Wednesday marked the beginning of National Letter of Intent Week for high school seniors.

Tyrone Garland, a senior guard from John Bartram, signed a letter of intent to play at Virginia Tech. He had previously made an oral commitment to the Hokies in July, passing on La Salle, Temple and Nevada.

The 6-1, 170-pound guard averaged 28.9 points per game as a junior last season to lead the city in scoring. Garland was named to The Inquirer's All-Southeastern Pennsylvania Team as a second-team selection; was named a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, and is ranked the No. 26 point guard in the nation by Scout.com.

"Tyrone is a typical Philly guard," Virginia Tech Head Coach Seth Greenberg said. "He has a great feel for the game. He can score and make plays for his teammates. He is terrific off the dribble and shoots the ball with range. He is extremely competitive and is a young, rising senior. He is the type of player we have been able to win with here at Virginia Tech."

Another Philadelphia area senior, left-handed pitcher Jesse Biddle, will sign his letter of intent Thursday to play at the University of Oregon. Biddle was a first-team selection on the Inquirer's All Southeastern Pennsylvania Team.

He went 5-0 with a 0.64 ERA through 33 innings with 61 strikeouts while allowing only 7 hits. Biddle, a 6-5 220 pound southpaw, had orally commited to Oregon in the spring.