August 1, 2012
This recruiting season should be a bit less hectic than last year's, since we have half as many scholarships to fill.
The backcourt will be our recruiting focus this time around. We need two guards, and I'd love to find a classic point guard and a versatile player who can fill multiple roles.
I enjoy looking beyond the star ratings and national rankings to find players with the skills I want as hallmarks of our team's playing style. I believe I might have found that kind of player in
Armando Brown.
HTML Code:
SG Armando Brown
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Height: 6-0
Weight: 196
High School: Wadleigh Secondary School
Hometown: New York, NY
GPA: 2.83
Test Score: 1330
Rating: *
Attributes:
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Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
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Current: 2 28 39 41 23 26 24 18 2 43 22 26 65 47 63 31
Potential: D B C A B B D F F B D C
Season Stats:
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PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
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10.3 0.9 3.8 4.6 2.5 1.88 0.6 0.6 2.5
Shooting Averages:
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FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
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4.4 10.2 .431 1.0 1.8 .543 0.5 3.3 .154
Recruiting Notes:
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Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Lafayette: Very High
Rankings: None
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Lafayette
This Harlem product is listed as a shooting guard, but our staff believe he will develop the ballhandling and passing skills necessary to run a team's offense. He's got very good potential as a perimeter defender, too. I also like his academic credentials. We're the only team on Armando's radar right now, and we'd like to keep it that way. I think he's our kind of player.
We also like
Dorsey Hicks, Delaware's Mr. Basketball.
HTML Code:
SG Dorsey Hicks
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Height: 6-0
Weight: 181
High School: Woodbridge Senior High School
Hometown: Bridgeville, DE
GPA: 2.78
Test Score: 1270
Rating: **
Attributes:
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Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
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Current: 9 49 38 27 30 37 51 44 15 29 34 30 84 39 85 74
Potential: F C C B C C C C D B D B
Season Stats:
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PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
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16.7 2.5 7.2 5.1 1.9 2.68 3.1 0.9 1.8
Shooting Averages:
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FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
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7.7 16.0 .481 0.9 1.6 .548 0.5 1.7 .265
Recruiting Notes:
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Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Lafayette: High
Rankings: None
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Delaware)
Top 5 Schools: Loyola-Maryland, Howard, UMBC, Lafayette, East Carolina
Dorsey is a scoresheet filler, a player who can score, rebound, distribute the ball, and play sound defense. Signing him looks like it will be a tougher task, as we're competing with several comparable programs in the DMV area.
Our first "reach" recruit is
Ned Doran.
HTML Code:
PG Ned Doran
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Height: 6-0
Weight: 176
High School: Palmyra High School
Hometown: Palmyra, NJ
GPA: 2.56
Test Score: 1140
Rating: ***
Attributes:
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Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 37 29 34 74 30 33 13 12 15 49 36 24 85 33 90 77
Potential: C B B A C C C F F B C C
Season Stats:
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PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
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15.5 1.8 4.7 4.7 2.7 1.72 2.2 1.0 2.3
Shooting Averages:
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FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
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6.2 15.2 .405 1.7 2.5 .694 1.5 5.9 .246
Recruiting Notes:
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Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Lafayette: High
Rankings: #36 PG, East Region #30 Overall, East Region #7 PG
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: Temple, St. John's, Rutgers, Lafayette, Wagner
Ned has been a three-level scorer at the high school level, able to fire away from long range and get to the rim and finish. This ability might be the factor that earns him a Top 200 national ranking. Ned ranks several more prestigious programs ahead of us, but we'll invest some recruiting capital in him and see what happens.
I decide to offer scholarships to Brown and Hicks. My instincts tell me Doran is setting his sights higher, and would prefer one of the bigger programs if they offer him. All three players will visit our campus. Coach Sims will visit all three players, and Coach Manion will join him on trips to meet with the Brown and Hicks families.