November 1, 2027
We have four senior scholarship players this year: guards
Devin Guzman and
Charles Vancleave, forward
Bruno Le Fleurquin, and big man
Jose Blanco.
Guzman, BLF, and Blanco have all been starters. There are players behind each of them in the pipeline who should be ready to step in once they leave, but in some cases, they're upperclassmen. Right now, we have only four big men on scholarships, so I decided it wouldn't be a bad thing to bring in multiple post players--especially if at least one of them is athletic enough to slide out to the wing.
As we prepare for training camp, we have three players signed for next season.
Coach Sims has traditionally recruited well in New Jersey. Stars like
Joe Lien,
Daniel Warnock, and
Carter Todd all came to Lafayette from the Garden State. He's kept the Jersey connection strong at Villanova, signing signed five-star prospect
Avery Sullivan in his first VU recruiting class. This year's class will include two more Jersey boys.
Code:
#13 PG Blake Norton
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Height: 6-1
Weight: 171
High School: Palmyra High School
Hometown: Palmyra, NJ
GPA: 2.37
Test Score: 1010
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: 44 17 42 53 52 43 20 26 36 22 55 40 73 17 75 28
Potential: C D C B A B C D A B C C
Season Stats:
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PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
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15.8 1.5 5.5 7.1 1.3 5.68 3.4 1.1 2.9
Shooting Averages:
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FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
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6.4 15.0 .427 1.7 2.5 .673 1.4 5.4 .250
Recruiting Notes:
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Qualified: Yes
Committed to Villanova
Rankings: #50 PG, East Region #37 Overall, East Region #9 PG
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: *Villanova
Blake Norton dreamed of playing for Villanova from the day he first picked up a basketball. He's developed into a solid three-star player, and while some might think a program like Villanova shouldn't pursue the #213 player in the country, I think Blake does enough of the right things to be a very solid addition to our program.
He's not a dazzling scorer in high school, so he probably won't be one in college, either. He's a traditional point guard who concentrates on directing his team's offense, taking care of and distributing the ball. Look at his assist/turnover ratio! I'd prefer Blake to be a lockdown defender-in-the-making, but he won't hurt us when the other team has the ball. Interestingly enough, he's better at defending in the post, despite being only 6'0".
From the town of Somerville, in central New Jersey, we welcome forward
Tony Ezell to the Wildcat basketball family. He's the top-ranked power forward in the East, and one of the ten best prospects at his position in the nation.
Code:
#21 PF Tony Ezell
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Height: 6-7
Weight: 206
High School: Somerville High School
Hometown: Somerville, NJ
GPA: 2.68
Test Score: 910
Rating: ****
Attributes:
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Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 91 47 30 8 28 8 24 45 54 23 27 27 47 42 42 37
Potential: A C C F D F C B B C C C
Season Stats:
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PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
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12.9 2.4 9.5 0.5 2.0 0.25 1.2 1.3 2.3
Shooting Averages:
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FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
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5.5 9.5 .577 1.9 3.3 .585 0.1 0.5 .100
Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Committed to Villanova
Rankings: #48 Overall, #9 PF, East Region #8 Overall, East Region #1 PF
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: *Villanova, Georgetown, Lafayette
Tony is the kind of player I mentioned earlier; he plays the four as a high schooler, but his lean frame might make him better suited to play on the wing for us. He hasn't been a high-volume shooter, but his ability to create shots is already high-major quality. He's also a willing rebounder and defender.
I especially like the fact Tony chose us over Georgetown and Lafayette.
The borough of Cochranton is located in northwestern Pennsylvania. It's home to about 1100 people. Cochranton Junior-Senior High School, home of the Cardinals, has an enrollment of under 400 students, grades 7-12. One of them is
Lowell Welter, who happens to be one of the best high school basketball players in the country.
Code:
#42 C Lowell Welter
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Height: 6-8
Weight: 212
High School: Cochranton High School
Hometown: Cochranton, PA
GPA: 2.43
Test Score: 1160
Rating: ****
Attributes:
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Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 56 34 17 33 29 9 45 59 36 20 18 35 37 90 16 92
Potential: A C D B A D C A C D D C
Season Stats:
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PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
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21.2 3.7 16.1 2.0 1.8 1.11 1.7 1.6 1.8
Shooting Averages:
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FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
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9.2 17.6 .523 2.1 4.3 .477 0.8 3.0 .250
Recruiting Notes:
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Qualified: Yes
Committed to Villanova
Rankings: #30 Overall, #9 C, East Region #4 Overall, East Region #2 C
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: *Villanova, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Kansas
Lowell scores with a variety of post moves, but he also displays good form on his jumper and could develop into a very good outside shooter. He is "country strong," a ferocious rebounder who believes every missed shot is his to claim.
He grew up rooting for Pitt, and the Panthers recruited him heavily, too. But there's now a Villanova pennant hanging in
Kay's Cardinal Country Restaurant, above the booth where Lowell likes to demolish huge helpings of corned beef hash.
