Chantilly, Virginia's Paul VI basketball program has been a dominant force in the region for years. Over the last 3 seasons alone, Head Coach Glenn Farello's teams have notched a combined record of 97-12, two WCAC titles, and three VISAA D1 championships. In 2024, PVI finished No. 1 in the MaxPreps basketball rankings with an 8-man rotation made up entirely of D1 talent. And now, Ben Hammond, the point guard at the center of that squad is on his way to Blacksburg.
Hammond announced his commitment Monday afternoon.
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Hammond's commitment comes on the heels of a game-changing visit to Blacksburg with his mother and father.
"The visit went great," Hammond said. "I love the coaching staff. It for sure felt like family. And the campus is beautiful."
The visit gave Hammond plenty to think about, and it wasn't long before a planned visit to Tennessee was set aside.
"When I came for the visit, and even before going on the visit, the coaching staff showed so much love," Hammond says. "It felt like a home away from home, to be honest- somewhere I'm surrounded by people who believe in me. A place where I can develop and be pushed."
"The message from VT in the recruitment was that I'm going to earn every minute I get on their team, and that they believe in me and need a tough guard like myself," he explains. "Also, it not being too far from home, my parents and family would be able to make a lot of the games."
Ultimately, as with most recruitments, relationships played a large role.
"The bond I built with Coach Young and the rest of the staff in such a short amount of time was something I felt was like a love-at-first-sight type of thing," Hammond says.
Underrecruited for much of his senior year, the former Rhode Island commit used April's Chipotle Nationals (formerly the National High School Invitational) to show college programs what they were missing. The top 8 high school programs in the country met in Brownsburg, Indiana, for a tournament that saw Paul VI go on a tear through their first two games before coming up short in the championship game against Cooper Flagg (Duke signee), Derik Queen (Maryland signee), and No. 1 ranked Monteverde Academy.
In the first round game against Khani Rooths (Michigan decommit), Donovan Freeman (Syracuse signee), and IMG, Hammond notched a double-double with 20 points on 66.6% shooting and 13 assists. Perhaps more impressively, he did it while committing zero turnovers. He followed up this performance with 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists against Link Academy in the semifinals and 7-3-6 in the championship game.
Hammond requested a release from his NLI on April 16 and immediately heard from a host of programs including Tennessee, Butler, Penn State, Iowa, DePaul, Providence, ODU, VCU, and many others.
Programs are attracted to many things about Hammond's game, but what stands out on tape apart from his shot making is his shiftiness, quickness, and his ability to disrupt opposing defenses through a combination of his burst, athleticism, and IQ.
While Hammond played with several teammates who enjoyed more national attention like Darren Harris (Duke signee), Patrick Ngongba (Duke signee), Isaiah Abraham (UConn signee), and Garrett Sundra (Notre Dame signee), they all benefited from Ben Hammond bringing the ball upcourt. Hammond's awareness and management of the game were instrumental in PVI's excellent 2023-24 season, and give a clear picture of how he fits the culture in Blacksburg.
"I love seeing my teammates succeed," says Hammond. "Therefore, me being the point guard, it's my job to get them going on the floor and get them involved. So, I just take pride in doing that because if they're playing well, I feel like it's going to make me look good, as well."
Hammond joins Gainesville PF Ryan Jones and Orlando SF Tyler Johnson as the third member of Virginia Tech's 2024 recruiting class.