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July 7, 2011

Revisiting 2010 hoops recruiting for local DIs

Recruiting Q&As with Loyola's Jimmy Patsos and Towson's Pat Skerry have been completed, while UMBC's Randy Monroe is on deck for next week followed by the rest of the state's Division I men's hoops coaches throughout the rest of the summer.

With that in mind, now's as good a time as any to revisit predictions made for the 2010 classes. Last September I picked a headliner and sleeper for all nine Div. I programs in Maryland.

Here's a look at how I fared in those predictions:

Maryland

What I wrote -- Headliner: “Point guard Pe’Shon Howard may see the most time of any freshman, but Mychal Parker comes to College Park with the highest expectations.”
What they did: Parker averaged 1.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 6.2 minutes in 13 games. Howard averaged 5.4 points, 3.2 assists and 18.5 minutes in 33 games.
Who it should have been Terrell Stoglin. The point guard from Tucson, Ariz., was Maryland’s second-leading scorer at 11.4 points per game. Stoglin shot better than 46 percent from the field and appeared in all 33 Maryland games, starting 15.
What I wrote – Sleeper “How much stronger [Berend] Weijs gets will determine how much time he sees this season, but the Terps have a need for a shot-blocking presence off the bench.”
What he did: Weijs averaged 1.8 points, 1.1 rebounds and 5.2 minutes in 23 games.
Who it should have been Haukur Palsson. The forward from Iceland saw action in 32 games, averaging 10.1 minutes and shooting better than 41 percent from 3-point range.

Towson

What I wrote – Headliner: Cephas "Oglesby is an athletic shooting guard who Tigers coach Pat Kennedy said 'explodes to the rim.'"
What he did: Redshirted. He has since transferred.
Who it should have been: Dre Conner was the only member of Towson’s 2010 recruiting class who didn’t redshirt. The guard from Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., averaged 5.5 points, appearing in all 30 games and starting 10. Conner transferred after the spring semester.
What I wrote – Sleeper: Jamel Flash. "The 6-foot-11 freshman needs to add strength, but he “runs like a deer [and] loves the game,” Kennedy said."
What he did: Redshirted
Who it should have been: No other options.

Loyola

What I wrote – Headliner: Dylon Cormier “impressed at the Baltimore Summer League and will have every opportunity to win the starting point guard job for the Greyhounds.”
What he did: Cormier started 27 games for the Greyhounds. The Cardinal Gibbons grad averaged 8.1 points, logging. 26.7 minutes per game.
Who it should have been: Cormier
What I wrote – Sleeper: "Pierson Williams comes to Loyola after a solid career at Taft High, a renowned basketball powerhouse in Los Angeles."
What he did: Williams averaged 1.6 points and 6.1 minutes in 15 games.
Who it should have been: Justin Drummond. The Upper Marlboro native proved to be an explosive scorer off the bench for the Greyhounds, averaging 9.8 points in 21 appearances. Drummond, the heavy favorite to start for Loyola at the 3 this season, shot 46 percent from the field and 46 percent from 3-point range.

UMBC

What I wrote – Headliner: Travis King. “The New Haven, Conn., native should bring leadership and toughness to a UMBC squad fresh off a 4-26 season.”
What he did: King was the third-leading scorer (8.9 points per game) on a 5-25 team. He started 16 games for the Retrievers.
Who it should have been: King
What I wrote – Sleeper: “Chase Plummer was rarely the focal point on a St. Patrick (N.J.) High team that featured Duke point guard Kyrie Irving and Kentucky commitment Mike Gilchrist, but the 6-foot-6, 210-pound forward is a rugged rebounder with high basketball IQ."
What he did: Plummer averaged 6.7 points and shot better than 43 percent from the field, appearing in all 30 games for UMBC and starting four.
Who it should have been: Plummer

Navy

What I wrote – Headliner: J.J. Avila. “Mids coach Billy Lange called the 6-foot-7, 240-pound forward a ‘phenomenal outlet passer, a physical kid who just has a high IQ for the game.’”
What he did: The McAllen, Texas native was Navy’s second-leading scorer (11.5 points per game) and second-leading rebounder (5.3 per game). He led all Patriot League freshmen in scoring, rebounds, 3-pointers (53), steals (54) and blocks (18).
Who it should have been: Avila
What I wrote – Sleeper: “Thurgood Wynn was a steadying presence in Georgetown Prep’s backcourt with Hoyas freshman Markel Starks. While Starks drew most of the attention, Wynn ‘just continues to get better and better’ in Lange’s opinion.”
What he did: Wynn scored 1.5 points per game in 25 games. He averaged 4.8 minutes.
Who it should have been: Isaiah Roberts was a Patriot League All-Rookie selection after averaging 5.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals. The guard from Pennsauken, N.J., was a valuable rotation player for the Mids, appearing in all 31 games and starting 14.

Morgan State

What I wrote – Headliner: Larry Bastfield. “Bastfield, who started two years for the Rockets, is the favorite to take over at the 1 for the Bears. Aric Brooks, a former St. Frances star who transferred from Jacksonville in 2009, will also be a featured player in his first season at Morgan.”
What he did: Bastfield started all 31 games for the Bears, averaging 5.1 points and a team-best 3.4 assists.
Who it should have been: Brooks was Morgan’s third-leading scorer at 10.2 points per game.
What I wrote – Sleeper: Ian Chiles. "The 7-foot-1, 265-pound freshman is a massive yet raw center who sat out last season as a non-qualifier. It’ll take some time for Chiles to develop, but his ceiling is high."
What he did: Chiles averaged 1.3 points and 0.8 rebounds in 19 games.
Who it should have been: Justin Black, a freshman from DeMatha, played in all 31 games, averaging 7.2 points and 2.1 assists.

Coppin State

What I wrote – Headliner: “A first-team junior college All-American at Herkimer (N.Y.) Community College, Akeem Ellis has the on-court resume and off-court demeanor Fang Mitchell desires. The longtime Eagles coach is counting on Ellis, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound forward, to bring scoring and leadership to his squad.”
What he did: Ellis started all 30 games for the Eagles and was the team’s second-leading scorer at 12.2 points and second-leading rebounder at 5.8 per game.
Who it should have been: Ellis
What I wrote – Sleeper: “At 6-7, 230 pounds, Merced (Calif.) College forward Logan Wiens is a shooter with size who can stretch the floor for the Eagles.”
What he did: Redshirted.
Who it should have been: Antonio Williams, a 6-foot-6 power forward from Poughkeepsie , N.Y., averaged 6.4 points and 6.7 rebounds. He started 28 games and shot 54 percent from the floor.

UMES

What I wrote – Headliner: Dishawn Bradshaw, “who played junior college ball at ASA College in New York City, should provide immediate scoring punch for the Hawks.”
What he did: The St. Frances grad was UMES’ second-leading scorer at 9.2 points per game. According to CBS Sports’ Jeff Goodman, Bradshaw intended to transfer.
Who it should have been: Bradshaw
What I wrote – Sleeper: “There’s nothing flashy about Mike Spence’s game, but his no-nonsense approach could fill a need for Hawks coach Frankie Allen right off the bat.”
What he did: Spence played in 16 games, averaging 0.6 points and 0.4 rebounds. He has since transferred to Division II Virginia State, according to Goodman.
Who it should have been: Shooting guard Louis Bell was the Hawks’ best 3-point shooter at 37.9 percent. The Washington native averaged 3.9 points in 14.5 minutes per game.

Mount St. Mary’s

What I wrote – Headliner: Julian “Norfleet, a 6-foot-2 combo guard who also received interest from UAB, East Carolina and Old Dominion, is known for his long-range shooting.”
What he did: Norfleet lived up the hype, averaging 9.2 points and converting 60 3-pointers (second-most on the team). The freshman logged more minutes (1,040) than any other Mountaineer.
Who it should have been: Norfleet
What I wrote – Sleeper: “Josh Castellanos’ senior statistics – 10 points and five assists per game – were modest, but the 6-foot-1 point guard possesses just about every intangible a coach could want.”
What he did: The Orlando native appeared in all 32 games, scoring 4.2 points. Castellanos was second on the team in assists with 80.
Who it should have been: Castellanos

Posted by Matt Bracken at 1:29 PM | | Comments (6)
        

Comments

Good stuff Matt, how many journalists would review their stuff and score themselves? Shows integrity!

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Thanks, John. Much appreciated. -- Matt

Excellent Job Matt always on your game if you need any info just hit me up on my email talk to you soon

De La Rosa shouldn't have been the headliner for UMBC? Not that I'm criticizing, but can you explain?

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Neil: I was only factoring in the newcomers to each roster for the 2010-11 season. I could have explained that better though, so apologies for that. Appreciate the response. -- Matt

thanks. nice review.
always turns out interesting. morgan state's chiles, and the terps bowie, stoglin, howard scenario were completely unexpected among others.

Nice , Matt - great stuff for us junkies.

Palsson was the biggest surprise - expected Parker to play alot more, but most of Palsson's minutes, especially early on, were at the 4.

Many people wondered about Parker on the bench but there just weren't enough minutes to go around at the 2 and 3. Way too much time for the seniors.

Anyway, fully expecting to see Palsson and Parker playing together alot - at the 3 and 4 - mix Faust or Mosley in there @ the 2 and it doesn't seem like that small a squad.

It will be interesting, in light of how it affects Baltimore recruiting, just how much playing time does Mosley get. I would rather see the younger, longer, more athletic guys play.

Ok i'll be the first to say it,
how come Matt doesn't have his own segment on TV showcasing his info of the Bmore talent pool? Matt seems to be one of the few that not only knows the haps on our local kids, but he seems to really enjoy doing it.

How many other sports guys even track the lesser known players from Bmore even when they go to small schools?
I applaud you Matt, you are THE MAN!

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Hometown Hero: You are too kind. Much appreciated. -- Matt

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About Matt Bracken

Matt Bracken was a lightly recruited football and tennis prospect out of East Lansing (Mich.) High School in 2001, but spurned all (nonexistent) scholarship offers to attend the University of Michigan. Matt graduated from UM in 2005, earned a master's degree in new media journalism from Northwestern University in 2006, and spent the first 11 months of his career as an online producer / videographer / blogger at the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson. He has worked at The Baltimore Sun since July 2007, where he currently serves as the deputy sports editor for digital.

High school recruiting database
Area high school commitments -- 2009
Area high school commitments -- 2008
Maryland's 2012 football commitments
Maryland's 2011 football recruiting class
Maryland's 2010 football recruiting class
Maryland's 2009 football recruiting class
Maryland's 2008 football recruiting class
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