Virginia Tech notes

Virginia Tech assistant basketball coach Stacey Palmore is leaving Blacksburg to become an assistant at Georgia.

Palmore, who spent five seasons at Tech under Seth Greenberg, said yesterday that he accepted the job Wednesday when new Georgia coach Mark Fox offered it.

"I wasn't looking to go, but it was an opportunity that presented itself and it was a thing that was very, very beneficial to my family," Palmore said.

Palmore's hometown, Greenwood, S.C., is about a two-hour drive from Athens, Ga. His 71-year-old mother, Annie, still lives there. Palmore and his wife, Arese, who is from Georgia, have a 2-year-old son, Jaden.

Palmore said he didn't know Fox at all before he contacted him about this job, but that Fox liked his experience recruiting in the Atlanta area.

"I don't have all the answers, but I have some experience recruiting down there in that area," Palmore said. "I think that was the draw."

Palmore recruited one of Tech's incoming freshmen: forward Manny Atkins, who is from Stone Mountain, Ga. Palmore said he spoke to Atkins' family members and is confident Atkins will be at Tech next season.

Greenberg, who just finished his sixth season at Tech, said he understood Palmore's decision and called Fox to put in a good word for Palmore. Fox got Greenberg's permission to speak with Palmore on Sunday.

"If it's best for him and his family, it's my place to support him and be 100 percent behind him," Greenberg said. "We're losing a coach, but he's always someone that will be very important to me and very important to Virginia Tech."

As Palmore heads to Georgia -- he starts Monday -- Greenberg will begin a search for a replacement.

"I'm gonna start thinking through the process," Greenberg said. "I'm not gonna rush into anything."

FOOTBALL

No evidence of NCAA violations with fliers

Virginia Tech's compliance director, Tim Parker, met yesterday with two football players whose images and names appeared on promotional fliers -- a potential NCAA rules violation. But after speaking with junior quarterback Tyrod Taylor and senior free safety Kam Chancellor, Parker said, "Right Now, we have no reason to believe there was any violation of NCAA rules at all."

That's because, based on Parker's conversation with the players, they did not know their images and names were going to be used to promote the events, and they did not receive any improper benefits at the events. Parker plans to speak with the man who the players said promoted the events, but at this point, he feels optimistic that the issue is resolved.