[Chris Lang]

Certainly, but it's not posted yet ... it'll be updated in the morning (I hope).

[Sly Fox]

From the Charlottesville fishwrap:

Bannister headed to Liberty
Point guard cites opportunity to lead his own team

By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
August 16, 2006

T.J. Bannister isn’t going too far. As it turns out, about 70 miles down U.S. 29.

On Tuesday, Bannister told The Daily Progress that he is transferring to Liberty University.

“It’s an opportunity to be able to go in and run a team and play my game and feel comfortable,” Bannister said. “[Head coach Randy Dunton] said he’s going to put the ball in my hands and help give me my confidence back, which is something I lost at [UVa].”

Per NCAA transfer rules, Bannister - who would have been a senior at UVa - has to sit out the upcoming season. He won’t be eligible to play until the 2007-08 campaign.

Liberty, a member of the Big South Conference, is coming off a 7-23 season. The Flames lost to Virginia, 79-44, in their season opener at University Hall on Nov. 18.

Bannister will see at least one familiar face when he gets to Lynchburg: Liberty assistant coach Alexis Sherard. Sherard was an assistant under former Virginia coach Pete Gillen. He helped recruit Bannister out of Arlington Country Day in Jacksonville, Fla.

Bannister is coming off an injury-plagued season. The 5-foot-11 point guard played in just 16 of the team’s 30 games, averaging 13 minutes per contest, a career-low.

Bannister’s departure leaves Virginia thin in the backcourt. The Cavaliers have just one natural point guard on their roster - All-ACC First Team member Sean Singletary.

http://www.dailyprogress.com/servlet/Sa ... th=!sports

[Chris Lang]

Interesting. I couldn't get hold of T.J. at any point last night, so what I had was his dad saying he was "90 percent certain" T.J. was transferring to Liberty. Jeff White in Richmond had that Bannister going to Liberty was a strong possibility. Either way, the paperwork is expected to be completed today, so it'll be officially official then.

[jvegas14]

I don't know too much about T.J. I do know that the high school he played at, Arlington Country Day School, has become a basketball factory in Jacksonville and the state of Florida. They play in a lower division in Florida but at a very high level and dominate in national tournaments. They have a 7-footer (Jason Bennett) that was a top-five national recruit this year.

Either way, if LU gets this guy, they'll be getting a good one.

[Chris Lang]

Just got off the phone with T.J. ... says the paperwork is still coming together but it's pretty much done. Nice kid.

[SuperJon]

Liberty University head men’s basketball coach Randy Dunton has announced that T.J. Bannister has committed to the Flames just one day after the University of Virginia announced that he was transferring.

“T.J. Bannister has enrolled for the Fall term at Liberty University,” stated Dunton. “The fact that he started in 21 games at UVA speaks volumes about his talent. His positive assist-to- turnover ratio is reflective of his mental toughness, discipline and athletic ability. With Larry Blair finishing his career, it is beneficial to have a player of T.J.’s caliber and experience to impact the 2007-2008 season.”

Bannister, a guard from Jacksonville, Fla., played in only 16 games for the Cavaliers during the 2005-06 season because of an injury. He averaged 2.1 points, 2.3 assists, 1.3 rebounds and 13.0 minutes per game last season as a junior.

Bannister averaged 3.6 points, 3.1 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 18.7 minutes a game while appearing in 76 games over his three year career with the Cavaliers.

Bannister will be a senior during the 2007-08 season for the Flames after sitting out this season due to the mandatory NCAA transfer rule for Division I men’s basketball.

It's official.