Roanoke College made news last month when former All-Group AA basketball selection A.J. Dowell announced he was transferring from Hampden-Sydney, but that would not have compared to the buzz that would have accompanied another Maroons transaction.

Roanoke men's basketball coach Page Moir was attending a meeting of the National Association of Basketball Coaches in Indianapolis when he was approached by fellow board member Jim Boeheim of Syracuse. "I think we were having dinner and he said, 'Are you interested in a transfer?'" Moir said. "And, I said, 'Maybe. It's got to be a good one.' He said, 'Well, this guy can play for you.'"

Boeheim was referring to former Parade All-American Billy Edelin, a Silver Spring, Md., resident who prepped at Oak Hill Academy. Edelin, a point guard who scored 12 points for Syracuse in its 81-78 victory over Kansas in the 2003 Division I championship game, has decided to leave SU.

It so happened that Roanoke assistant Jeff Cheevers already was slated to be in the Syracuse area one week after Moir's conversation with Boeheim. Cheevers didn't see Edelin, but he did talk to Boeheim and, most importantly, got a look at Edelin's transcript.

"It just wouldn't make sense for him to transfer here academically," Moir said.

According to the Syracuse Post-Standard, Edelin would have had trouble staying academically eligible if he had remained at SU. That wasn't his only problem - he didn't play in SU's final seven games this year after a flare-up with Boeheim.

Edelin would be required to sit out a year if he transferred to another Division I school, but he can't do that because his eligibility will run out after the 2005-06 season, when he will be a fifth-year senior. He can play right away by transferring to a Division III school like Roanoke.

Moir is more than happy with the talent he has assembled for 2005-06, including Dowell, who played more than 19 minutes per game last season at Hampden-Sydney, where he averaged 5.9 points and was a 46-percent 3-point shooter.

Moir's freshman class will include one of Dowell's former Salem High School teammates, 6-foot-5 Curtis Perry, and Eastern Montgomery's 6-3 Zach Milton, whose older brother, Joe, played for the Maroons.

Perry did not have a scintillating senior season, "but I loved him as a junior," Moir said. "He's a very good prospect."

Perry is one of four Roanoke recruits who are 6-5 or 6-6. The others are 6-5 Aaron Tyson from Gastonia, N.C.; 6-6 Michael Diggs from Charlotte, N.C.; and 6-6 Dan Edsall, whose small-school background at Evangel Christian in Prince William County reminds Moir of one of his top 2004 recruits, Ben Shrader.

• Dowell was one of two freshmen from the Roanoke Valley to receive ample playing time as freshmen for Hampden Sydney (17-10). Post player Troy Kaase from Cave Spring, who started six games and averaged 17 minutes, was fourth on the team in scoring (7.0) and third in rebounding (3.8). Kevin Szuch, a 6-8 freshman from Glenvar, saw limited action.

Preseason football

Virginia Tech and Virginia have two selections apiece on the preseason All-America football team picked by the Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook. The Hokies are represented by defensive lineman Darryl Tapp and defensive back Jimmy Williams; the choices from Virginia are offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and linebacker Ahmad Brooks.

Recruiting

Hargrave Military Academy postgraduate football coach Robert Prunty said Wednesday that he knows "for a fact" that four of the Hargrave players who have signed with Virginia and Virginia Tech have met NCAA admissions guidelines and that Tech signee Brandon Holland is waiting on an ACT score. "Of course, everybody has to be approved by the NCAA clearinghouse," Prunty added.

• Florida has taken a commitment from Marreese Speights, a 6-10 post player from St. Petersburg, Fla., who will play at Hargrave Military Academy this coming season. ... Craig McCargo, a standout guard for Halifax County and the Roanoke Hawks AAU teams, has received a full scholarship from Milligan (Tenn.) College, an NAIA program.

Near the top

Virginia Tech's wrestling recruiting class has been ranked No.2 in the country by intermat.com and W.I.N. magazine. Only Iowa State was rated ahead of the Hokies, whose five early signees were joined by a four-wrestler spring haul that includes three-time All-American Jon Bonilla-Bowman from Ramapo, N.Y.

• Nonrevenue UVa signees include the Washington Post metro athletes of the year in golf (Daniel Kefale, Osbourn Park), boys' track and field (Andrew Jesien, Bethesda, Md.) and boys' lacrosse (Danny Glading, Bethesda, Md.).

• Virginia and Virginia Tech each signed two players off the Post's all-metro girls' lacrosse team. Chantilly goalie Megan Waters and Glenelg (Md.) attack Terri Coover will play for the Hokies; in-state midfielders Jennifer Holden from St. Stephen's-St. Agnes and Ashley McCulloch from Woodson are headed to UVa.