Local hoops: St. Mary's taps Baltimore for talent
For St. Mary’s College men’s basketball coach Chris Harney, there was no reason to mess with a proven method of success.
Thanks to a roster built with a heavy reliance on players from the Baltimore area this year, the Seahawks won their second Capital Athletic Conference championship in the past three seasons, earning another trip to the NCAA Division III tournament.
When it came time to assemble the Seahawks’ 2010 recruiting class, Harney looked to Baltimore again, landing four players from this area, and another two from Montgomery County. At least one other notable player from Baltimore is seriously considering the Seahawks.
“We recruit from Baltimore primarily because of the toughness of the players,” Harney said in an e-mail. “The Baltimore players that come to St. Mary's College are ready for the college game because of the dedication of the great high school and AAU coaches in the Baltimore area. Our Baltimore players have been an integral part of our national success.”
Calvert Hall point guard Kyle Wise, Pikesville shooting guard Devohn Gilmore, former Long Reach guard Deon Queen, Poolesville forward Brendan McFall, River Hill forward R.J. Zukowski and Paint Branch forward Rycourt MacAuley comprise St. Mary’s 2010 class.
Wise, 5 feet 10, was a four-year contributor to the Cardinals, helping them to the Baltimore Catholic League tournament championship as a senior. He’ll serve as the understudy to rising senior Alex Franz (Cardinal Gibbons) at point guard.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Gilmore is one of the headliners of St. Mary’s class. The runner-up for Baltimore County Player of the Year, Gilmore averaged 26 points for Pikesville. He received Division I interest from Norfolk State and Southern (La.).
“He can create his own shot, he can score off the screen ... the kid’s just a natural scorer,” said Pikesville coach Anthony Dorsey. “He probably needs a little more improvement, but I would say he’s a pretty decent defender. He led us in steals. He averaged like three steals and three assists. He’s more than capable of running the offense. You name it, he can basically do it.”
Queen was an integral part of Long Reach’s run to the Class 3A state final two years ago. He moved on to Sussex Community College in Newton, N.J., where he averaged 17 points and 12 assists last season to earn second-team all-region honors. Queen could contend for a starting role with the Seahawks immediately.
The 6-foot-8, 240-pound Zukowski averaged 10 points and nine rebounds for River Hill. He was a second-team All-Howard County selection.
McFall averaged 15 points, six rebounds and three assists for Poolesville, earning a spot on the All-Montgomery County first team. MacAuley, the Seahawks’ other Montgomery County recruit, is another headliner for St. Mary’s. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks for Paint Branch.
St. Mary’s loses star combo guard Camontae Griffin (Dunbar) to graduation, but returns Franz and a host of other local standouts, including shooting guard James Davenport (Loyola), guard Devin Spencer (Towson Catholic) and forward Johann Jones (Meade), among others. St. Mary’s success and Harney’s efforts in Baltimore haven’t gone unnoticed by local coaches.
“He made Baltimore a priority,” said St. Frances assistant Nick Myles. “He made our league a priority. He’s a hard worker and he treats his program like a Division I program. When you have coaches like that, it really doesn’t matter what level you’re on.”
