Another week and another quarterback prospect emerges for Maryland.

Late last week, the Terps offered a scholarship to Kernersville, N.C., quarterback Danny O’Brien, who promptly named UM as one of his leaders.

“Maryland told me they would offer me (Friday),” O’Brien said. “After they saw me play I called Coach Franklin and he said he felt good about offering. He talked to Coach Friedgen and they called my coach this morning. They said the offer would be in the mail.

“I’m pumped, they’re definitely one of my top schools. They and Duke are the two in the clear lead right now. Now that they’ve offered it’s really solidified them at the top. Coach Franklin runs a pro-style offense and that appeals to me a lot. He’s had a lot of success wherever he’s been, and Coach Friedgen is a great guy.”

• Penn State picked up commitments from two Maryland prospects this week, both of whom had offers from the Terps. Gaithersburg defensive end Sean Stanley and Oxon Hill wide receiver Brandon Felder both pledged to the Nittany Lions on Tuesday.

“I just wanted to be part of the Penn State tradition,” Felder said Tuesday. “I was impressed with the staff, and it’s a great school academically.”

• DeMatha offensive tackle Pete DeSouza, who sports a Terps offer, had good things to say about Maryland’s staff in this Yahoo Sports article.

“I’ve been impressed with Maryland because I’ve been there,” he said. “I enjoy being around them, the coaches and staff. I haven’t been to other campuses.

“I like Coach Friedgen and Coach Bratten. I think they are real. They are honest about what they think and their opinions.”

• Eleanor Roosevelt linebacker/defensive end Isaiah Ross has two teammates headed to Penn State, but the 6-foot-2, 235-pounder currently has Maryland as one of his leaders.

“I’ve got offers from Maryland and Buffalo,” he said. “I like both of those schools. Maryland is close to home and two of my former teammates are heading to Buffalo. I like both schools.”

• Philadelphia running back Rob Hollomon told Yahoo Sports that he’ll probably visit College Park for camp this summer.

“I’d say my favorites are UConn, North Carolina State, Rutgers, Pitt, and I’ll probably go with Maryland,” he said.

“I’ve been hearing from some Division I and Division I-AA programs like Akron, Villanova, Temple, UConn, Pitt, Rutgers and Buffalo. I believe I’m going to the Maryland camp, Villanova, FDU, Pitt, Connecticut, and I think I might go to Temple. I may go to a few more down south like North Carolina State and Clemson.”

• The [Charleston, S.C.] Post and Courier has updates on Matthews, N.C., linebacker Hawatha Bell, Gastonia, N.C., wide receiver Jheranie Boyd and Fort Walton Beach, Fla., linebacker Matt Coffee, all of whom claim Maryland offers, according to The Post and Courier.

Basketball links

• Plainfield, N.J., coach Pete Vasil told ZagsBlog this week that 2010 point guard Isaiah Epps will take an unofficial visit to Maryland June 24-25.

"There's a camp going on," Vasil said.

Maryland recently offered the 6-foot-2 Epps and told Vasil they're targeting him to be their lead guard in the Class of 2010.

• The Sun’s Rick Maese has an interesting column in today’s paper on a new service that performs extensive background checks on recruits for interested colleges.

The colleges ensure each academically qualifies, but most don't do thorough background checks on every recruit. That's part of the reason Maryland offered a basketball scholarship to Tyree Evans last month without knowing the extent of his criminal history.

• Maryland is one of many DI schools watching Spotsylvania, Va., power forward Josh Hairston, but according Fredericksburg.com, a visit to College Park hasn’t been scheduled for next month.

Hairston has received scholarship offers from Virginia, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Georgetown and Ohio State. He has unofficial visits set up next month at all of those schools except Maryland, but he also has another unofficial visit scheduled for Duke.

• Walbrook small forward Roscoe Smith sat out the spring AAU season to concentrate on academics, but that didn’t matter to Scout.com, which recently ranked him the No. 15 player in the 2010 class.

Our last guy in is Roscoe Smith. Absent from the AAU circuit this spring, his resume was bolstered this winter at Walbrook High School.

According to The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, Kansas has joined Smith’s list of suitors.

It seems Bill Self and Co. were busy over the holiday weekend. According to Rivals.com, KU has offered Roscoe Smith, a 6-foot-7 small forward from Baltimore in the class of 2010 …

For those that missed it ...

This is an update I added to Wednesday’s blog entry about Latay Darden.

I received a report Wednesday that Darden had not been cleared by the NCAA clearinghouse. I spoke with Branch about this, and he claimed there was a mix-up with Darden's social security number and birth date on one of the forms. So, Darden hasn't been cleared just yet. Either way, Maryland hasn't offered, and probably wouldn't unless everything was settled with the clearinghouse. It's wait-and-see at this point.

My apologies to the readers for the confusion. Believe me, I’m just as confused about the original quotes from Branch as you probably are.

Programming note

I’ll be out of town until Tuesday, so unless something crazy happens, I probably won’t have another blog entry until Wednesday.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
                    

The Towson men’s basketball team will take on a new look next season with the addition of six players to its roster.

The Tigers signed two recruits last fall -- Mount Carmel point guard Troy Franklin and Allegany College of Maryland forward Calvin Lee.

Towson also adds four players that redshirted last season -- sophomore combo guard Brian Morris, a transfer from Richmond, freshman forward Ricardo Brown, and twin brothers Jarrel Smith and Jimmy Smith, both of whom transferred from Colorado State.

Towson coach Pat Kennedy spoke with Recruiting Report recently about the Tigers’ new additions.

Talk about the two new guys you’re bringing in, and the four redshirted players that will be eligible this year.

I’d term this the most important recruiting class since I’ve been here, obviously because it is year four and we need to turn a corner, but most importantly because of the quality of guys. We’ve upgraded the quality of our team.

We’re going to have two freshmen, one of which is Troy Franklin, the 5’11 point guard out of Mount Carmel, the hometown product who had a terrific senior year. He was one of those kids that we think is going to have a terrific four-year career. He visited St. Bonaventure, Central Florida and ourselves, so the significance of that is competing against the Atlantic 10 and Conference USA. So he was probably one of our best and highest ranked recruits.

The other player for the freshman class will be Ricardo Brown, who’s really a recruit from a year ago, but he sat out to bolster his academics. Ricardo is 6’5, a powerful, powerful guy. Those two guys will be our freshman class.

We’ll have three sophomore transfers who we think will have ... a very strong impact right away. These are guys we recruited, but really weren’t able to get when we first recruited them. We got them on the second go around.

Brian Morris is a 6’6 point guard out of the University of Richmond. He played the most minutes [on the team] his freshman year at Richmond, and we see him as a very important recruit. He can play any position. He’s got 3 years to play. When you have a freshman and sophomore backcourt like Troy Franklin and Brian Morris, it’s pretty neat.

The next two youngest [newcomers] are Jarrel Smith, a 6’7 youngster from Los Angeles that transferred from Colorado State. He’s going to be a major impact player in our conference, maybe like a Junior Hairston-type impact. His twin brother, Jimmy Smith, is 6’5 and he can play the 1, 2 or 3. Both will be sophomores.

And then we recruited Calvin Lee, a 6’8 youngster from the famed Allegany Community College. They didn’t have a great year, but they’ve got great tradition going back to Stevie Francis. But we’re really excited about Calvin. He’s a prototypical forward, can play inside and out. He’s really still developing, but he posted really good numbers -- 18 points and eight or nine rebounds.

So those are the six new players for us. So it’s undoubtedly our largest recruiting class. Quite frankly, there was so little to sell at Towson [when I first started here]. We had no one coming to the games, no radio, no television. We were really short on things to sell, but we were really fortunate to get Gary Neal and Dennard Abraham, then Josh Thornton, Junior Hairston. But we think these new six guys collectively will start taking us to the level where we need to be. I’m very excited about it and they’re a great bunch of kids.

What do you expect from Franklin in his freshman year?

I really am excited about Troy. I’ve had a lot of outstanding four-year guards that have had a lot of wins. Troy’s as quick as any player I’ve ever coached -- I put him in the same category as Charlie Ward at Florida State and Rashon Burno at DePaul. He’s quick as a cat. He’s a game-changer, a jet with the ball in his hands. He makes good decisions, so we expect a major impact from him right away. He’ll be in the rotation, there’s no doubt about that.

How important is it to land a Baltimore product like Franklin?

There’s no question [it’s important]. We’ve gotten some really good Baltimore, local players that we’re really excited about. People say we’ve got a few here and a few there. Now we’re seeing it consistently. Troy will be a Towson graduate in four years, and then he can tell another [Baltimore] point guard four years from now, ‘I picked Towson, stayed home and had a great career.’

What does Lee bring to the table? What do you expect from him?

The nice thing here is the fact that he went to a junior college in Maryland -- a great community college program with great tradition. And he’s a local youngster out of the state of Virginia. ... [But Calvin] is 6'8 and still developing. We’ve got to put some beef on him, but he’s tremendously athletic, can rebound, block shots and he’s also a very good mid-range scorer and shooter. We expect him to be a key contributor his first year.

Who was your main competition for Lee?

For him there was a lot [of competition] because a lot of the time with those kids, they’re signing late. We convinced him to sign early. But he had Duquesne, Wichita State, South Carolina [recruiting him]. Those three and LaSalle -- those are the ones that stand out, but there were a lot of schools sniffing around. He had a good, solid core early on and we just recruited the heck out of him to sign early and [have him] concentrate on his academics [in junior college], which he did.

How did you convince the Smith twins to leave the West Coast for Towson?

They were not necessarily recruited like Brian and Ricardo. These two guys came by way of my own background. Jimmy and Jarrel’s father, Jimmy Smith Sr., who’s a great guy -- he writes a lot of commercials, he’s a writer -- he’s a very close friend of George McCloud. [McCloud] played for me at Florida State and played in the NBA. He, of course, was not involved in the recruiting process, but he turned me on to the fact that the two kids were leaving Colorado State. The longer you do this, the longer you get those kinds of referrals. And of course you do your homework and call and check on these kids, which we did.

They went around and visited a bunch of places [after leaving Colorado State]. Oregon, Oregon State, Southern Cal. My point with Jimmy and Jarrel is that they visited a lot of different schools on their own dime. But I think the big key on them was their father wanted them to be very comfortable because they had such a bad experience at Colorado State, and I think knowing the mutual friendship was a more personal thing.

Who did you beat out for Brown and how has he progressed during his first year at Towson?

Ricardo really would have to be ranked as one of our top recruits since we’ve been here. He worked on his academics and did really solid work. Coming out of high school, he was a top five player, I thought, in the state of Pennsylvania. He’s strong as an ox and can play inside-out for us. The schools hot on him were LaSalle, Drexel and I want to say VCU. He was actually eligible by NCAA standards, but we sat him out for a year to get much stronger academically. [We’ll sit a kid out a year] if it makes more sense to concentrate on academics, as long as other people in the family support it, and in our case it worked out very well. The great thing about Ricardo is that he’s a year older and a year stronger. He’s a big-time athlete. You’ll see him. He’s still very raw -- he almost looks like a middle linebacker. He’s a high-level Division I athlete.

How did you land Morris the second time around?

Well Brian was my top recruit when he was coming out of high school. I loved Brian Morris. He visited West Virginia, LaSalle, Towson and Richmond. Those were his four visits. That unto itself tells you the level of player he is. ... If you do a good job of recruiting a youngster and they feel they were treated properly, if all of a sudden it doesn’t work out at the other school -- I always believe not to burn bridges. So it just didn’t work out at Richmond, and he played the most minutes on the team as a freshman, and I think he might’ve led the team in 3-pointers. But they ran that Princeton offensive system, and he’s really a 6'6 lead guard and more of an up-tempo style suits him well.

Has your progress on the court made recruiting easier? Have you seen a big difference on the recruiting trail in your four years?

I think it’s a collective progress. When I got here the youngsters knew my background. They were a little curious on why Coach Kennedy comes to Towson. Then they see our program, then all of sudden we’re on WBAL and now we’re building a new arena. Gary Neal is over in Europe doing really great, and so is Dennard Abraham. We didn’t have a bunch of knock-your-socks off results, but kids could see legitimate improvements and positives in our program. And we recruited hard. Troy Franklin, every time he played, we were there. Central Florida wanted him bad as their lead guard. So I think it’s a collective progress. Just the whole thing at Towson has been so exciting. But know we’ve got to make some major steps. And I think these guys will make a difference.

Sun photo of Pat Kennedy by Glenn Fawcett

Posted by Matt Bracken at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
                    

Progressive Christian Academy forward Latay Darden got some good news late last week on the academic front, according to his coach.

Now the 2008 prospect is hoping for some good news regarding where he’ll play college basketball.

“He has an unofficial visit to Maryland [Wednesday] morning. They really want him,” said Progressive Christian head coach Russell Branch. “He just went through [the NCAA] clearinghouse and was cleared. Now Indiana wants him. Marquette is also talking really good right now. They’re talking about the kid coming in and playing right away.”

Branch said Darden, a 6-foot-8 forward, averaged 15 points, 13 rebounds, 11 blocks and four steals per game this season for PCA, which played a schedule composed of some of the top prep school basketball teams in the country.

According to Branch, the clearinghouse issue, which involved a few classes Darden took at a school in Houston, slowed the PCA standout’s recruitment. But Branch was always confident the issue would be resolved.

“It was nothing because [Darden] knew it was going to clear regardless,” Branch said. “I’ve known the kid since he was 13 and I told him it was etched in stone [that he would get through the clearinghouse]. Sometimes it just takes awhile to clear certain kids.”

Maryland hasn’t presented Darden with an official offer just yet, but if the UM staff does tender a scholarship and Darden accepts, Branch predicts big things for the Terps.

“If they get Latay Darden, they should contend for a national championship,” Branch said. “That’s how good the kid is, and I’m not talking about offensive-wise, I’m talking about defensively. He’s 6-8 and very athletic. With Gus Gilchrist on offense and Latay Darden on defense, they should make it to the Final Four.”

After Wednesday’s meeting with the Maryland staff, Darden and Branch will discuss Darden’s options and come to a decision soon after.

“No more than three weeks,” Branch said. “Hopefully it’s Maryland.”

• It’s looking more likely that Terps commitment Jin Soo Kim will reclassify and join Maryland’s 2008 recruiting class.

According to Owen Finberg, Kim’s coach at South Kent (Conn.) School, the 6-foot-8 small forward has completed the necessary coursework to graduate from high school and be eligible to enroll as a college freshman for the 2008-09 academic year.

“[Kim’s] been handling his own situation,” Finberg said. “Once he decided what he wanted to do, I was there to support him, but I haven’t had any direct contact [with the Maryland staff recently]. He just needs to get [his SAT results back] and then he’s going to be all set.”

So how likely is it that Kim joins Maryland for its upcoming season?

“I would say it’s a very strong probability,” Finberg said.

Update: I received a report Wednesday that Darden had not been cleared by the NCAA clearinghouse. I spoke with Branch about this, and he claimed there was a mix-up with Darden's social security number and birth date on one of the forms. So, Darden hasn't been cleared just yet. Either way, Maryland hasn't offered, and probably wouldn't unless everything was settled with the clearinghouse. It's wait-and-see at this point.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
                    

If there were any doubts about Jonathan Perry’s ability to play quarterback at the next level, the Dunbar standout erased those thoughts two months ago in Akron, Ohio.

At Scout.com’s 7-on-7 passing tournament in March, Perry quarterbacked the Maryland team to the championship, throwing eight touchdowns in six games.

“That was fun because we played against the top juniors across the nation,” Perry said. “Logan Heastie, the wide receiver that committed to West Virginia and [W.Va. quarterback commitment] Tahj Boyd, we shut them down. People down there underestimated us because we were a lot smaller, but no team was athletic enough for us.”

Since the 7-on-7 tournament, Perry and his Dunbar teammates have played host to a number of college coaches. Perry, 6 feet 3, 193 pounds, spoke with Recruiting Report recently about his recruitment.

What’s the latest on your recruiting?

UConn came down [to Dunbar] and it seems like they’re interested. Illinois has been down. I’ve just got to get bigger, improve on my grades and go to a couple college camps. And Maryland said they liked me a lot, too.

Do you think any schools might be close to offering?

I think the closest one is Connecticut. [UConn offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Rob Ambrose] came in, sized me up and said that I could play quarterback. ... But I guess I’ve got to keep my grades up. If I keep my grades up, he can keep recruiting me. He’s one of the realest coaches I’ve met. Rob Ambrose, he came in and was straightforward.

What are you doing to make sure you’re fully qualified?

I’ve been taking SAT classes. ... Hopefully I’ll just keep taking it and get a higher score. I have SAT prep every Tuesday and Thursday, so I’m just keeping my head in the books. I have a tutor. I was taking some classes at Dunbar -- we had some students from Johns Hopkins helping us out, but now I’ve got a one-on-one tutor.

Has it been fun going through the recruiting process with your teammates?

When most coaches come in, I’m in there with all those guys -- Tevin [Brown], Sean [Farr], Tavon [Austin] and Gary [Onuekwusi] -- we’ve got the big five. One of our defensive lineman is starting to hear from schools like Tennessee, James Madison. I’ve been talking to James Madison, too. But the process is just fun. It’s just like a dream, [the possibility of] just playing college football.

Has there been any talk from coaches about trying you at a position other than quarterback?

[West Virginia defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel] asked me what I would want to play in college and I told him quarterback because I’ve been playing quarterback all my life. He didn’t say any particular position, he just asked. ... I know I’ve got the ability [to play quarterback]. But as long as I’m getting on the field, I’ll go to receiver or the secondary -- as long as I’m getting a free education.

Credit: Sun photo by Kim Hairston

Posted by Matt Bracken at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

The April commitment from C.J. Brown hasn’t stopped Maryland from pursuing additional 2009 quarterbacks.

According to The [Charleston, S.C.] Post and Courier, the Terps recently offered Morgan Newton, a quarterback from the Indianapolis area.

Maryland and Florida are recent offers for QB Morgan Newton (6-5, 215) of Carmel, Ind., giving him a total of 16, including USC and Clemson. Newton said last week the Gamecocks and Tigers "probably" will make it when he cuts down his list. USC's Reaves watched Newton practice last Monday. "Hopefully, he got to see what he wanted to see," Newton said. Clemson quarterbacks coach Rob Spence visited the school earlier in the spring. Coaches from Maryland, Nebraska and Penn State came through late last week, and he has talked with Florida head coach Urban Meyer. Newton said he does not have favorites and is not planning to attend any camps this summer.

The above-linked article also contains notes on two other reported UM targets -- Gastonia, N.C., wide receiver Jheranie Boyd and Tucker, Ga., defensive lineman Deion Roberson.

• Windsor, N.C., offensive tackle Travis Bond picked up two new offers recently, one of which was from Maryland.

“Michigan and Maryland offered me, but that’s about it for right now,” he said. “I don’t have any favorites right now. This summer I’m probably going to go to five or ten one-day camps but I’m not sure where yet.”

He said he gets along with coaches from all of the schools that have recruited him so far. Michigan and Maryland join schools like North Carolina, NC State, South Carolina and East Carolina to have offered Bond.

• Maryland and West Virginia are the two schools to offer Jefferson Hills, Pa., offensive tackle Pat Eger, which puts the Terps and Mountaineers in the driver’s seat.

“I got an offer from Maryland the other week,” he said. “I mean, West Virginia and Maryland are my offers right now so I’d say they’re my favorites.

• The recruitment of Edmondson athlete Carroll Washington is starting to take shape. Washington, who plays quarterback for the Red Storm, is waiting on his first offer, but has Maryland and West Virginia as his early leaders.

“Maryland is because they are recruiting me as a defensive back and I have a high chance of playing as a freshman there. West Virginia it is because of their facilities and the offense. I think I’d fit great in that offense.”

• DeMatha linebacker Raheem Caldwell told Yahoo! Sports this week that he expects his recruitment to pick up steam soon.

“I actually just got my highlight film out and should start hearing back,” he stated. “I really like Maryland, Hawaii, Virginia, Illinois and Virginia Tech. I would say Oregon and Missouri are up there.

• The latest Recruiting Spotlight video from washingtonpost.com looks at Whitman quarterback/wide receiver/defensive back Anthony Young-Wiseman, who will camp at Maryland this summer. Click here to watch the video.

Basketball links

• Tyree Evans’ JUCO coach could be leaving Motlow State (Tenn.) Community College for the Mid-American Conference.

The third member of Kent State's staff has not yet been hired, but Motlow State Community College head coach Bobby Steinburg appears to be the leading candidate.

• Former Terps target Greg Echenique will get an early start on his college career at Rutgers. The St. Benedict’s Prep (N.J.) center recently reclassified his eligibility status from 2009 to 2008.

"Gregory had a choice of returning for a fifth year of high school or going to college and moving on to his college life and he felt like it was in his best interest to begin college and he felt like he was physically and mentally and emotionally prepared," St. Benedict's coach Dan Hurley said Tuesday by phone.

• Virginia power forward Deshawn Painter reportedly claimed a Maryland offer, but last weekend he committed to Florida.

"That relieves a lot of pressure, and now he can concentrate on improving his game," [AAU coach Boo] Williams said. "It's a good fit and a win-win for both Florida and DeShawn."

Posted by Matt Bracken at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
                    

The powers that be behind the 2009 basketball recruiting rankings have been paying attention to the improvements in Dante Taylor’s game.

After averaging 18 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks per game during his junior season at National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, and playing to high acclaim this spring on the AAU circuit, Taylor was recently awarded with a pair of lofty rankings courtesy of two recruiting sites.

Scout.com now has Taylor as its No. 19 player in the country, while Rivals.com ranks the 6-foot-9, 225-pounder the No. 26 player for 2009.

NCA head coach Trevor Brown said it’s tough not to notice rankings that high.

“I mean, we kind of keep up with it because he’s kind of in that McDonald’s [All-American] range,” Brown said. “To him, it’s not that big of a deal, but when you get up in that range, it kind of becomes a big deal. ... When you start getting up in the [No.] 25 range, then you start talking about things [happening] for you.”

The interest in Taylor goes beyond the recruiting services. According to Brown, so many schools have shown interest and offered scholarships that it’s been difficult to keep track.

“He has a lot of offers,” Brown said. “Maryland, Kansas, Pittsburgh, Miami, Kentucky. He’s got a lot of them -- too many to name. Pretty much most of the Big East and ACC.”

Brown said Taylor has stayed humble throughout the recruiting process, focusing more on improving his ball-handling and mid-range game than which new school has come through with an offer.

“I mean he handles [recruiting] well,” Brown said. “Most of it goes through me anyway -- I’ve been in this business for a while now. I just don’t let everybody talk to the kids and call the kids and all that. That gets kind of crazy. So if five schools call today and say they’re interested in Dante Taylor, I’ll let him know which schools they are and he’ll say ‘yes [I’m interested]’ or ‘no [I’m not].'”

While Brown handles the phone calls, Taylor will work on putting together a list of schools he’d like to visit. The visits, according to Brown, will have to be taken before Taylor arrives at a decision and makes a commitment.

“It won’t be before the end of the summer,” Brown said. “He’s going to take visits and all that. I think it’s important for kids to take visits. You just never know. You might think you like a school and that coach might sound really good on the phone. Then you go visit the school and it’s not what you thought it was. So I encourage all of them to take their visits, and it’s going to be the same for him.”

This weekend, Taylor and his NCA teammates will travel to North Carolina for the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions. NCA assistant Bob Brooks said the tournament will be another opportunity for Taylor to show scouts that their high rankings were correct.

“He’s made a big jump already,” Brooks said, “but I think he’ll keep striving to be the No. 1 guy. He just wants to keep getting better. That’s Dante.”

Posted by Matt Bracken at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
                    

Lynetta Kizer doesn’t expect anything to be handed to her.

After competing for a spot on the USA Basketball Under-18 National Team next month in Colorado Springs, Colo., Kizer will join a Maryland women’s team attempting to replace the contributions of Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper.

With those departures from the Terps’ frontcourt, playing time appears readily available. But according to Kizer, nothing is a given.

“They didn’t tell me anything as far as starting or anything,” Kizer said. “All the conversations I’ve had with the coaching staff [are about] how hard I work is going to determine the playing time. But they definitely said I was going to get minutes off the bat. But I’m just going to have to work hard to get the starting role with Drey Mingo already there and Demauria Liles coming in, so I’m just going to work hard.”

Since the winter, Kizer has done just that. She said she’s lost 27 pounds, and is getting more excited by the day to suit up for the Terps.

“Sometimes I’m kind of like, ‘I’m ready to go,’ and sometimes it’s like right around the corner, and I have to fill some big shoes,” Kizer said. “But the hard work needs to be put in now, and you can’t stop it from coming. ... I can’t wait.”

Here’s an introduction to Kizer.

Name: Lynetta Kizer
Birthdate: 4/4/90
Birthplace: Fort Belvoir, Va.
Hometown: Woodbridge, Va.
Nickname: Yah-Yah
Height: 6 feet 3
Weight: 232
Position: Power forward, center
High School: Potomac (Va.) High School
Senior statistics: 20.6 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, 2.5 assists and 2 steals per game
Runner-up: Duke or Rutgers
Other schools considered: North Carolina, Virginia
Favorite pro basketball player: Kevin Durant
Favorite pro basketball team: Denver Nuggets
Favorite music: Lupe Fiasco, Jay-Z, Kanye West
Favorite book: Harry Potter
Favorite movie: Four Brothers
Favorite TV show: Law and Order
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite high school class: Math -- Algebra 2
Favorite thing about College Park: “The atmosphere, the coaches and the people.”
Hobbies: “Shopping, hanging out with my friends, listening to music.”
Intended major: Undecided
Something that not many people know about you: “I like to write poetry a little bit.”
Best basketball moment: “Beating Stonewall this year. I hit a game-winner to go to regionals.”
Role model: “My mom, pretty much because she works really hard.”
Why Maryland? “I want to say because they’ve kind of been there the whole time with me. They’ve been recruiting me since they showed interest in me in my eighth-grade year. They didn’t just start showing interest when everyone else started recruiting me. And the players have always kept in contact with me and they didn’t hassle me like some of the other colleges did. They kind of gave me my space throughout the whole recruiting process.”

• Click here to read a recap of Kizer's senior season.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

After rushing for 1,300 yards and 20 touchdowns during his junior season, River Hill running back/slot receiver Malek Redd was optimistic that scholarship offers would begin to arrive.

That hasn’t happened yet, but the 5-foot-6, 171-pounder has taken important steps this spring to make sure the offers do eventually come through. For Redd, one of those steps took place about a week and a half ago on the campus of Rutgers.

“I just actually went to the Big Time Showcase combine up in New Jersey and I ran a 4.35, hand-timed [40],” Redd said. “I’ve been training with my coach and I’ve been running 4.3s, but I just hadn’t run it at camps. ... So I was really excited because I had the top time at the camp.”

Redd spoke with Recruiting Report recently about the importance of combine and camp experiences in his recruitment.

What’s the latest on your recruiting?

Actually, UNLV apparently is going to offer soon and I’ve been keeping in contact with West Virginia and a lot of other coaches -- Syracuse, Temple, and I actually visited Connecticut a couple weeks ago. ... I’ve also been talking to [Tony White] the linebackers coach at New Mexico.

How did New Mexico get involved in your recruitment?

Because [coach White] was at UCLA and I was at their camp last year and he was the linebackers coach. I was doing really well against the linebackers there. So he asked me for my contact info. Then he went from UCLA to New Mexico.

Do you expect to receive an offer from New Mexico?

He said that they’re kind of waiting to offer, but they’re definitely going to because they have a lot of big receivers and they need a small, speedy guy.

What have the West Virginia coaches been telling you?

I was talking to the coach at West Virginia and they just want me to come to camp. Because with guys like me, all they have to do is get the ball in my hands and I just go.

Which camps do you plan on attending this summer?

Actually, we have a whole schedule. Boston College, Syracuse, Temple, West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio State, Oregon and Akron.

Since you’re traveling to Oregon for camp, and receiving interest from New Mexico and UNLV, would you be comfortable going to a school out west?

Yeah, I’m going to go wherever it’s the best fit for me because I travel out west a lot. My stepfather’s a boxing manger and he has a lot of fighters in California.

What have coaches been saying you need to do to receive offers?

Just a lot of coaches have been talking to me and telling me they want me to come to their prospect camps. The regular camps are still teaching kids. Prospect camps are the big-time camps for top prospects that they may offer. I just want to go up against those guys.

What are the next camps on tap for you?

June 3 [I’ll be] at the Scout.com combine in Baltimore, and June 8 I’ve got the Wake Forest camp.

What are the chances that you end up at Wake Forest with River Hill teammate Michael Campanaro?

I think we’ll probably end up at separate schools. When we were freshmen and sophomores we kind of wanted to go to the same school, but now we’re just looking for the right fit for us.

Have you enjoyed the recruiting process?

I’ve enjoyed it, but I’m ready for the offers to start coming in. I’m ready to get it over with really.

Click on the YouTube player to see Redd’s junior highlights.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Four seniors from Towson Catholic’s MIAA A championship basketball team will continue their playing careers next year, coach Josh Pratt said today.

Point guard Larry Bastfield signed his letter of intent with Toledo last fall, but the Rockets went through a coaching change after the season. Stan Joplin was let go, and Notre Dame assistant Gene Cross was brought in as Joplin’s replacement.

Pratt said Bastfield met with Cross, and “everything’s good” as far as the coaching change is concerned.

Pratt said he isn’t sure if 6-foot-6 forward Brandon Greene has sent in his letter of intent yet, but his plans for next year are all set.

“He’s going to Robert Morris,” Pratt said. “[RMU head coach] Mike Rice really likes him. Brandon’s really excited for school and everything else.”

Terrell Bruce, a 6-foot-4 wing, will suit up for Missouri State University-West Plains, a junior college program that went 27-5 this season and finished the season ranked as the No. 18 NJCAA team in the nation.

“They just lost a 6’4 wing guard who’s going to Minnesota, so [Terrell’s] going to step in right away and play,” Pratt said. “I think it’s a good fit for him, as well.”

Vinny Breckinridge, a 6-foot guard, will spend the next year at The Patterson School, a prep school in Lenoir, N.C.

“[Going to prep school is] what he and his family wanted to do,” Pratt said. “I think it’s a good fit for him.”

Posted by Matt Bracken at 2:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

A quick scan of Penn State’s 2009 football recruiting class shows three commitments from Maryland -- Eleanor Roosevelt cornerback Derrick Thomas, and Lackey defensive backs Darrell Givens and Malcolm Willis.

The Altoona (Pa.) Mirror predicts that Willis, who was not offered by the Terps, could serve as a valuable recruiter in Maryland for the Nittany Lions.

An engaging personality, Willis might be to this year’s Nittany Lion class what Aaron Maybin was a couple of years ago -- a player who successful recruits future teammates. Even while he smiled about two of his friends joining him at Penn State, he went on to talk about how they were already trying to get others, like five-star Maryland linebacker Jelani Jenkins.

• There were two relevant Tavon Austin links this week. First, the Dunbar running back checked in with another installment of the Sun series, Recruiting Tavon Austin. In this piece, Austin recaps his time at last weekend’s Nike training camp at Penn State.

For the second link, TurtleSportsReport.com’s Jeff Ermann spoke with former UM linebacker Aaron Thompson, who is Austin’s cousin. Thompson said Austin’s not leaning anywhere right now, but the Terps are in solid shape.

“He still likes Maryland. The thing is, Maryland is home. Because Maryland is home I think that Maryland will be there to the end, because Tavon wants to be near his family and he likes coach Franklin,” said Thompson, whose Aunt is Austin’s mother.

• Fayetteville, N.C. athlete Everett Proctor has received offers from Maryland, East Carolina, N.C. State and Appalachian State, according to The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, but only the Mountaineers have offered him as a quarterback. If Proctor decides to go the athlete route, the Terps could be in great shape.

Appalachian State is the only school to have offered a scholarship and chance to play the quarterback position, which is what Proctor would prefer to do, according to [Jack Britt head coach Richard] Bailey. But Illinois, Georgia Tech and West Virginia are also considering him as a quarterback prospect. ...

Despite all the attention from other schools, Maryland remains as Proctor’s favorite. He grew up following the Terps and his father works in Washington, D.C.

• The stock of Tuscarora cornerback Dominic Clarke continues to rise. Clarke, who has offers from Maryland, Virginia, Navy and Richmond, spoke to Yahoo! Sports about his recruitment this week.

“I think Ohio State might be offering me soon, they really like me a lot,” he said. “If they offered that would be big. They are a name that speaks for itself.

“The Stanford coaches have come by the school as well. I’m also hearing from Connecticut, Rutgers and Duke.”

Later in the week, Clarke did pick up a Buckeyes offer, in addition to one from Boston College.

• The Washington Post’s latest Recruiting Spotlight video looks at Gaithersburg defensive end Sean Stanley, who sports offers from Maryland, Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and West Virginia among others. Click here to see the video.

Basketball links

• Sean Mosley’s still working hard to become academically qualified for Maryland, so The Diamondback checked in on his progress.

Mosley said he initially struggled with his test-taking skills and remembering basic algebra - which he hasn't studied in several years - more than anything. He worked with several teachers from St. Frances on developing his process-of-elimination skills.

"I just tried to find different ways to get to the answers," Mosley said.

• ESPN.com had scouts on hand for last weekend’s Southern Invitational Tournament on the campus of the University of Virginia, and Terps power forward target Dante Taylor was one of the event’s standout performers.

Dante Taylor had 17 points in the quarterfinals and the semis; he showed great mobility and athleticism for a big man. Taylor has the ability to use the spin move to get to the rim on the baseline. He displayed great footwork on the drop step and up-and-under moves in the paint. Taylor is a long 6-9, and he does a fine job challenging shots and crashing the glass. He has soft touch from the midrange and has even shown the ability to hit the occasional 3.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

Reality is setting in for Maryland women's commitment Jackie Nared.

About two months from now, Nared will make the 2,800-mile move from Beaverton, Ore., to College Park to begin her college basketball career.

In anticipation of her transition from high school to college, Nared's been hitting the weight room with Brenda Frese's workout program as her guide.

"I’m getting a little cut," Nared said. "My arms are getting stronger and I’ve gained a couple of pounds. ... It’s hard, but I’ve got to get ready."

Here's an introduction to Nared.

Name: Jacklin Nared
Birthdate: 8/20/90
Birthplace: Baltimore
Hometown: Silver Spring and Portland, Ore.
Nickname: Jackie
Height: 6’1
Weight: 150
Position: Forward
High School: Westview
Senior statistics: 23 points, 14 rebounds and four assists
Runner-up: San Diego State
Other schools considered: Gonzaga, Cal, Pepperdine
Favorite pro basketball player: Lisa Leslie
Favorite pro basketball team: Detroit Shock
Favorite music: Lupe Fiasco, Lil Wayne
Favorite book: The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Favorite movie: Love and Basketball
Favorite TV show: Fresh Prince of Bel Air
Favorite food: Burritos from Chipotle
Favorite high school class: English
Favorite thing about College Park: “I just like everything. It seems like a fun place."
Other high school sports: Volleyball (freshman and sophomore)
Hobbies: ""Basketball, shopping, hanging out with friends, going to movies, going bowling."
Intended major: Undecided
Something that not many people know about you: “That I like to cook. Breakfast food like pancakes, eggs and bacon.”
Best basketball moment: “Probably my sophomore year when I made the winning shot in a game against Century."
Role model: “My mom, probably, just because she’s a strong person and I just respect her a lot.”
Why Maryland? “Well, my family’s in Maryland. The ACC, it’s big time. Both my parents went there. It's like it was just calling my name when I was on my visit. There’s nowhere else I could want to go."

• Click here to read a profile of Nared.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

Things are just a little different now for River Hill athlete Michael Campanaro.

After verbally committing to Wake Forest last month, Campanaro sent e-mails to all the other coaches recruiting him, informing them of his decision and thanking them for their time.

So now, when college coaches come to River Hill, a visit with Campanaro isn’t on the agenda.

“A lot of coaches come by the school and stuff, and I'm always with my buddies [safety Leron Eaddy and running back Malek Redd], but I'm not getting pulled out of class anymore because I'm already committed.”

While recruiting is over for Campanaro, one part of his life that remains unchanged since he became a Demon Deacon is his participation in any nearby combine or training camp. Last weekend, the 5-foot-10, 180-pounder squeezed two events into his busy schedule.

“First we went to Rutgers for the [Big Time] Showcase and it was pretty fun,” said Campanaro, who rushed for 1,884 yards and scored 30 total touchdowns as a junior. “We just ran a 40 and then got to do one-on-one stuff. It was fun to be out there with the lights on.

“Then Saturday I was at the Nike camp [at Penn State]. I felt like I performed very well -- it was one of my best camps.”

Campanaro ran a 4.41 hand-timed 40 at Rutgers, which wasn’t a personal best, but a satisfying time nonetheless.

“I've done better than that,” Campanaro said, “but I would say I was pretty happy with it because I've put on more weight. I'm up to 180, so [I’ve put on] probably about a good 10, 12 pounds.”

While many prospects turn out for combines to get noticed by coaches, that’s obviously not the intent for Campanaro. Instead, he uses the platform to measure his game against other top wideouts and go toe-to-toe with some of the country’s top defensive backs.

“I think [I attend the camps to] just try to make myself get better, and just compete against the top guys on the East Coast and across the nation,” Campanaro said. “I just want to keep competing to make myself better. Before I know it, I'll be playing Division I football and everyone’s going to be really good -- bigger, stronger, faster -- so it's good going up against some of the top guys in the nation.”

Campanaro, who chose the Demon Deacons over North Carolina and Northwestern among others, said making his commitment so early in the process wasn’t a difficult decision. A few visits to Wake was all it took to convince The Sun’s Howard County offensive player of the year that Winston Salem, N.C. was the place for him.

“I think after I sat down with my family, I knew what offers were coming in and what schools were looking at me,” Campanaro said. “And I figured if I had these offers from these schools, would Wake still be the school? And I thought if I had Wake and all the offers in the country, Wake would still be the school.”

Now Campanaro, who will primarily play slot receiver in college, is trying to convince other area prospects that Wake Forest could be the right school from them as well.

“I'm starting to recruit myself and get some guys interested in Wake and helping out a little bit,” Campanaro said. “I know a few Maryland guys that I'd like to come down, get them down to camp. ... And guys I see on Wake's [Rivals and Scout sites], I'll hit them up on Facebook or something to see what they're thinking.”

Before attending Wake's camp this summer, Campanaro has a few more combines on tap for the spring. He’ll also suit up for River Hill’s 7-on-7 team.

While he’s entirely focused on his senior season at River Hill, Campanaro said he’s excited to go from one tight-knit football family to another.

“Right when I committed [to Wake Forest], all the coaches and players, they kind of brought me in and welcomed me to the family,” Campanaro said. “They really pride themselves on being a family and I already feel like a part of it.”

Credit: Sun photo of Michael Campanaro by Doug Kapustin

Posted by Matt Bracken at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)