Recruiting Report

Weekly recruiting roundup

2009-11-06T17:14:35Z

Last weekend Miller School (Va.) center Hippolyte Tsafack made an official visit to Maryland. This weekend, it’s St. Anthony (N.J.) power forward Ashton Pankey’s turn to see College Park. “He and his mom took the train down today and it wouldn’t surprise me if he really liked the visit, he might just take one more to compare apples to oranges,” [St. Anthony coach Bob] Hurley said.]]> Tobias Harris visited Louisville last weekend and is scheduled to take a trip to West Virginia today. Harris, who has already visited Syracuse, Tennessee, Kentucky and now Louisville, heads to West Virginia on Friday and will then visit Maryland and Georgia Tech before announcing his college decision on November 19th. • Maryland shooting guard commitment Terrence Ross’ Montrose Christian squad was ranked the No. 5 high school team in the country by ESPN Rise. Outlook: The Mustangs have added [Josh] Hairston, a Duke recruit who averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds last season, to the fold. Top returning veterans include Maryland recruit Ross, who averaged 18 points per game as a junior, and the precocious Anderson, last season's sixth man as a freshman. Hairston is the No. 27 player in the ESPNU 100, while Ross checks in at No. 39. Anderson is the No. 6 player in the ESPNU Terrific 25. Another newcomer is 6-foot-6 junior Paul Gombwer. • St. Anthony (N.J.) forward Devon Collier, a former Maryland target, committed to Oregon State last night. The Bronx product, who currently attends St. Anthony's HS in Jersey City, verbally committed to Oregon State, choosing the Pac-10 program over St. John's, Seton Hall and Providence. Football recruiting • GoBlueWolverine.com reported earlier this week that Michigan has started pursuing Terps defensive end recruit David Mackall. In response to that report, InsideMDSports.com’s Jeff Ermann spoke to John Shuman, Mackall’s prep school coach at Fork Union Military Academy. Shuman said no such visits have been set up, there has been no talk from Mackall about re-opening his recruitment and that all of their collective energy is being focused on getting Mackall eligible per NCAA standards to enroll at Maryland in January. He’ll take the SAT this Saturday and likely will take the ACT Dec. 12. His enrollment at Fork Union expires in about six weeks, so it’s imperative he becomes qualified as soon as possible. There has been no discussion about alternative plans should he not receive the requisite scores; Shuman doesn’t want to plant any seeds of doubt in Mackall. • Terps offensive line target Max Garcia, a Norcross, Ga., native, will visit Clemson this weekend. "I like Clemson because it's close to home," said Garcia. "They have a need at left tackle and some other posiitons so it's a place I think I could impact the program in the first couple of years." • Maryland commitments Matt Robinson and Andre Monroe both have first-team spots on The Washington Post’s All-Met watch list. -- DL Andre Monroe St. John's Sr. Five tackles in 30-7 victory over O'Connell. • Robinson and his Atholton squad take on Glenelg tonight in the Raiders’ regular-season finale. What [Glenelg coach Butch] Schaffer is anticipating is another big game from Atholton's quarterback-receiver combo of Kalvin Seamonson and Matt Robinson. The pair has connected on 37 passes for 781 yards and eight TDs. "They throw the ball really well, (Robinson) might be the best receiver I've seen in a long time. There's a reason he's going to have a chance to play for Maryland," Schaffer said. "I hope it rains and there are 50-mile-per-hour winds (on Friday), but I don't think that's going to happen." • UM defensive end pledge Ian Evans will lead his undefeated Hammonton (N.J.) High team against unbeaten Egg Harbor tonight. Tight end Ian Evans, a Maryland recruit, has 10 receptions for 27 yards and two touchdowns. Evans is also a force at defensive end.

Coach: Terps DT recruit an 'impact player'

2009-11-06T14:46:48Z

The Maryland football program added a big body to its defensive line this week when Darius Kilgo committed to the Terps on Wednesday. Kilgo, a 6-foot-3, 285-pound defensive tackle, picked Maryland over offers from East Carolina, Illinois, Michigan State, South Carolina and Tennessee. Kilgo’s coach at Weddington High in Matthews, N.C., Justin Hardin, said his standout lineman started hearing from Maryland early on in the recruiting process. “They jumped on Darius the spring of his junior year,” Hardin said. “So they jumped on him pretty early on and that was a selling point. They stayed with him through the entire recruiting process, calling him, sending letters and visiting. He felt comfortable that they wanted him so that’s why he committed there.”]]> Check back with Recruiting Report later this weekend for more on Kilgo’s commitment.

Many schools tracking Glenelg Country's Miles

2009-11-05T16:44:03Z

After Isaiah Miles' standout freshman season at Glenelg Country School last year, most people expected him to develop into a high-major Division I recruit. Now it’s official. Miles, a 6-foot-7, 190-pound sophomore forward, drew “probably 10-15” Division I coaches to the Glenelg Country open gyms this fall, according to Dragons coach Charlie Stewart. In talking with the coaches, Stewart said the consensus was that Miles is “a big-time Division I player.” “Maryland was out, the University of Washington, Penn State, Xavier has been there from day one, Richmond really likes him a lot ... [and] UMass has been very actively recruiting him,” Stewart said. “So he’s gotten a wide amount of interest from pretty much every major conference. It’s been very exciting for him to get across-the-board, high-major interest from virtually every major basketball conference.” A strong showing this summer with Nike Baltimore Elite ensured Miles’ status as a high-major recruit. He positioned himself as a definite top 100 -- if not top 50 -- prospect in the 2012 class. Still, having so many big programs visit Glenelg Country was startling at first.]]> Rob Ehsan has been the point man for the Terps with Miles early on in his recruitment. According to Stewart, Ehsan has made a strong impression thus far. “Coach Ehsan came up and watched Isaiah work out,” Stewart said. “We talked for a good bit about how they’re interested and that recruiting local kids is very important to their success. Isaiah knows a lot of their guys. He knows Sean Mosley just from playing on the AAU circuit over the years. So immediately when Maryland came, that made an impact on him. I probably have to say that [the Terps] are at the front of the pack, just because they carry a lot of weight around here and they’ve certainly done a good job in just the short period that they have been recruiting him actively.” While college coaches came to see Miles and came away impressed, they were also intrigued by Warren Powers, a freshman wing who came to Glenelg Country for the strong academics and to play in the dribble-drive offense. Stewart said Powers is a definite “high-major Division I kid.” “Warren is 6’4, 205 or 210 pounds. He is very, very well built for a kid that’s 14-years-old,” Stewart said. “He jumps well, dunks the ball with two hands, handles the ball really well and has pretty good perimeter fundamentals for a kid that has played inside his whole career. ... We’ve had Warren go up against Isaiah [in open gyms] and he’s really challenging Isaiah. He’s not able to score on Isaiah all the time, but he has shown some flashes of brilliance. His stock continues to rise every day.” As for Miles, he’s already improved a great deal in a short amount of time. Stewart expects Miles -- who averaged 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game as a freshman -- to take additional steps forward this year. “It’s amazing how much he’s improved,” Stewart said. “Last season, he was just a 14-year-old pup getting pushed around a little bit at times by some of the older guys. Now he’s put on probably 15 pounds of muscle before the start of this season. He has a long way to go physically but his physical maturation in the weight room has been invaluable to his improvement. ... When the college coaches see a 15-year-old who is 6’7, who can dribble inside the 3-point line and dunk or pull up in transition and hit a 3, those are the things that correlate to a high Division I-level college player. He still has a long ways to go, and he’d be the first person to tell you that. But he’ll continue to get better.”

Rahsaan Moore discusses Terps commitment

2009-11-04T20:48:17Z

Almost 10 months ago, Wise defensive end and fullback Rahsaan Moore watched as his teammate, safety Titus Till, committed to Maryland. This week it was Moore’s turn to do the same. He pledged to the Terps on Monday. “It feels good. It feels like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders,” Moore said of his commitment. “I always wanted to go to a DI school and fortunately Maryland has been the school I’ve been wanting to go to since I’ve been in high school.” Moore, 6 feet 2, 235 pounds, admitted he wasn’t sure if a Maryland offer would come through. A host of powerhouse FCS schools offered, including James Madison, Richmond and William & Mary. But New Mexico was Moore’s only FBS offer -- until the Terps followed suit this fall.]]> Click here for Wise coach DaLawn Parrish’s take on Moore’s commitment.

Gibbons point guard talks Loyola pledge

2009-11-04T04:34:04Z

There were plenty of reasons why Cardinal Gibbons point guard Dylon Cormier decided to commit to Loyola last week. Reason No. 1 on the 6-foot-2, 180-pound senior’s list of positives was simple. “Minutes. A lot of minutes,” said Cormier, who averaged 19 points, six rebounds and four assists last season. “The situation is that they’re losing their starting point guard, Brett Harvey. The kid that’s the backup right now, Brian [Rudolph], is going to be a senior next year, and that’s the only point guard [on the roster for next season]. I’ll get minutes as a freshman and it’s pretty much going to be my team for the rest of my college career.” Cormier, an All-MIAA A Conference first-team selection as a junior, picked the Greyhounds over offers from Long Island, St. Francis (Pa.), Stony Brook and Youngstown State. Cormier took an official visit to St. Francis earlier this fall, calling the trip to rural Loretto, Pa., “real boring.” His visit to Loyola, meanwhile, couldn’t have been better.]]> Greg Manning, a 2008 Loyola graduate, made a good impression on Cormier immediately. “He’s real, real cool. He’s my guy,” Cormier said. “He’s really funny and he went to Loyola, actually. He was telling me everything about his experience, so that was cool. ... He went through it, so he wouldn’t lie about it. That was real cool.” Cormier also it off with Jimmy Patsos, Loyola’s animated head coach. Witnessing Patsos in action during his visit to the school sealed the deal. “Man, he’s a character,” Cormier said. “But he just likes to win. I don’t have no problem with that. Everybody says he’s real crazy. But if you want to win as bad as him, then it’s the right place to go. He knows what he’s talking about. “I remember when they were going through practice and I was watching and [some of the guys] were just loafing around. Then Coach Patsos storms on the court and starts [yelling] and just giving them an earful on what they were doing wrong, from the beginning of practice to the end. ... Then I was like, ‘OK, he wants to win.’ He’s pushing them and I need someone to push me.” Cormier, who plans on majoring in accounting, said he’s excited to follow in the footsteps of other local players -- including Jamal Barney (Southwestern) and Gerald Brown (Douglass) -- who went on to have great careers at Loyola. “Hometown heroes,” Cormier said. “You can’t beat that.”

Wise High athlete commits to Terps

2009-11-03T15:19:56Z

A familiar face will accompany Maryland safety commitment and Wise High senior Titus Till to College Park next season. Rahsaan Moore, another Pumas standout, committed to Maryland on Monday. Moore, a 6-foot-2, 235-pound defensive end, tight end and fullback, picked the Terps over offers from New Mexico, Delaware State, James Madison, Liberty, Old Dominion, Richmond, Towson and William & Mary.]]> DaLawn Parrish. “He understands the game. He reads plays very well and diagnoses them. He knows where he needs to be. He’s very physically strong with his hands. He’s just a dominating player. And he runs very well for his size. At one combine this summer he ran a 4.58 [40] and at a couple colleges he ran a 4.62 and 4.66.” Moore, as well as Till, have been instrumental in Wise’s 9-0 start this season, which includes eight consecutive shutouts. “He’s been very important [in our success this year],” Parrish said. “He’s been here and played varsity here three years now and he’s an exceptional leader. He does all the right things in the classroom and he’s tremendous.” The Maryland staff first noticed Moore last year but wanted to see him play this season before deciding to offer. Once the Terps offer came, there was little doubt in Parrish’s mind what Moore would do. “He told me he always wanted to play for Maryland,” Parrish said. “That’s all it took -- for them to offer. He knew what he was going to do.” Check back with Recruiting Report later this week for more on Moore’s commitment.

Weekend wrap — Evans dominates

2009-11-02T14:14:58Z

Ian Evans' Hammonton (N.J.) High team cruised to a 41-0 win over Millville on Friday night. The Maryland defensive end commitment played an integral role in the Blue Devils’ shutout, starting with a forced fumble and recovery on Millville’s first possession. "We swarmed to the ball," he said. "Our secondary covered every guy perfectly. Our line made the right cuts and the right slants. Everyone did a great job." Evans had three sacks to go along with the fumble recovery.]]> Devin Burns rushed for a 25-yard touchdown on fourth-and-18. Burns’ squad then pulled away for a 27-7 win and the Georgia Region 2-AAA championship. [Burns] finished with 105 passing yards and a touchdown plus 39 rushing yards and a score. • Terps quarterback commitment Tyler Smith guided Wilson (Pa.) Area High to a 28-13 win over Salisbury. Smith passed for 319 yards and three touchdowns in yet another dominant outing for Wilson. • Despite a big game from Maryland athlete recruit Matt Robinson, previously-unbeaten Atholton dropped a 35-14 game to River Hill (9-0). The Hawks allowed only 37 points in their first eight games, but Atholton quarterback Kalvin Seamonson threw touchdown passes of 90 and 80 yards to Matt Robinson as the Raiders took a seven-point halftime lead. • UM safety pledge Titus Till helped Wise to a 35-0 win over Bowie, the Pumas’ eighth consecutive shutout. Wise got its next points in bizarre fashion when Bowie's Kevin Clayborne misplayed a Titus Till punt inside his own 5-yard line and tried to elude the onrushing Pumas by going backwards. Eventually he fumbled the ball through the back of the end zone for a safety. Basketball recruiting • The Terps hosted a visitor from the class of 2010 this weekend. Hippolyte Tsafack was at Maryland on an official. He could very well announce something this week. • Tobias Harris was scheduled this weekend to visit Louisville. Harris has visited Syracuse, Tennessee and Kentucky, and he's expected to see Maryland, West Virginia and Georgia Tech. Harris is expected to announce his decision on Nov.19.

Weekly recruiting roundup

2009-10-30T10:00:58Z

Kicking off a slow week in Maryland recruiting news with a few football items ... • The recruitment of Norcross, Ga., offensive lineman Max Garcia is winding down, according to Phil Kornblut. Offensive lineman Max Garcia of Norcross, Ga., is scheduled for his official visit to Clemson on Nov. 6. A week or two later, he plans to have a decision between the Tigers, Maryland and Vanderbilt. Maryland is his favorite going into the final visit. ]]> Andre Monroe and several other Maryland targets. #60 Andre Monroe: This 2010 defensive tackle is a Maryland commit. He has the capability of getting through the offensive line and causing trouble for the backfield. The offensive play call appeared to be directed away from the middle of the defense, with Monroe and McReynolds there. Monroe showed his strength in his few snaps on the offensive line. • The Gazette took a look this week at Wise High’s team, on which Terps safety recruit Titus Till stars. The Pumas have recorded seven consecutive shutouts. "We can say that we were the cornerstone of this program," said senior safety Titus Till. "The freshmen and sophomores want to be like us because we're accomplishing things that nobody's done here before." • UM tight end commitment Nermin Delic has tough matchups on both sides of the ball tonight in Northwest Whitfield (Ga.) High’s game against Dalton. Northwest two-way starter Nermin Delic will face off with two of Dalton’s best linemen. While playing tight end, the 6-foot-5-inch, 245-pound Maryland commitment will go against defensive end Jalen Fields (6-4, 240), the first Georgia commitment of the 2010 class. When Delic’s at defensive end, he’ll face Watts Dantzler, a 6-8, 300-pound junior offensive lineman currently being heavily recruited by several Southeastern Conference schools, including Georgia. • Maryland defensive end commitment David Mackall and linebacker recruit L.A. Goree both made the trip to College Park on Monday for Fork Union Military Academy’s JV game against the Terps. Neither Mackall or Goree ended up playing in the game, according to The Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens. I caught up with Goree after the game, and he said he plans to be in College Park on Jan. 3 to get ready for a winter session. He said he improved his SAT score enough, and didn't exactly hide his eagerness to attend a university rather than at a military academy. Basketball recruiting • One current Maryland target and one former Maryland target were on hand for Kentucky’s Blue-White game earlier this week. Highly regarded prospects C.J. Leslie and Terrence Jones attended the Blue-White Game. Leslie is a forward from Raleigh, N.C. He played with UK freshman John Wall last season. Jones is a forward from Portland, Ore. • Maryland is one of many high-major schools in the running for Juan’ya Green, a junior combo guard. Juan’ya Green, a ghastly 6-foot-3 combo guard at Archbishop Carroll (PA) HS, is receiving plenty of Big East love. He’s sifting through letters, receiving the most interest from Villanova, Georgetown, Syracuse, Providence, Maryland, St. Joe’s and Temple.

Digital Harbor's two Div. I seniors

2009-10-29T14:20:38Z

George Jackson has left Digital Harbor and taken his game across town to Coppin State. But while Jackson, a Baltimore Sun first-team All-Metro selection, is gone, the defending Class 1A state champion Rams won’t be devoid of talent. Digital Harbor coach Johnnie Grimes’ quest to repeat as state champions will depend largely upon seniors Davon Usher, 6 feet 5, and Justin Jackson, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound point guard and George Jackson’s younger brother. Usher’s stock rose dramatically this summer, and Grimes witnessed it firsthand while serving as an assistant coach for Nike Baltimore Elite. When Will Barton and Josh Selby were at the NBA Top 100 Camp one week in June, Usher “really just blew up” at a tournament in Chantilly, Va. Thanks to his summer on the AAU circuit, Usher has heard from a host of mid- and high-major schools. ]]> Baltimore Sun photo of Davon Usher by Gene Sweeney Jr. / March 13, 2009

Meet Terrence Ross

2009-10-28T15:42:51Z

For a consensus top 50 prospect, Terrence Ross took the road less traveled this summer. Instead of joining other top-ranked players on the AAU circuit, the Maryland shooting guard commitment stayed at Montrose Christian this summer to take classes and work on his game. Staying out of the spotlight did have its consequences. Some scouting services dropped Ross in their rankings, drawing the ire of many Maryland fans. But for the future Terp, a lower rating couldn’t be less important. “Probably my freshman to sophomore year [I paid attention to recruiting rankings],” Ross said. “But after my junior year, it didn’t matter to me. I was getting recruited, so it really didn’t matter who was [ranked] better than me. It really didn’t matter.” Ross did admit to missing the competition aspect of AAU. He played his fair share of pickup ball in College Park with some of his future teammates, which whetted his appetite a bit. Now he’s just counting down the days until his senior season starts. “It was just pretty quiet,” Ross said of his summer. “[So] I’m really excited [for the high school season] because it’s just like all that hard work I put in, [now] I get to show it off.” Ross has stayed in close contact with Maryland’s other 2010 commitments, Miller School (Va.) small forward Mychal Parker and Tucson (Ariz.) Santa Rita point guard Terrell Stoglin. There’s already a strong bond between the Maryland recruits, Ross said. “Me and Mike are close and me and Terrell are close,” Ross said. “Before we get [to Maryland], we already got a friendship. We’re all pretty close and text each other. … Right now I’m just focused on high school, but in the meantime, I can’t wait to get to Maryland.” Here’s an introduction to Ross. ]]> Name: Terrence Ross Birthdate: Feb. 5, 1991 Birthplace: Long Beach, Calif. Hometown: Portland, Ore. Nickname: T-Ross Height: 6’6 Position: Shooting guard/small forward High School: Montrose Christian Junior statistics: 15 points per game Rankings: Rivals.com -- Four stars, No. 43 overall, No. 10 shooting guard. Scout.com -- Four stars, No. 93 overall, No. 21 shooting guard. ESPN.com -- 95 rating, No. 39 overall, No. 8 small forward. Other schools considered: Louisville, UCLA, Memphis, Oklahoma Favorite pro basketball player: Joe Johnson Favorite pro basketball team: None Favorite all-time Terp: Steve Francis Favorite music: Drake, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Jay-Z Favorite book: Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis Favorite movie: Paranormal Activity Favorite TV show: Fresh Prince of Bel Air Favorite food: Pizza Favorite high school class: Statistics Favorite thing about College Park: “The campus [and] the dorms.” Hobbies: “Relaxing, hanging out with my friends and working out.” Intended major: Criminology Something that not many people know about you: “I’m shy.” Best basketball moment: “Winning [the] state championship in Portland my sophomore year.” Role model: “Michael Jordan because he has accomplished a lot of things that I would like to accomplish.” Why Maryland? “I like the atmosphere and they recruited me the hardest.”

Meet Laurin Mincy

2009-10-27T14:53:18Z

Laurin Mincy couldn't wait to put her mid-summer injury setback behind her. The Maryland shooting guard commitment had torn the meniscus in her left knee while playing in an AAU tournament in July. After eight weeks of rehab, she was ready to make her return to the court at a tournament in New York last month. “Three minutes into the game, [the knee] gave out on me,” Mincy said. “[It was the] same move [as I made in July]. It was a crossover and it just gave out. That time, I definitely knew that there was something wrong.” Mincy tore her ACL and her meniscus this time. She underwent surgery three weeks ago and had her stitches removed last week. Mincy will sit out her senior year, but still take on an active role for University High’s team. She plans on serving as a student assistant. The opportunity to contribute to her team as a coach helped ease the disappointment of being unable to play this season. “At first I took it real hard,” Mincy said. “I was devastated, being that it was my senior year and knowing that I couldn’t be on the court helping my teammates. But then I started talking to my family and it’s only going to make me a stronger person and a stronger player.” Mincy said she plans on returning to the court in May and reporting to College Park in July. Terps coach Brenda Frese has been extremely supportive throughout her injury ordeal, according to Mincy. “She just told me she was sad to hear that,” Mincy said, “but she told me that she just wanted me to get taken care of as soon as I could and just rest up. I should be good to go when it’s time to play for Maryland.” Here’s an introduction to Mincy. ]]> Name: Laurin Mincy Birthdate: Feb. 3, 1992 Birthplace: Newark, N.J. Hometown: Newark, N.J. Nickname: LB Height: 5-11 Position: Guard High School: University High Junior statistics: 21 points, six rebounds, three assists, two and a half blocks per game Rankings: AllStarGirlsReport.net -- No. 9 player in the country. ESPN Hoop Gurlz -- No. 23 player in the country. Other schools considered: Rutgers, Georgia Favorite pro basketball player: Dwyane Wade Favorite pro basketball team: Cleveland Cavaliers Favorite all-time Terp: Marissa Coleman Favorite music: Trey Songsz, Keyshia Cole Favorite book: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Favorite movie: Love and Basketball Favorite TV show: Fresh Prince of Bel Air Favorite food: Shrimp Favorite high school class: English Favorite thing about College Park: “The atmosphere.” Hobbies: Dancing, shopping, singing Intended major: Marketing Something that not many people know about you: “That I write poems. I’ve been doing that since about eighth grade.” Best basketball moment: “I think it was my freshman year, when my team won the Tournament of Champions in New Jersey.” Role model: “I would have to say my role model is my mom because she sets a great example for me and is really independent. I would love to be a type of woman she is today.” Why Maryland? “I thought Maryland was the best choice because their style of play fits my style of player, the staff was very family-oriented and it was not that far from home. Even though I didn’t want to stay close to home, it wasn’t that far. Everything was just perfect.”

Weekend wrap — Big day for Robinson

2009-10-26T13:55:21Z

Atholton's improbable undefeated season continued this weekend thanks in large part to Maryland athlete recruit Matt Robinson. In the Raiders’ 49-13 win over Marriotts Ridge, Robinson contributed six tackles on defense and, once again, made a big impact on offense. Kalvin Seamonson completed all five of his pass attempts for 105 yards and three touchdowns, including scoring passes of 31 and 27 yards to Matt Robinson, in the homecoming win.]]> Tyler Smith guided Wilson Area (Pa.) High to its seventh win of the season. Tyler Smith passed for 251 yards and two touchdowns and Ray Mosby rushed for 122 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead the unbeaten Warriors to a convincing 45-21 victory over Southern Lehigh at Smith Field. • UM quarterback commitment Devin Burns played just one half in Carver (Ga.) High’s 47-8 win over Kendrick. Burns was 7-for-12 passing with an interception and threw for 119 yards. • Maryland safety pledge Titus Till helped Wise to its state-record seventh straight shutout, a 44-0 win over Oxon Hill. "We were just going out and playing our game," said Wise senior safety Titus Till. "We are just doing what we do and haven't really been preoccupied with what it meant." • Terps defensive back recruit Jeremiah Johnson found the end zone once in Suitland’s 34-0 win over Laurel. The Rams blocked a Laurel punt, and [Suitland quarterback Devonte] Lindsey followed with a 20-yard score to Jeremiah Johnson with 1:50 remaining in the third. • UM tight end commitment Nermin Delic helped Northwest Whitfield to a 14-3 win over Sequoyah, which gave the Bruins sole possession of first place in the Georgia sub-region 7A-4A. “It was all execution,” said Delic, who made a critical sack for a 9-yard loss late in the fourth quarter. “Everyone was doing their job and staying motivated. It’s all about doing your job every play without being selfish.”

Weekly recruiting roundup

2009-10-23T15:38:39Z

Tobias Harris has already visited Syracuse, Tennessee and Kentucky this fall. Now the five-star forward from New York has scheduled trips to his four other finalists -- West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Louisville and Maryland. Then the weekend of November 7 they will travel to West Virginia. The following weekend they will visit Maryland with a final visit to Georgia Tech scheduled for November 16 and 17 following the Maryland visit. • MemphisRoar.com caught up with Albany (N.Y.) City Rocks coach Jim Hart this week for an update on Hippolyte Tsafack, a Cameroon native and Miller School (Va.) big man. “He loves Maryland,” replied Hart. ”He’s pretty high on Maryland. I think he still has his scheduled visit (next weekend) to Maryland. Maryland has recruited him longer than anybody, probably. Nothing else is scheduled right now, but Auburn, Alabama, Miami, and UCLA are all showing interest. ”]]> Ashton Pankey, who still plans on making an official visit to College Park before the fall signing period ends, is also considering Rice, Houston, Hofstra and Drexel, according to Adam Zagoria. “If you want to play at the highest level, Maryland would probably be the leader right now,” [New Heights AAU coach Kimani] Young says. • South Kent (Conn.) School junior point guard Danny Lawhorn says he’s hearing from the Terps. “Washington, North Dakota St, Baylor, Mississippi St, Texas A&M, Auburn, Arkansas, Rutgers, South Florida, UAB, St. Bonaventure, Maryland, Fresno St, St. John’s, St Peters, Fairfield, Louisville [and] Texas,” were the schools Lawhorn mentioned as those recruiting him, in addition to Providence. • Long Island (N.Y.) Lutheran junior guard Achraf Yacoubou has committed to Villanova. Even though Yacoubou hasn’t even begun his junior season at Lutheran, [Yacoubou’s guardian Randy] Harper said there were more than 20 scholarship offers, from schools such as Memphis, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Xavier, Maryland and Oklahoma State. Football recruiting • Phil Kornblut reports that Norcross, Ga., offensive lineman Max Garcia has the Terps at the top of his list. Garcia says right now Maryland is his favorite with Vanderbilt second and Clemson third. He visited Vandy last weekend. • Maryland remains in good shape with Christchurch, Va., tight end Josh Lovell, according to Rivals.com. “Maryland is still at the top,” he said. “They are close and the coaches are great. I just feel comfortable there. • Terps defensive end commitment Ian Evans is involved in one of the three key matchups to watch in Hammonton (N.J.) High’s game against Vineland tonight. Hammonton DE Ian Evans (6-3, 235) vs. Vineland OT Jeffrey Bryson (6-3, 235). Evans, who has verbally committed to Maryland, could be one of the best pass rushers Vineland will have to contend with all season. Bryson is nursing a sore ankle. If he can't go, look for sophomore Kevin Santiago (6-3, 315) to get the call. • Rutgers remains the leader for Bishop McNamara wide receiver and Maryland target Brandon Coleman, according to Scout.com. “I like the coaches at Rutgers a lot,” Brandon Coleman said. “We’re pretty close and they run a great program. Coach Greg Schiano has great principles and reminds me of my high school coach. I could see myself there." • Linganore offensive tackle Robby Havenstein committed to Wisconsin this week, picking the Badgers over offers from Maryland, Penn State, Wake Forest and Virginia. "I wanted to play in the Big 10. It's my kind of football," he said. "I have family up in Michigan and they are all big Michigan and Michigan State fans." • Khamrone Kolb, an offensive lineman from Virginia, pledged to Penn State earlier this week. Kolb, from Lake Braddock High in Burke, Va., also claimed scholarship offers from North Carolina, North Carolina State, Wisconsin, Illinois and Maryland.

Selby enjoys Kansas visit

2009-10-22T14:35:03Z

Lake Clifton point guard Josh Selby got a sneak preview last weekend of what it would be like to play for Kansas. The five-star prospect, who is also considering Baylor, Indiana, Kentucky, Miami and Syracuse, took an unofficial visit to Lawrence for Midnight Madness and was impressed with what he saw, according to his mother, Maeshon Witherspoon. “Kansas was a very good trip,” Witherspoon said. “The fans were crazy and supportive. I wasn’t expecting the fans to support the kids the way they did. Josh was in awe of how the fan support was.”]]> Bill Self. Selby also got a chance to play pickup with current players, and reportedly fit in well on the court. “He hit it off with the majority of the team,” Witherspoon said. “His host was [senior point guard] Sherron Collins. Him and Sherron hit it off. Him and [freshman shooting guard] Xavier [Henry] knew each other. [Selby knew Washington native and freshman forward] Thomas Robinson from him being from close to Baltimore. So basically Josh got along with the majority of players on the team. He didn’t come home and say, ‘I don’t like this one kid.’ He got along with everybody. The entire staff was very cool and made us feel very comfortable. They made us feel like they really want us there.” Witherspoon is now in the process of scheduling Selby’s upcoming trips. They still plan on seeing all six schools, but “the next visit we’re trying to get taken care of is Kentucky,” Witherspoon said. “[We’re still planning on a] spring decision,” she said. “After all the visits, it’s possible that he could commit early, but he’s still going to sign late.”

Dunbar's Edwards visits future home

2009-10-21T15:44:04Z

When Dunbar shooting guard Derrell Edwards committed to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last month, he did so without ever having visited the Southland Conference school. Last weekend, Edwards made the nearly 1,670-mile trip from Baltimore to Corpus-Christi for Island Invasion -- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s version of Midnight Madness. “It turned out really nice and I really enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun down there,” Edwards said. “They had a dunk contest, a 3-point shootout and a scrimmage. So it was nice down there. It was real hot. I think it was about 80. There’s no winter down there.”]]> Kevin Palmer (Parkville) and sophomore guard Terence Jones (Lake Clifton). Edwards stayed with his fellow Baltimore natives on the trip, making Corpus Christi feel more like home. “I was different, but it wasn’t really weird,” Edwards said. “I felt comfortable [there] more than any other place I took unofficial visits to. Every other place I went, the players never showed me as much love as they did. I just related to them. It was like I was already down there playing. They even gave me a nickname -- Rello.” Edwards plans to sign his letter of intent next month. For now, he’s focusing on his football season, as the No. 13 Poets are 6-1. But after his weekend in Texas, Edwards is convinced more than ever that he made the right decision. “I know I can play there and really be an impact player in the Southland Conference,” Edwards said. “I think I can come in as a freshman and do my thing.”