varsity.roanoke.com

On Monday, the North Cross boys basketball program had one player on its 2009-10 roster who has committed to a Division I program.

Now the Raiders have two.

One day after Toles Hartman committed to UNC Asheville, 6-foot-6 North Cross senior A.D. Banks announced Tuesday that he will sign with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Banks played two seasons at Patrick Henry before transferring to North Cross after the 2007-08 season had begun, repeating his sophomore year.

He averaged 19 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots last season as a junior for the Raiders, who lost to Word of Life in the quarterfinals of the VIS Division III tournament.

Banks was named second-team All-Timesland last season. At Patrick Henry, he made The Roanoke Times Sizzlin' Sophomore team in 2006-07 in a group that included two players now at Division I schools -- Hidden Valley's Ben Boggs (Virginia Tech) and William Fleming's Jamelle Hagins (Delaware).

Banks said he chose Chattanooga over offers from Akron, UNC Greensboro, Western Carolina, Appalachian State and South Carolina Upstate. He said he took official visits to UTC and Western Carolina.

"I pretty much wanted to go to Chattanooga because of their coaches," Banks said. "I visited Western Carolina because I just wanted to see it. I really liked the coaches at Chattanooga and the town."

NCAA rules require all prospective Division I athletes to complete 16 core classes in four years of high school to attain freshman eligibility.

Banks, who needed to complete his 16 core classes by the end of the 2008-09 school year, said Tuesday he lacks one course and indicated he will need a waiver from the NCAA to be eligible at Chattanooga in 2010-11.

"They're telling me I need an appeal or something," Banks said.

Banks also said he is just below the NCAA's minimum standards for grade point average and standardized test scores.

"I'm taking the SAT again," he said. "I think I'll make it."

Banks, who has a 21-month-old son, Asean, said he dug himself into an academic hole at PH.

"There were a lot of things going on that got my mind off school," Banks said. "North Cross has done a lot for me."

Knights' Henderson narrows list to four

Cave Spring's 6-foot-11 senior center Josh Henderson has trimmed his recruiting list to four schools -- Davidson, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and Virginia -- Knights' basketball coach Billy Hicks said Tuesday.

Henderson has eliminated Maryland, where his father, David, played from 1976-80.

Hicks said Henderson has an official visit scheduled this weekend to Davidson, which reached the East Region final in 2007-08. Henderson already has taken official visits to Vanderbilt and Wake Forest.

Davidson coach Bob McKillop and Vandy coach Kevin Stallings already have made home visits to Henderson, who led Cave Spring to the VHSL Group AA Division 3 championship in March.

Injuries taking toll on Timesland teams

Floyd County quarterback Matt Hollandsworth suffered a broken collar bone in Friday night's 24-12 loss to Fort Chiswell and will be out for the remainder of the football season, Buffaloes coach Winfred Beale said.

Northside running back Wardel Penn-Timity has a torn knee ligament and will miss the rest of the season, Vikings coach Burt Torrence said.

Cave Spring tight end Eric Jacobsen fractured a metatarsal bone in his foot and sprained an ankle during the Knights' Sept. 18 victory over Patrick Henry, his father, Craig, said. Jacobsen received an initial prognosis that he would miss 4-6 weeks.

Alleghany quarterback Dakota Nicely suffered a high ankle sprain Friday against Cave Spring and will be out for at least two games, Mountaineers coach Jack Baker said.

George Wythe lineman Drew Lester had an MRI scheduled Monday to determine the extent of a knee injury from Friday's loss at home to Giles, Maroons coach H.S. Ingo said. Lester likely will miss this week's game against Fort Chiswell, Ingo said.

Blacksburg to defend Metro XC crowns

Blacksburg's girls will shoot for their fifth straight title, while the Bruins' boys are going for their fourth crown in a row in the 36th Metro Invitational cross country meet at Green Hill Park.

The boys course record was set in 2007 by Blacksburg's Peter Dorrell at 15 minutes, 37.25 seconds. Glenvar's Megan Marsico set the girls record last year in 17:45.75.

The girls race begins today at 5 p.m., followed by the boys race.