[DataKing]

MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES FEBRUARY RECRUITING REPORT

TARGETS

Name                   Pos       Stars      Ht      Wt       Year      Hometown
Arturo Dean            SF        **         6'5"    214      JC FR     Decatur, IL
Andrew Volpenhein       C        **         6'7"    210      HS SR     Mazeikiai, Lithuania
Skip Sikes             SF        **         6'5"    199      JC FR     Springfield, OH
West McCully           SF        **         6'6"    216      HS SR     Detroit, MI
Darshan Abram           C        *          6'7"    222      HS SR     Elkhart, IN

Rivals.com Recruiting Overview - Morehead State Eagles

If head coach Dante King was looking to make a splash in his first year as a Division I head-man, he's failed miserably. While there aren't many All-Americans working their way onto Ohio Valley Conference campuses, there's enough quality talent in the area of the actual Ohio Valley to expect better results than what the Eagles are looking at. Coach King and especially chief scout Manuel Cobb have made a number of blunders in their recruiting efforts, and the result is a lackluster and (somewhat) undersized list of possibilities, especially at the all-important center position. Let's hope that the fans and athletic director Brian Hutchinson are willing to forgive King's rookie mistakes.


The Latest

Arturo Dean: A somewhat talented freshman at Richland Community College in Decatur IL, the 6'5" small forward has shown good defensive quickness and slashing ability. The scuttlebutt is that one of the biggest mistakes made by King's staff has something to do with their efforts to recruit Dean, who is now leaning towards Ohio Valley Conference rival Tennessee-Martin.

Andrew Volpenhein: Little is known about this undersized European center, except that he is small for the position but compensates with good leaping ability and a nice shooting touch. From what we've been able to tell, Volpenhein has not garnered any interest from other Division I schools, but it remains to be seen whether or not Coach King can convince the young man to come play basketball several thousand miles from home.

Skip Sikes: Another junior college freshman, this one currently plays for Clark State Community College in Springfield, OH. While Sikes lacks Arturo Dean's explosiveness, he is rugged and has a decent amount of defensive quickness of his own. Scouts also judge him to have a better up-side than Dean, though with only three years of eligibility remaining a coaching staff will be hard-pressed to see just how good he can become. Rumor has it that Sikes, who has yet to receive any scholarship offers, is leaning towards Morehead State.

West McCully: A senior at Detroit's Renaissance High School, West McCully has been looked at by a number of bottom-feeder programs, but has yet to garner any scholarship offers. A rugged player with decent rebounding ability, scouts and coaches have been a bit disappointed with his lack of prowess on the offensive side of the ball. He will probably be there for the taking for Coach King and Morehead State if they act early enough, but Sikes or Dean (though unlikely) would certainly be better options for the Eagles.

Darshan Abram: Another undersized center, Darshan hails from Elkhart Central High School in Indiana. A number of smaller schools, including Morehead State, appear to be looking at the 6'7" Abram as a backup plan. Abram's one redeeming factor that a number of scouts have mentioned is his hustle on the court, which can be something of a premium among big men. But to call Abram "big" is perhaps being a bit generous. Still, if Volpenhein decides he'd rather not experience the wonders of the United States, Abram may well be the only feasible option left to Coach King come spring.


Author's Notes

• This is my first time running a dynasty with College Hoops 2K7, and I've made more than my fair share of mistakes, hence the week recruiting class. I also restricted myself a little too much earlier on with who I could go after (as a house rule), and by the time I changed my mind on that it was too late to seriously pursue higher-level players.
• We started the season with a paltry 3,000 recruiting points, so I have yet to put any effort into underclassmen. I'm hoping to spend some time looking at high school juniors once I get my current class locked down.
• The good news (if you can consider it good) is that we only have two available scholarships this year, so the damage I've done to the program by my recruiting mistakes has hopefully been minimized. Next year we should have three scholarships available.
• If it seems like the roster is rather small, remember that we've got three players (including two freshman) red-shirting this year.