Recruit Atkins puts Virginia at top of list

Just as the Virginia men’s basketball team is picking up steam on the court, it also seems to be doing so off of it.
Thursday, Eric Atkins — one of the top guard prospects for the class of 2010 — told The Daily Progress that Virginia is at the very top of the list for his services.
Recently, it was believed that the 6-foot-1, 170-pounder would wait until the summer to make his college choice, but Atkins says he will do so at the end of this month.
The four schools on Atkins’ list are Virginia, Notre Dame, Massachusetts and Vanderbilt.
“In order, it would probably be like a toss-up between UVa and Notre Dame,” Atkins said, “but UMass is right there after and also Vanderbilt.”
Atkins, who attends Mount St. Joseph’s High (Baltimore, Md.), said that location will be a very big factor in his final decision — obviously a check mark in Virginia’s favor. “I want to be close to home,” he said. “I live in Maryland, so [UVa] is right there.”
Atkins, considered a combo guard, has played alongside some of the more talented players in the region, including former high school teammates Dino Gregory (now at Maryland) and Henry Sims (Georgetown). AAU teammates for the D.C. Assault include Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston, both of whom are headed to Duke.
Atkins says he is really fond of the Virginia coaching staff — especially lead recruiter Bill Courtney, and, of course, head coach Dave Leitao.
“We’re always on the phone for a long time,” Atkins said, “and my mother has gotten to know [Leitao].”
Atkins, who can light it up from the outside, would fit in well with Sammy Zeglinski and 2009 signee Jontel “Bub” Evans. Zeglinski is a pass-first guard, while Evans is known for his strong defense.
Atkins, who grew up in Connecticut, looked up to NBA player Ray Allen as a kid — another check mark for Virginia, given Leitao’s ties to the UConn program as a former Huskies assistant.
“My style is that when I have the ball — I’m always attacking the defense and trying to keep them on their heels, and always pressuring the ball on defense,” Atkins said.
“But I also try and get everybody involved on the offensive end.”
Virginia also remains one of the frontrunners for Miller guard Mychal Parker. If UVa were to land Parker and Atkins to pair with Evans and fellow 2009 signee Tristan Spurlock, Wahoo fans would have reason to be giddy.
Renardo update
Contrary to a recent update on Rivals.com, sources close to the Virginia program said that Renardo Sidney — considered one of the top high school players in the Class of 2009 — has not eliminated UVa from contention. The sources, however, weren’t optimistic about getting Sidney.
Sidney, according to Rivals, also has USC, UCLA, UNLV, Mississippi State and Texas on his list. The
6-foot-11 Fairfax High (Los Angeles, CA) senior will be making his official announcement on Sunday.