RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia Commonwealth University officially announced the signing of highly-rated point guard Ben Eblen during the early period Friday.

The 6-0, 185-pound Eblen, who attends the Florida Air Academy in Melbourne, Fla., is the No. 17 ranked senior point guard in the nation, according to scouthoops.com.

“We are very excited to have Ben join our family here at VCU,” said Rams’ Head Coach Anthony Grant. “He will be a tremendous addition to our program. He falls in line with our focus of finding the best student-athletes who will represent Virginia Commonwealth University and our basketball program. Ben will provide us with playmaking and leadership from the guard position. He also comes from a very successful high school program, so he values winning and understands what it takes.”

Eblen, originally from Isle of Palms, S.C., averaged 15 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals last season with Florida Air. He was instrumental in leading the Falcons to a 25-3 record and a Florida Class 3A State Championship as a sophomore in 2007. Last season, Eblen led Florida Air to a 21-7 mark and a regional finals appearance.

ESPN.com says of Eblen, “[He’s a] scrappy playmaker who really makes things happen. Great off the bounce and can really set up other guys. Makes the simple play. Others love to play with him. He’s a floor leader deluxe.”

Dave Telep of Scout.com praised the signing.

“He is a sum-of-all-parts point guard,” Telep told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “He has a lot of leadership qualities. . . . If you try to quantify all his physical attributes, it doesn’t matter. He’s just a winner.”