WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 29: Kerry Blackshear Jr. #24 of the Virginia Tech Hokies shoots the ball against Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils during the first half in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 29, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Mike White and the Florida Gators basketball program have landed one of the top transfers. Virginia Tech power forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. has announced he is transferring to the University of Florida. The highly touted power forward picked Florida over Tennessee and Kentucky. This is a huge pick for the Florida Gators as Blackshear should make an immediate impact on their young roster. Blackshear was considering entering the 2018 NBA Draft but decided to back to school. In the past few seasons, Florida hasn’t gotten a lot of production from their big men and Blackshear will definitely be a big help for the Florida. The Virginia Tech graduate transfer comes in with one of the best recruiting classes in the country.
Who is Kerry Blackshear Jr.?
Kerry Blackshear Jr. is a graduate transfer power forward out of Virginia Tech University. The former Hokie was a four-star rated recruit out of Evans High School in Orlando, Florida. During his recruitment, Blackshear has 26 offers from schools like Clemson, Georgia, Houston, Kansas State, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. On 247 Sports, Blackshear was the 88th ranked recruit and 25th ranked power forward in the 2015 recruiting class. At Virginia Tech, Blackshear was a key contributor for three seasons. He became one of their starters as a sophomore and averaged 12.5 PPG, 5.9 RBP and had a 55.8 FG%. In his junior season, Blackshear became their star player as he was second in PPG (14.9) but led in RBP (7.5) and BLK (0.8).
Scouting Report
Kerry Blackshear Jr. is a 6’10” 250 pound power forward. Watching his film at VA Tech, you can see that Blackshear is a big, strong power forward that can score in different ways. He has a strong presence in the paint and go up against anybody with the confidence of scoring which is something big men at Florida haven’t been able to do for a few years. Blackshear is an excellent rebounder and uses his large frame to box out. Kerry Blackshear Jr. is a guy that can do it all for the Florida Gators and become of their top players in a very young but talented roster. This is a great pick up for Mike White and the Florida Gators.
