Recruiting Report: Two Poly prospects will wait to sign - Terps, basketball, football and college recruiting news in the Baltimore area from Matt Bracken

Poly coach Renard Lewis isn’t afraid to admit that the Engineers' success this season will depend largely upon the effectiveness of two seniors -- forward Montray Clemons and combo guard Jeffrey Joynes.

“Definitely it’s pivotal,” Lewis said. “They are my two seniors I’m really going to be relying upon. I think they’re going to be up to the challenge. They’ve definitely been putting in a lot of work in the weight room and their games individually on their own. They’re just really focusing on winning this season and putting us in a position that we can get down to Comcast Center, which is a goal we set for ourselves. Our team is going to go as far as they take us.”

Clemons, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound small forward, is “at minimum, a mid-major Division I player” in Lewis’ opinion. Clemons played for Cecil Kirk this summer but tore a ligament in his knee in July. Although his AAU season was cut short, Lewis said many schools have expressed interest.

“He’s gotten some interest from the University of New Orleans, Quinnipiac, Mount St. Mary’s, Lehigh, UNLV, Texas A&M and Miami,” Lewis said. “I think they really want to see how he progresses because [of his injury].”

Lewis said Clemons, who averaged about 15 points and 10 rebounds per game as a junior, is completely recovered from his injury and looks better than ever on the court.

“I mean he’s more than back to normal,” Lewis said. “... He’s actually on the floor and putting on a show. This is probably the best that I’ve seen him look [in awhile]. I can really see the progression in terms of strength, the things he’s able to do on the floor and him being able to finish. At 6-7, he’s dunking all over the place and I really expect him to have a monster year.”

Joynes, 6-2, 205 pounds, is a “big, strong kid” that is a little more under the radar. Lewis thinks that could change this season.

“He’s starting to get some recognition,” Lewis said. “He played with Baltimore Assault for awhile and then just started working on his game [individually]. He’s starting to get some Division II inquiries. Everything is going to be predicated on our season and how productive he is. But at 6-2, with the ability that he has, he’s definitely a Division I player. I’d say low- to mid-major Division I.”

Joynes averaged around 13 points, six rebounds and four assists per game as a junior. He played mostly at the 2-guard spot last season, so Lewis’ goal for this year is developing Joynes’ point guard skills.

“We’re working with him on his ball-handling responsibilities at point guard this year,” Lewis said. “But he’s a kid that can flat-out shoot the ball. When he puts it on the floor going to the rack, nobody’s going to stop him because he’s such a strong guard. ... Offensively, we’d like to see him improve his ball-handling skills a little more and his point guard mentality. Those are the things we’ll work on. I call him a bully guard, though. He can post you up from the guard position and he’s going to cause trouble. You really can’t deal with him because he’s too strong.”