Melvin, Barton had big prep seasons
Four players with Baltimore ties suited up for Notre Dame Prep -- a post-grad basketball program in Fitchburg, Mass. -- this season. Here’s Crusaders coach Ryan Hurd’s take on the four local standouts.
• Former Lake Clifton forward Cleveland Melvin was one of NDP’s headliners, averaging around 13 points on a well-balanced roster. The 6-foot-8, 210-pound fifth-year senior had committed to Connecticut in November, but reopened his recruitment in March.
“I think Cleveland is going to take it slowly and see what’s available,” Hurd said. “The interest level is ACC and Big East schools. It’s just a matter of him making an informed decision. I have no doubt that he’ll be [committed] somewhere soon and it’ll be a high-major school.”
Cecil Kirk coach Anthony Lewis told Recruiting Report last month that Marquette, Pitt, Seton Hall, South Florida, Miami, DePaul and TCU were involved in Melvin’s recruitment. Hurd mentioned two additional programs.
“Duke’s involved now, and Clemson was until [Oliver] Purnell left [to take the DePaul job],” Hurd said.
• Melvin’s former Lakers teammate, Memphis-bound Antonio Barton, ran the point for NDP. Hurd said Barton initially played the setup role and deferred to his new teammates, but eventually felt more comfortable in taking on a scoring role.
“Antonio Barton was a pleasant surprise with his ability to score,” Hurd said. “I knew he was a fantastic player, but he scored a lot better than I anticipated. ... I know he can be a scorer in Conference USA. He went head-to-head with high-major point guards this year and put the ball in the basket. He’s a kid we relied on to do that and he answered the challenge.”
• Levi Noel, a 6-foot-5 forward from London who spent his junior year at Towson Catholic, plans to visit Maine next weekend and will have “two or three more visits after that,” Hurd said. Boise State and Kent State are among the many mid-major schools that have expressed interest.
“He ended up starting a lot more games than I thought he would,” Hurd said. “He has a really great feel for the game.”
• The last Crusader with Baltimore ties is Antoine Myers, a 6-foot-2 point guard from Forest Park. Hurd said Myers will be in school until June, but he’ll have plenty of options.
“The highest level we’ve heard from is DePaul,” Hurd said. “Everybody that needs a point guard [from high-majors] to the lowest level [has expressed interest]. His speed is the X-factor with him. That’s what he needs to rely on going forward. We were loaded at guard and he waited his turn and did a great job.”
Comments
How come UMD has shown no interest in Melvin?
Posted by: Steve | April 8, 2010 12:59 PM
Do you know if the Terps are gonna make a push for Gilvydas Biruta?
Posted by: Bill | April 8, 2010 1:00 PM
Steve -- He wants to play the 3 in college, and UM is set there with Parker and Palsson coming in.
Bill -- Pretty sure they'll express interest. They did the first time around, and they still could use another big man.
Posted by: Matt Bracken | April 8, 2010 1:01 PM
Hey Matt- I know Gary is adverse to kinda "partnering or positioning" himself with AAU teams, but do you think he might ever try this with prep schools?
Posted by: Human | April 8, 2010 3:55 PM
Human -- Good question. I'm not aware of any prep schools as feeder systems for college programs. I think it's more common for AAU programs to have relationships with prep schools, like Cecil Kirk and Notre Dame Prep. I still think, ultimately, that AAU programs have greater influence.
Posted by: Matt Bracken | April 9, 2010 4:37 PM