pointless to try to predict what each team will do with picks that are eventually going to be made by other teams.

So anyway, have fun scanning the various mock drafts out there.  Just remember, the only rule during NFL Draft time is that there will definitely be a few "whoa" moments during the draft where teams do something unexpected.  Players that go too high, too low, or crazy trades that don't seem to make sense.  I still can't believe Atlanta gave up so many picks last year in order to move up for Julio Jones!

Anyway, have fun.  The draft is finally here.  Football fans rejoice!

“VIRGINIA IS FOR LOVERS” AND RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY TEAM UP FOR NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES RACE

Richmond, VA (April 24, 2012)—One of the most storied tracks in NASCAR is teaming up with one of the most well-known tourism brands in the country this weekend for the Saturday, April 28, Capital City 400 Presented by Virginia is for Lovers NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Richmond International Raceway, celebrating 60 Years of NASCAR this season, has hosted Sprint Cup races since 1953 – third longest among tracks on the circuit. The Capital City 400 name pays homage to the track’s days of yore, when RIR hosted NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races that included the “Capital City” name annually from 1962 to 1980.

Virginia is for Lovers is the longest-running state tourism slogan in the country and stands for love, pure and simple.  The Virginia Tourism Corporation promotes Virginia to potential travelers from throughout the world who are looking to completely connect with loved ones on a great Virginia vacation.

Virginia is the only state in the nation to host four NASCAR Sprint Cup races annually, representing a $600 million economic impact for the Commonwealth.

“Tourism is an instant revenue generator that creates jobs and tax revenue for Virginia,” said Governor Bob McDonnell.  “Virginia hosts four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races each year that draw thousands of fans to tracks throughout the state.”

“The Commonwealth of Virginia is delighted to be the presenting sponsor of the Capital City 400.  NASCAR is not just great fun, but it is also big business having a huge economic impact on the metro Richmond area each year,” said Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling. “We love to have folks visit Richmond for our annual NASCAR races and take advantage of the many other tourism opportunities our state has to offer.”

“This partnership between Richmond International Raceway and the Virginia Tourism Corporation is an extension of the decades-old relationship we have both enjoyed,” said RIR President Dennis Bickmeier. “Virginia tourism means a lot to us at RIR and we do everything we can to promote this beautiful state. NASCAR fans know that when they come to Virginia for a race, they are coming to an amazing destination rich in history, entertainment and excitement for the whole family.”

The Capital City 400 Presented by Virginia is for Lovers NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is the culmination to this weekend’s race weekend at Richmond International Raceway. The Saturday, April 28, event features Virginia’s Denny Hamlin and Jeff Burton, defending series champion Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and all your favorite drivers. Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here or calling 866-455-7223.

Fans won’t want to miss the Friday, April 27, Virginia 529 College Savings 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race, starring Virginia native Elliott Sadler, worldwide star Travis Pastrana, Danica Patrick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and many more. Children 12 and younger are admitted free on Friday with a ticketed adult in general admission sections. Advance tickets start at $30 and can be purchased by clicking here or calling 866-455-7223.

The weekend begins Thursday, April 26, with a doubleheader, which includes the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown presented by FedEx NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model division race and the Blue Ox 100 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race. All tickets are $25 and children 12 and younger are admitted free with a ticketed adult. Click here or call 866-455-7223 for tickets.

Tourism is an instant revenue generator for Virginia.  In 2010 tourism generated $19 billion in revenue, supported more than 204,000 jobs and provided $1.3 billion in state and local taxes for Virginia’s communities.

or on Twitter @VisitVirginia.

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In a surprising move, Virginia Tech AD, Jim Weaver, announced Monday afternoon that Men's Basketball Coach, Seth Greenberg had been released of his duties.  The announcement came after a disappointing 9th season for Greenberg with his Hokies posting a 15-16 record (4-12 in ACC play) and missing post season play.  Greenberg was 170-123 while with the Hokies and has a career record of 383-293 in 22 seasons as a collegiate head coach.

Weaver thanked Greenberg for his tenure and noted that a search would begin immediately for a new coach.  Prior to Greenberg's termination, 2 assistant coaches had left the program (James Johnson - Clemson and Rob Ehsan -  UAB).  Rumors have surfaced that the remaining assistant, John Richardson will be leaving the program for ODU. 

When asked about the change, Weaver said "“I didn’t like the way things were unfolding with assistants leaving an ACC program."

Read the official announcement:  http://www.hokiesports.com/mbasketball/recaps/20120423aaa.html