Last week Maryland quarterback recruit C.J. Brown threw for 301 yards in a loss to Norwin (Pa.).

Last night, Brown bettered that statistical performance, leading his Seneca Valley (Pa.) team to its first win of the season.

Quarterback C.J. Brown threw for 304 yards on 25-for-37 passing and ran for three touchdowns, and Seneca Valley beat Erie-Mcdowell, 38-33, at home Thursday night.

"We knew they were a pretty good team, and we knew we had to bounce back from last week," Brown said. "It's a great feeling right now."

• The Gazette profiled Good Counsel linebacker and Maryland target Jelani Jenkins this week. The five-star prospect is taking his time with recruiting.

Despite all of that intense attention, Jenkins, who traveled all over the country this past summer, said the recruiting process has been anything but burdensome because of the help of his parents, Stephanie and Maurice.

"It really hasn't been tough [and] it doesn't mess up my schedule too much," said Jenkins after practice last Tuesday. "It didn't bother me in terms of lifting or anything. I'm putting it aside for the most part and worrying about school. I still get mail and people contacting me from the [recruiting] Web sites. It's cool. I feel blessed."

• Good Counsel cornerback Louis Young's recruitment could mirror Jenkins' in terms of interest and intensity. According to The Washington Post, Young -- a 2010 prospect -- already has plenty of options in football and basketball.

Increasingly, though, many of those college recruiters are paying attention to Young, whose stock shot up after he stood out at a one-day camp at Maryland this summer.

Virginia Tech, Boston College and Stanford soon followed suit. Clemson and Maryland had been recruiting him to play basketball, Young said, but attention from the football scouts "has picked up recently."

• The Terps are still reportedly in the running for North Carolina offensive tackle Travis Bond. According to the The Virginian-Pilot, the 6-foot-7, 330-pounder is still looking at all suitors.

According to Bond and Bertie head coach Tony Hoggard, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina, Stanford, Oregon, Virginia, Maryland, East Carolina and Michigan all are after the giant lineman.

"He hasn't tipped his hat either way. He's keeping his options open," Hoggard said. "Anywhere he goes, the coach is going to have an outstanding player."

• WashingtonPost.com’s latest Recruiting Spotlight video looks at Quince Orchard defensive back Travis Hawkins, who sports offers from Maryland, Penn State, Michigan, Oregon, Virginia Tech, Tennessee and many others. Click here to see the video.

Basketball recruiting

• Brooklyn, N.Y., power forward James Padgett was supposed to check out Maryland, Pittsburgh, South Carolina and West Virginia last week, but scheduling conflicts prevented the 2009 prospect from making those trips. According to South Carolina recruiting analyst Phil Kornblut, Padgett still plans on visiting College Park.

He has, however, scheduled official visits to Pittsburgh for this weekend and Maryland for September 27th.

• The Terps are still in the running for Dix Hills, N.Y., power forward Tobias Harris. The 2010 prospect recently trimmed his list of schools to 10.

Harris also cut his list of potential schools to 10: Louisville, Syracuse, Rutgers, Georgetown, Virginia, Maryland, Marquette, West Virginia, Wake Forest and USC.

Harris just completed a tour of numerous schools, including Virginia, Maryland, Georgetown and Syracuse.

• ESPN.com updated its 2010 player rankings this week, and Harris was one of the country’s highest risers.

Also making big strides this summer was 6-7 combo forward Tobias Harris (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West), vaulting 20 spots to No. 18 overall. A matchup nightmare for defenders, he possesses the ball skills to use a catch-sweep-go move, shoot the jumper from the perimeter and score inside. With his aggressive play Harris scores a good percentage of his points from the free-throw line.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

Arundel’s Ashley Davis is headed to Drexel.

Last month, the 5-foot-9 shooting guard picked the Dragons over offers from St. Joseph’s, Loyola, Towson, Hofstra and Richmond.

Davis, who averaged 14 points as a junior, committed to Drexel on a visit to the Philadelphia school a few weeks ago.

“When I was playing pickup with the girls, it just felt like I was here still, like at Arundel. It was basically the same style of play and everything,” Davis said. “I was relieved a lot. I was happy as well.”

Davis’ commitment brought the 2008 Maryland Hurricanes AAU squad over the $1 million dollar mark in athletic scholarship support -- a calculation of four years of tuition, room and board. Eight former Hurricanes and class of 2008 members will begin their college-basketball careers this season: McDonogh’s Becky Cox (George Mason), St. Frances’ Kandice Green (Seton Hall), McDonogh’s Destiny Jacobs (Stony Brook), Dulaney’s Danielle Parker (Delaware), Arundel’s Ayanna Randolph (Furman), Glenelg’s Katie Biggs (Shepherd (W.Va.) University), Atholton’s Brittany Coughlan (Berry (Ga.) College) and Old Mill’s Bethany Hart (Shippensburg).

Davis, the Hurricanes’ lone 2009 prospect, had to branch out on her own this summer. While her former teammates were preparing for college, Davis was back on the AAU circuit with the Fairfax (Va.) Stars.

But while the team scenario was different, her support system was the same. Hurricanes team manager Kevin Randolph continued to handle much of the logistical aspects of Davis’ recruiting and coach Michael Coughlan returned to the sidelines with Davis’ new team.

"They were very involved. ... [Randolph] was like a father to me. He had a lot to do with it," Davis said. "He was always there for me and so was [Coughlan]."

Coughlan, a career research and development teacher at Oakland Mills, planned on spending his summer taking classes to keep his teaching certification up to date. He accomplished that, but also took on the unexpected task of coaching Davis and the Stars.

“Once I finished up my spring classes, it was the middle of May and [the Stars] were without a coach,” Coughlan said. “Ashley and her mom asked me, and when the kids ask, I’ll make sacrifices. So we practiced down in northern Virginia a couple times a week. I just wanted to make sure they had a stable environment.”

Coughlan said he enjoyed spending one last summer on the AAU circuit, especially since he was able to help Davis find a home after coaching her for the last three-plus years.

“It was awesome,” Coughlan said. “I’ll be honest, with Ashley, I’ve got a lot of respect for her. [She came to the Hurricanes] a year younger [than her teammates] when she was 14 and the kids were 15. It benefitted her because she was already further along. ... [Going into this summer] she had the three solid offers (Drexel, St. Joseph’s, Loyola) before the July period. The July period was just to see what opportunities came up. She got three more, Richmond, Hofstra and Towson. So she was ahead of the game because of the groundwork that was laid.”

For Randolph -- who was instrumental in formulating the Hurricanes’ business plan -- hitting the one-million dollar mark in scholarship and tuition money brought great satisfaction, particularly since all of the girls found good situations.

“Well I’ll tell you, the whole one-million thing didn’t come into fruition until girls started making their commitments,” Randolph said. “Then we had the potential to keep pushing, even on the girls who went [Division II]. But the goal was to get them into schools. The girls landed at some pretty good academic as well as athletic programs. But all the credit goes to the ladies, for sure. They put in the work. ... [We’ll be] doing more travel [to see the girls in college, so] it’s going to be quite interesting. Quite a few of the girls have great potential, so it’s going to be exciting.”

Read more about the Hurricanes’ Million Dollar Team

Baltimore Sun photo of Ashley Davis by Amy Davis / March 10, 2008

Posted by Matt Bracken at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Tim Miller had to pick his spots this summer.

The Maryland/Severna Park 3D coach pared down his team’s summer AAU schedule, thanks to scheduling conflicts and a desire to choose the best opportunities for his team to be seen.

“We knocked off some tournaments off the beaten path that didn’t showcase our team,” Miller said. “The other thing that hurts is the limited number of days the colleges can see you. A whole bunch of showcase tournaments began to overlap.

“If you can’t play -- there’s so much riding on these guys. If you’re not going to be good and you’re beat down, they only get to see them so many times. We really want them to be fresh and have enough to go.”

Miller had several players prove their worth all summer long, starting with St. Mary’s point guard Nick Groce and Loyola shooting guard Matt Rum. Miller thinks UMBC got a steal in Groce, who committed to the Retrievers in June.

“Well UMBC just got a tremendous player in Groce,” Miller said. “He’s a selfless player and he can score. He’s as good an on-the-ball defender as you’re going to find. He’s got a great feel for the game. UMBC is just jumping up and down there because they got him. ... He’s got everything you’d want in a point guard. He’s bringing the whole package to the table.”

Miller has similarly high expectations for Rum at the next level. Rum, 6 feet 3, committed to William & Mary in June.

“Rum is going to be unbelievable,” Miller said. “This kid is just a tremendous athlete, almost a freaky type of athlete. He’s got very good speed and quickness, a tremendous vertical ... he has no fear of taking people on. ... I think there’s going to be some people really, really surprised at what he’s going to be able to do in the CAA."

While Groce and Rum finished their recruitments early in the summer, several of their 3D teammates emerged as Division I players on the AAU circuit.

St. Paul’s forward Sidney McCray is receiving serious interest from St. Francis (Pa.) -- and will visit the Northeast Conference school next weekend -- in addition to Wagner and Rider.

“McCray is about 6-6 -- he’s going to be a step-out 4-man,” Miller said. “He can handle it well, shoots very well, battles very, very tenaciously. He does a lot of good things. He’s going to get there, there’s no doubt in my mind. He’ll be a DI guy, if not a DII guy getting a full ride. I’m very certain he’s a DI guy.”

Ben Montgomery, a rugged 6-foot-7 power forward/center from the Severn School, seems destined to end up at one of the country’s more prestigious academic institutions, according to Miller.

“Right now he has both Harvard and Princeton recruiting the daylights out of him,” Miller said. “Their situation is different because they’re Ivy League [and can‘t give athletic scholarships]. This fall they can provide a ‘likely to accept’ letter based on their indexes. We’re pretty certain he’ll get a likely to accept letter. ... He also had MIT call, which is a Division III school. It’s basically the best engineering school in the world, and they’ve really begun to recruit the hell out of him.”

Mount St. Joseph’s guard Matt Miller, 6 feet 2, 170 pounds, is receiving serious recruiting interest from Holy Cross, Bucknell, UMBC and Boston University. Radford and Ohio University are also monitoring Miller’s progress.

Rounding out 3D’s roster of 2009 players are Annapolis Area Christian’s Pat Lapinski, Glen Burnie’s Tyler Rudd and St. Mary’s Trey Quinn, all of whom are Division III prospects. Quinn sat out most of the summer with tendonitis, but Catholic University, Hamilton (N.Y.) and St. Mary’s have shown interest, according to Miller. Marymount (Va.), McDaniel, St. Mary’s and Navy are recruiting Rudd, while Lapinski is “getting a bunch of DIII looks,” according to Miller.

Miller and his 3D squad will be back in the gym this week. Off the court, he’ll continue to try and find the right fits for his seniors.

“We’ve had a great summer,” Miller said. “[Seeing where the players end up is] going to be interesting.”

Posted by Matt Bracken at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

Avery Murray will suit up for the Terps as a linebacker, but the 6-foot, 219-pounder stood out Friday night on offense.

Murray had two carries for two long touchdown runs in a 42-6 win for his West Florence (S.C.) squad.

Murray broke a scoreless tie with an 80-yard touchdown run with 7:18 left in the first half. The score opened the floodgates for the Knights, who went up 17-0 at the half and led 27-6 after three quarters.

Murray, Terance Gamble and Leon Richardson each had touchdown runs of 50 yards or more. Murray led the team with 107 yards and two scores while Gamble had 97 yards and a touchdown.

• UM quarterback commitment Danny O’Brien rebounded from his team’s opening-week loss by leading East Forsyth (N.C.) to a 37-16 win over Reynolds.

O’Brien threw for one touchdown and rushed for one score. East Forsyth coach Todd Willert called for O’Brien -- who rushed for 120 yards on 20 carries -- to do most of his damage on the ground.

And Willert obliged, calling O'Brien's number for 20 carries, and for once, the strong-armed quarterback did more with his legs than his arm. O'Brien smiled and said his rushing total was "easily" a career high.

"Coach decided I would have to run more this game because last year they didn't key on me running the ball," O'Brien said. "I said whatever I had to do to win the game, whatever it took, and so that's what I did.

• C.J. Brown threw for more than 300 yards, rushed for one touchdown and threw for another, rallying his Seneca Valley (Pa.) team from a 14-point deficit. But Norwin pulled ahead on a late field goal, and Brown’s comeback attempt fell just short.

With his team clinging to a late three-point lead, Norwin coach Dan Conwell's risky fourth-down play call gave Seneca Valley the ball at his team's 29-yard line. But the Norwin defense stopped Brown, a Maryland recruit, who had completed 21 passes and controlled the play for most of the second half.

• Terps linebacker recruit Bradley Johnson led the Dinwiddie (Va.) rushing attack in a 14-10 loss to Clover Hill.

Bradley Johnson led the Generals with nine carries for 66 yards.

• Running back D.J. Adams helped Norcross (Ga.) to a 24-17 win over South Gwinnett. Adams also reaffirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that his only visit this fall will be to College Park.

Norcross tailback D.J. Adams has five opportunities to take official visits this fall, but he’ll only need one. The Maryland commitment plans on visiting the Terrapins and only the Terrapins sometime during the season.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

While former Maryland recruit Gus Gilchrist awaits an NCAA ruling on his eligibility status for the upcoming season at South Florida, his longtime trainer/advisor Terrelle Woody is getting started on a new job at the Tampa university.

According to the Tampa Tribune, USF hired Woody this week as the men’s basketball team’s video and conditioning assistant.

Woody, who does not have a college degree, will be paid $30,000 and will not receive benefits from the school, USF coach Stan Heath said.

His job duties include recording games of upcoming opponents, making sure the televisions in the coaches' offices are connected to DirectTV and assisting a certified strength and conditioning coach with the players.

• The Terps are still in the running for power forward James Padgett, a 2009 prospect from Brooklyn, N.Y.

“Right now the schools that are still in it are West Virginia, Pitt, Maryland, South Carolina, Providence and St. John’s,” the 6-foot-8, 220-pound Padgett said by phone.

Padgett has already visited St. John’s unofficially and said he will visit South Carolina, Maryland, West Virginia and Pitt unofficially next week.

• Dix Hills, N.Y., power forward Tobias Harris continued his college tour this week with a stop in College Park. Harris’ father, Torrel, said his son “came away very impressed with Coach [Gary] Williams,” and was particularly moved by a speech on campus by Len Bias’ mother, Lonise.

“Mrs. Bias touched on several important issues that are important to young people,” Torrel said. “Len’s mother talked about being a leader in this world and knowing who you are as a person. She also said friends are important in anyone’s life. She also said it’s important knowing yourself as a person as opposed to trying to please your so called friends.”

• Rivals.com updated its class of 2010 prospect rankings this week, and numerous Terps targets cracked the top 150. Walbrook small forward Roscoe Smith (11), Plainfield, N.J., point guard Isiah Epps (40), Albany, N.Y., guard Taran Buie (53) and Calvert Hall power forward Jonathan Graham (77) are just a few UM prospects on the list.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
                    

Steve Goins has already gotten a taste of life in College Park.

The Maryland power forward recruit spent four weeks on campus earlier this summer as part of the university’s Scholastic Transitions Educational Program (S.T.E.P.).

Goins took courses in English, math and study skills, while also learning the ins and outs of campus living.

“It was like a [pre-college program to] get you acclimated to how life is going to be,” Goins said. “I met a lot of other athletes, not just basketball, but from lacrosse, baseball, football, every other sport. I think it was [very beneficial]. It helped out a lot.”

Goins will be back in College Park before the end of the month. He’s still waiting to be approved by the NCAA Clearinghouse. Once that approval comes, the once-improbable scenario of Goins as a Terp will finally come to fruition.

“I would’ve never thought I could be playing for Maryland a few years ago when I first started playing basketball,” Goins said. “I wasn’t forced into [playing] -- I always liked basketball, but never actually played. But then I started loving to play and got a scholarship offer from Maryland. ... So I’m just enjoying it and taking everything in.”

Here’s an introduction to Goins.

Name: Steve Goins
Birthdate: 7/29/90
Birthplace: Chicago
Hometown: Chicago
Height: 6’9
Weight: 245
Position: Power forward
High School: Curie High School (senior year), Leo Catholic High School (freshman-junior year)
Senior statistics: 14 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks
Runner-up: South Florida or Illinois-Chicago
Favorite pro basketball player: Carmelo Anthony
Favorite pro basketball team: None
Favorite music: Lil Wayne
Favorite book: The Outsiders by Susan E. Hinton
Favorite movie: Friday
Favorite TV show: The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite high school class: Art
Favorite thing about College Park: “When I visited, it was just big, and there’s all types of people there.”
Hobbies: Drawing
Intended major: Computer graphics
Something that not many people know about you: “Last year, my senior year, was my first full year of playing basketball. I actually started playing basketball my freshman year of high school. Sophomore year I didn’t play much, got hurt in the summer and junior year I played a little bit. So senior year was my first full year.”
Best basketball moment: “My first game [as a senior at Curie] I guess. I almost had a triple-double, like one block off of a triple-double.”
Role model: “My mother and my father because they’re always there for me and always hard working, so I just try to work hard at everything I do.”
Why Maryland? “The town and everything was just great. With all the other schools I was looking in to -- Maryland was at the top being in the ACC. It’s a big school and I’ve got a real good opportunity to get a lot of playing time. Once I looked into the academic side, they were pretty good, too.”

Click here for AAU coach Nick Irvin's take on Goins.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
                    

Todd Bozeman has a lot returning from Morgan State’s 2007-08 team.

But he’s also adding several talented newcomers to the Bears -- the reigning regular-season MEAC champions.

Pensacola (Fla.) Junior College center Buford Foote, Hagerstown Community College forward John Long, Northeastern (Colo.) Junior College guard Troy Smith and Gwynn Park guard Sean Thomas are the new additions to MSU’s roster. Philadelphia forward Ameer Ali, former Walbrook center Kevin Thompson and ex-St. Frances point guard Desmond Thomas all redshirted for Morgan last season and will be eligible this fall.

Bozeman spoke with Recruiting Report recently about the Bears’ 2008 recruiting class.

Give us an overview of your class of newcomers.

Well there’s only one freshman that we actually signed, the rest are junior college players. The freshman is Sean Thomas. He’s a guard. I think he can play both spots but he’s really a point guard. He’s a tough, physical player, aggressive. I think that he is, physically, probably more prepared as a freshman just because he’s physically strong and I think he’ll bring a lot to the program. He comes from a good basketball program. He’s been well coached. He’s [a Washington Post] All-Met player and I think he’s the first All-Met from the D.C. area to attend Morgan since probably Garcia Hopkins back in the 70s, so I’m sure it was the first one since then. ... But to get an All-Met player was significant for us, not that I recruited him because he was All-Met. But I’m excited for Sean to be a part of the program.

The junior college guys, one is Buford Foote from Pensacola Junior College. At 6’10", he gives us a shot-blocking [presence] and rebounder, especially losing Boubacar [Coly]. Having some size will be important. We can’t replace Boo, but he’ll bring a lot to us in terms of experience. Being a junior college player, he’s already played against talent. He probably comes from one of the best JUCO leagues in the country down in the Panhandle. He’s from Atlanta, Georgia. His length will be a big asset to us and he can shoot the jumper from the elbow and from the free-throw line.

The other one is John Long. John is probably the best athlete we have on the team. He’s 6’7", really long arms and a really strong athlete. He was second in the country in rebounding [in] junior college, so again, that was important for us to try to replace the rebounding that Boubacar gave us. Boubacar was in the top ten in the country, but collectively by committee, that’s how we’ll try to replace that. But John is a rebounder and defender and that’s what he’ll bring to the table.

Troy Smith, he’s a wing player that can score in transition. He can defend anyone, really. He comes from Northeastern Junior College in Colorado, but he’s from Baltimore and came back home. Baltimore players have a certain grittiness that he certainly has, so it’s been a big part of what we’ve been able to do, what we’ve built these last two years. But he can really finish in transition.

And I’m looking forward to having an opportunity to coach the other incoming guys. Those guys were already there. Desmond Thomas was the first high school player who signed after my first year. He was at St. Frances for high school and sat out last year as a non-qualifier. He’s a real steady point guard, a real heady point guard. He has a lot of poise for a young player. And the other kid, Kevin Thompson, was a highly-touted 6’8" forward from Walbrook. He redshirted last year only because he didn’t get through the [NCAA] Clearinghouse until halfway through the season, so we decided not to play him even though he would’ve been a big help to us. He’s a very efficient low-post scorer. He will hopefully help fill the void of Boubacar in terms of scoring in the low post. And Ameer Ali is a tough, rugged wing player who also sat out last year. He’ll bring a certain amount of toughness and high basketball IQ. So I feel good about the class. [Thomas, Thompson and Ali] weren’t actually in the class, but they’re newcomers just the same.

Has it been a strategy of yours to target junior college players?

Well when we first got out there that was a strategy because I didn’t want to just rely on high school players because I knew that in order to build a program, we had to have some guys who had some experience playing and would physically be more mature. And that’s the reason why the junior college guys were the ones of choice. But you do want to bring in some high school kids because you want to continue building the program. For high school players, it normally takes them a while because they need to understand how hard you have to play. Junior college guys, they’re used to maybe playing against one player that’s very good or a couple games before they come upon a really good player or team. High school guys, it’s almost the same thing. When you get to college basketball, you have to bring it every day in practice and games. So it’s not necessarily a strategy, but when you’re looking for maturity, a lot of times you have to go the junior college route.

Smith is a Douglass High School grad, but he played his junior-college ball in Colorado. How did he end up there?

It’s a ways away, but he’s very close to Carmelo Anthony so that’s why he ended up there. That was by his choice, so we didn’t have anything to do with that. We recruited him out of high school, but he wasn’t a qualifier, so that’s why he went to junior college. So he chose that junior college, but he’s friends with Carmelo, and his brother might be one of Carmelo’s best friends. There’s not a story behind it, but he did very well.

How important is it for you to keep local talent at home?

Well I just think that anytime you’re in an area that produces an abundance of talent, you want to keep as many home as possible. We’re definitely not unique to that approach. Baltimore always has had a tremendous amount of talent. You just think of Juan Dixon ... Donte Greene, Malcolm Delaney at Virginia Tech, Carmelo Anthony, as I said. The [David] Wingates, Reggie Williams, Muggsy Bogues, Reggie Lewis. There’s always a ton of players in Baltimore. Just to have those kinds of players around, it only makes sense [to recruit the area]. You don’t have to go that far to get good players. That was the focus when I got here, so fortunately [we’ve been able] to keep some of the guys home.

Will your JUCO recruits be ready to play immediately?

That remains to be seen because for most junior college players, it takes a minute to get adjusted. Even Jamar Smith, who was the [MEAC] Player of the Year, it took him time to get adjusted. But that doesn’t mean these guys can’t have an impact. I don’t predict -- you just don’t know because it matters how soon they have to adjust to the consistent level of play that you have to get ready for in Division I, even in practice within your own team.

Do you expect any of the newcomers to make an immediate impact? Which guys are you counting on this year?

Not necessarily for the newcomers, but Marquise Kately will be one of the top players in the league. He was an all-league player last year. He has a very high basketball IQ. He’ll dictate a lot of what happens with us this year, as will Reggie Holmes, who could end up being the leading scorer in the history of the school because he’s been in double figures every year. Kevin Thompson in the post and Jermaine Bolden [at point guard], those guys will probably play significant roles, but everybody will play a part because we’ll be a deeper team than we were last year. We were eight deep last year, but [this year] we’ll probably have 10 or 11 guys that will possibly play every game.

What was the timeline for your recruits in terms of when they signed?

Buford Foote was the first guy this year. He was an early signing-period guy. The rest of the guys were late signing period. Sean Thomas went all the way down to the end of the season. He probably was the last guy.

Has your recent success made recruiting easier?

I don’t know if recruiting is ever easy, so I would never say that. But in terms of the program, I think the fact that we’ve been invited to participate in the Bracket Buster, the first MEAC team ever to do that ... I think that speaks volumes to what the guys we had last year [accomplished], and even the year before that with the foundation they were able to lay. ... It’s definitely a sign of growth at going in the right direction for the program. I think that just adds to the bricks being laid to build the program.

Baltimore Sun photo of Todd Bozeman by David Hobby / Nov. 25, 2006

Posted by Matt Bracken at 6:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

Nick Irvin is starting to get excited.

In a few months, the Chicago-based AAU basketball coach plans on watching one of his all-time favorite players -- Steve Goins -- suit up for Maryland.

It’s been an improbable journey for Goins, who didn’t start playing basketball until his freshman year of high school. Irvin’s been by the 6-foot-9, 245-pounder’s side for most of the way. The latest hurdle has been navigating the NCAA’s eligibility standards. Goins has been admitted to Maryland and took three classes in College Park earlier this summer. But he still has to be approved by the NCAA Clearinghouse. Irvin is confident everything will work out.

“I told him, ‘just take it in stride and everything will work itself out. So don’t be worried about [the Clearinghouse]. You’re in college now, so just be happy,’” Irvin said. “I’m pretty sure he’ll be fine, because he did all he had to do.”

Irvin first discovered Goins as a 6-4 freshman out of Leo Catholic High School on Chicago’s South Side. Goins joined the Mac Irvin Fire AAU program, which was founded by Nick Irvin’s father, Mac.

“When I first saw Steve play, he was real smooth, finger-rolling and dunking, so he always had the skills,” Irvin said.

As a newcomer to the game, Goins didn’t play much as a freshman. Then an injury before his sophomore year derailed his progress on the court.

“Once he broke his leg, it was a setback for him,” Irvin said. “And I always knew he had the potential to be real good. When you’re a kid, you get down on yourself, so my brother and my father and his mother picked his spirits up.”

The broken leg made his sophomore season a wash. In between rehabbing the injury and a gradual growth spurt to his current 6-9 height, Goins slowly began to feel more comfortable on the court.

“It took him a while, almost this year to get it back where he could say, ‘OK, I’m going to run and jump and be OK,’” Irvin said. “But once he got rolling, he was real good. Big men sometimes develop late. You just keep staying focused. So we were running him and running him and he put his mind to it. Man, he could be good.”

After his junior year, Goins left Leo for Curie High School, where he finally put it all together, averaging 14 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks per game. All of a sudden, Goins emerged as a solid Division I recruit. But there was still a lot of work to be done.

“Well I told him, ‘man, you want to go to Division I, you want to play at the highest level, you have to put in the work, take all the classes you need and don’t get discouraged about it,’” Irvin said. “So I just helped him stay focused, had him keep working hard.”

After his senior season, Goins was weighing scholarship offers from South Florida and Illinois-Chicago. Irvin said he thinks Goins’ recruitment was low-profile due to several factors -- his lack of playing time at Leo, the broken leg impeding his progress and questionable academics. It wasn’t until earlier this summer that Goins was academically qualified.

When Gus Gilchrist bolted for South Florida, the Terps suddenly had a gaping hole in their frontcourt. Once Goins took care of his academics, a scholarship was offered and accepted.

Irvin thinks Goins has the ability to contribute for UM as a freshman.

“As a freshman, probably they just want him to come in, do a little bit,” Irvin said. “They probably aren’t expecting that much -- just have a good freshman year and keep getting better. ... I don’t think any college program would be expecting [a freshman] to come in and dominate right off the bat. There’s probably a process he will go through. If they need him to play right away, oh yeah, he can play right away. He’ll be ready.

“He can score the ball, and rebound the ball. That transition will be real easy for him. Steve does everything good. He can score on the blocks, shoot the 15-footer. If his confidence is there, he’ll be fine.”

Goins is back in Chicago now, but plans on returning to College Park later his week. He’s been working on his strength and conditioning, and awaiting word from the NCAA Clearinghouse.

When he finally does suit up for the Terps, Irvin will be watching intently from afar.

“I’m so proud of Steve because people were like, ‘he’s not this, he’s not that,’” Irvin said. “For me being the one watching him develop [and see him] keep working and keep working -- man, I’m so proud of him because he’s one of my favorite players. I probably got on him worse than anybody. But he’s one of my favorites. ... And I’m just so happy for him.”

Check back with Recruiting Report later this week for a Q&A with Goins.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
                    

Ever wonder what went on beyond the scenes with former Maryland center recruit Gus Gilchrist? The Tampa Tribune has your answers.

The Florida newspaper investigated the relationship between Gilchrist, who is still waiting for the NCAA to rule on his eligibility status at South Florida, and his longtime trainer, Terrelle Woody. The entire story is definitely worth the read.

Throughout his dizzying basketball travels - at age 18, he already has attended two high schools and signed letters-of-intent with three universities - Gilchrist has been aligned with Terrelle Woody, 38, his personal trainer, adviser and spokesman.

Now, Woody is in line for a job in the USF athletic department, a non-coaching position that has not been advertised and for which school officials say "there is no record" of what the job might pay or what the qualifications are. Woody does not have a college degree.

• According to Zags Blog, Dix Hills, N.Y., forward Tobias Harris, a 2010 prospect, is scheduled to visit College Park today.

• A couple of Maryland football commitments had rough starts to their senior seasons. Running back D.J. Adams was stifled in Norcross’ 21-6 loss to Camden County (Ga.).

Maryland commitment D.J. Adams found few holes in the fast Wildcats defense. He gained 27 yards on 13 carries and lost a fumble.

Quarterback Danny O’Brien struggled in East Forsyth’s season-opening loss to Rocky Mount (N.C.). The UM commit went 7-of-16 for 83 yards and one interception in his team’s 43-13 defeat.

• Terps linebacker commitment Bradley Johnson checked in at No. 38 on The Roanoke Times’ list of top senior prospects in Virginia.

38. Bradley Johnson, 6-1, 205 LB, Dinwiddie – Ex-Rockbridge coach Billy Mills is building a power at Dinwiddie, with Maryland-bound Johnson leading the way.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
                    

Back in June, East Forsyth (N.C.) quarterback Danny O’Brien committed to Maryland over offers from Duke and East Carolina.

In a Winston-Salem Journal profile of O’Brien, East Forsyth head coach Todd Willert said being slightly overlooked serves as motivation for O’Brien.

"I think he feels like he gets slighted quite a bit," Willert said of O'Brien. "He is not all about that though; he wants to win. But deep down, he hears people talking about other quarterbacks, and I have told him the more you win, the more they talk about you. The big thing is he got his offers and now he can relax and enjoy playing football and not worry about trying to earn a scholarship. The biggest pressure he has is he wants to win.

"That's what you need in a quarterback. The colleges that sat down and talked to him realized his leadership and knowledge of the game."

• The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette singles out two UM commitments in its preview of the PG North.

Maryland recruit C.J. Brown, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound quarterback [for Seneca Valley], passed for 1,567 yards last season as a junior. His top target last season, Matt Plautz, returns after catching 51 passes for 659 yards and also earning all-conference honors. …

Maryland recruit Ryan Schlieper (6-5, 278) and Mike Vuono (6-3, 280), both seniors, will anchor the [North Allegheny] offensive line and linebacker Jackson Boyd and defensive end Wes Henderson should do so for the defense. Senior Brian Austin, a the WPIAL 100-meter champion in track, led the team in receiving yards last season.

The Post-Gazette also conducted a Q&A with Brown.

• Florida is chasing three serious Maryland targets: Good Counsel linebacker Jelani Jenkins, Quince Orchard cornerback Travis Hawkins and St. John's (D.C.) offensive lineman Pete White. GatorCountry.com analyzed Florida’s chances with each prospect.

TRAVIS HAWKINS, CB (5-11, 190, Gaithersburg, MD Quince Orchard): Haven’t been able to get in touch with Hawkins, who performed very well during Friday Night Light’s. I think there is some mutual interest but, I really don’t see him ending up at Florida.

• Chesapeake, Va., linebacker Jerod Askew, who previously listed UM in his final five, was named the top college prospect in the Hampton Roads area by The Virginian-Pilot.

1. Jerod Askew, Oscar Smith linebacker: His stock keeps going up, up, up. Coaches see him and his game film, and say he’s a beast, which is exactly what they want.

• According to The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, Windsor, N.C., offensive tackle Travis Bond is still considering Maryland for an official visit.

The 6-foot-8, 330-pounder has set an Oct. 25 date to make an official visit to Michigan. He’s also considering visits with East Carolina, Maryland, N.C. State, North Carolina and UCLA.

• The recruitment of Good Counsel cornerback Louis Young, a 2010 prospect, is far from over, but Young told Yahoo! Sports that the Terps are in good shape.

“I don’t have a list yet but I really like Boston College and Maryland right now,” he said.

“With Maryland, it’s close to home and I go up there a lot. I have a good relationship with the coaches.”

Basketball recruiting

• The stock of Torrington, Conn., power forward Jordan Williams continues to rise. The Maryland target made his first appearance on the Rivals 150 this week, checking in as the No. 102 prospect in the country for the class of 2009.

The Register Citizen spoke with the 6-foot-10, 245-pounder and his family, some of whom are still getting used to Williams’ status as a top recruit.

"I got a call from (Maryland coach) Gary Williams and, for a minute, I thought it was one of my friends joking with me," said Leron [Williams, Jordan’s father], still sort of amazed that the guy he used to stuff so easily in the driveway - for his own good - is now so sought after, at least partially as a result.

• Dix Hills, N.Y. forward Tobias Harris has plans to visit College Park soon, according to the New York Daily News.

Harris said he plans to visit Maryland, Virginia and Georgetown next week, although a plethora of other schools - including Louisville, UConn, Texas and Rutgers - are still in the hunt for him. He has no timetable on a decision (he’s just a junior), but he said he might decide this year.

• According to Rivals.com, former Terps shooting guard signee Tyree Evans has finally found a home.

Rivals.com has learned that 6-foot-3 guard Tyree Evans has been accepted to Kent State. Evans, the No. 6 prospect in the 2008 junior college rankings, will join the team as a walk-on. The Golden Flashes did not have any scholarships available.

• TampaBay.com reports that ex-Terp Gus Gilchrist is waiting for a ruling on his immediate future at South Florida.

Frontcourt depth is a key, and hinges on two things. First, hugely, is a hardship waiver being filed for power forward Gus Gilchrist, the transfer from Maryland. It hasn't gone out yet, but if granted, would allow Gilchrist to play this season.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)