Moments after the wave of information leaked concerning the allegations into violations at Southern Miss, Tennessee’s basketball woes compounded. Four star guard and crown jewel 2015 commit Chris Clarke flipped his commitment from the Vols to Virginia Tech. Clarke wasted no time upon hearing that recently hired Tennessee head basketball coach Donnie Tyndall is facing possible violations for miscellaneous violations while being head coach at Southern Miss. Less than an hour after the allegations surfaced, Clarke had decommitted and committed to Virginia Tech. His other finalists at the time were UConn and Creighton, but he had every intention to sign with Tennessee when the recruiting period began next Wednesday.
“We’ve contemplated this decision. After his decision on Tennessee, further communication with the family and and discussion came to the opinion it would be better for him and his goals and the family’s situation to remain local. That’s why he is going to Virginia Tech,” Clarke’s father said.
He insists that the decision has nothing to do with Tyndall’s allegations of NCAA violations.
Clarke is a 6’5 guard and the No. 1 prospect in Virginia. Most recruiting websites have him ranked as the ninth best shooting guard in the country and a top 50 player nationally. Tennessee’s other two commits remain pledged to the Vols. As for the future of Donnie Tyndall, it’s still unclear. It’s ironic that Tennessee passed up on the chance to rehire Bruce Pearl because of his past issues of NCAA misconduct, only to discover the “doing it right the way” coach they hired had skeletons in his closet as well.
*Section Photo credit to Roanoke Times; Featured Photo (above) credit to Playmaker Mixtapes
