Omar Strong was definitely good enough to play Division I basketball after graduating from Douglass High last spring.

But Strong had work to do in the classroom, so the 5-foot-9 combo guard moved on to Cecil College in North East.

Strong, a two-time Baltimore Sun All-Metro selection who averaged 22 points per game last year, has put together a solid rookie campaign for the Seahawks.

“He’s having a good year,” Cecil coach Bill Lewit said. “I had no idea how hard he works and how hard he prepares to be a great player. He’s really diligent and very conscientious unlike a lot of freshmen coming in that rely on natural talent. He really works hard on preparing in everything from conditioning and drills to [the game itself]. His work ethic is extremely impressive.”

On Sunday, Strong scored 24 points to lead Cecil to an 89-75 victory over Howard Community College in the NJCAA Division II Region XX championship. Strong was named to the All-Tournament team.

Strong will lead the Seahawks (32-1) in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Danville, Ill., which begins March 19. He’s averaging around 15 points and 3.5 assists, while shooting 42 percent from the floor and 43 percent from 3-point range.

“A couple good schools will gamble and overlook his size,” Lewit told Recruiting Report last week. “There are a lot of things he still needs to improve on. No. 1 is his ability to play the point guard spot. He needs to really learn [to develop] his point guard skills. He’s not going to grow, but he can get physically stronger. But he’s made marked improvement since he came here in August.”

Lewit said Strong performed well in the classroom during the first semester, earning a GPA better than 3.0. Lewit said junior college recruiting really gets going during the summer before sophomore year, but he expects Strong’s profile to rise as the Seahawks’ postseason play continues.

“I think he’s moved himself right into being a bonafide mid-major player,” Lewit said.

Credit: Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston / March 8, 2008

Click on the YouTube player for Strong’s senior highlights.