BLACKSBURG -- To learn what is important to Virginia Tech point guard Malcolm Delaney, one need only look at some of his tattoos.

The names of his parents, who made sure he stayed out of trouble while growing up in Baltimore, are on his neck. Pat, short for Patricia, is on the left side. Vee, short for Vincent, is on the right.

Delaney, a freshman who graduated from Towson Catholic High School, has a tattoo on his arm of hands in prayer. He also has tattoos of a cross and an angel, as well as one of a basketball.

His personal philosophy of sorts can be seen in a saying on his left arm that reads, "The value of a warrior is not determined by tenure but rather by his dedication to the ideals of the tribe."

It's not a bad motto for the young Hokies this year, although he got the tattoo in high school. The tattoo also is a sign of the bond he has with his older brother and best friend, Vincent Jr., who has the same tattoo.

Delaney's confidence and hometown pride is displayed in a tattoo on his chest that features a Baltimore cityscape, "410" -- his area code -- and "Baltimore's Finest."

"I consider myself Baltimore's finest," said Delaney, whose team hosts Virginia at 1 p.m. today.

Close family

Delaney, 18, grew up in a row house in East Baltimore.

"A bad neighborhood," he said. "Crime, drugs -- everything you could think of, I've seen it all. ... [But] the drug dealers, when they see somebody doing something positive, they made sure I stayed away from it."

Delaney's favorite TV series is "The Wire," the HBO drama about cops and criminals in Baltimore.

"It tells the truth," he said.

Delaney, who was named after Malcolm X, is grateful he grew up in a two-parent home. His father is a social worker and his mother a day-care provider. His brother, who became a Division II football player at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass., was a positive influence as well.

"It's easy to just say, 'OK, I want some money. I'm going to go sell drugs.' " Delaney said. "But when you've got the right people around you, and you grew up the right way, it never comes in your mind to do it."

"There are certain rules that they have to be abide by -- there's no hanging on the corners," Delaney's father said.

The family had a basketball goal in the back yard. Delaney would test himself against Vincent Jr., who is four years older, or shoot by himself.

Delaney's father was a point guard at Voorhees College, an NAIA school in Denmark, S.C. The former AAU coach always had tips for his son.

"I could score like 30 points and he'll say, 'You could've had 40 if you'd have [done] this,' " Delaney said. "[But] he was never just negative."

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Delaney was a Towson Catholic and AAU teammate of current Syracuse freshman forward Donte Green. Delaney mainly played off-guard in high school and averaged 19 points as a senior. Green was a McDonald's All-American, but Delaney was named the Gatorade player of the year for the state of Maryland.

"I would have the ball in his hands in the fourth quarter," Towson Catholic coach Josh Pratt said of Delaney. "In crunch time, Malcolm would kind of take over."

Delaney signed with Tech in the fall of his senior year. He picked the Hokies over Memphis, Indiana and Iowa State because he wanted to stay close to home and make an impact as a freshman.

New role

Nigel Munson was supposed to succeed Zabian Dowdell as the starting point guard this season, but he opted to leave Tech last summer. So despite his shooting talents, Delaney would be needed more at point guard than off-guard this year.

Delaney began the season as fellow freshman Hank Thorns' backup at the point, but he took over the starting job in late December. He has started the past 10 games, and leads ACC freshmen in assists (3.3 apg).

"I like [point guard]. I didn't think I was going to," Delaney said. "I enjoy the game more playing point because you control a lot of the game. And I like the ball in my hands a lot."

Delaney, who shifts over to off-guard when he plays alongside Thorns, has helped the 13-8 Hokies climb to third place in the conference with a 4-3 league mark.

"He sees plays before they happen," coach Seth Greenberg said. "I'd like to play him off the ball more because he really has a great ability to make shots, but we need two point guards. Out of emergency, ... he's been extremely effective. ... The hardest thing is that he's got to know two positions."

Delaney averages 8.4 points, but he has become more of a scoring threat of late. He has rung up 13-point outings in four of his last six games.

"Coach has talked to me a lot about being more aggressive and attacking people -- on fast breaks, if the lane is open, attack the lane, take open shots," Delaney said.

When he takes the court to attack UVa today, Delaney's parents and brother will be in the stands.

They all have tattoos, too.

Delaney's brother gave him some advice on the subject two years ago before Delaney began getting them.

"I told him, 'Make sure each one has a meaning. Don't just get it because you see somebody else with it. Make sure it means something to you,' " Vincent Jr. said.