The UMBC men's basketball team loses three of its top scorers (Ray Barbosa, Brian Hodges, Cavell Johnson) from last season's America East championship and NCAA tournament team.
Attempting to fill those rather large shoes will be a combination of five players the Retrievers are adding to the mix for the 2008-09 season. Chauncey Gilliam, a Columbia native and 6-foot-4 wing guard/small forward who averaged 6.2 points per game for Brewster Academy (N.H.), Bakari Smith, a 6-foot-3 combo guard who averaged 12 points, five assists and five rebounds for Baltimore City Community College in 2006-07, and Jacob Wasco, a 6-foot-8 forward who averaged 11.7 points and 10.2 rebounds for Franklin Learning Center in Philadelphia, will be eligible for competition this fall.
Chris De La Rosa, a 5-foot-9 point guard, transfers in from Siena, while Robbie Jackson, an Aberdeen native and 7-foot center, comes to UMBC after a two-year stint at Marshall.
UMBC coach Randy Monroe spoke with Recruiting Report recently about the Retrievers' new additions.
Talk about the five guys you're bringing in to UMBC.
[First] we have Bakari Smith, who's probably about 6'3, 6'3 ½. He's a player that I think can play a couple different positions. He can play some at the point, some off-guard, some small forward. He's kind of, in a way, similar to Darryl Proctor, but different. I would say Bakari is not as big and strong as Darryl, but he's a player you can put on the floor and find ways to get things done. He has a passion for the game and love of the game.
We have Jake Wasco, who's about 6'7 ½ and his best days are certainly ahead of him. He's a big man who's got a nice shooting touch. He can also rebound the basketball. And he's a good athlete. He's really starting to come into his own as a basketball player.
And then we have Chauncey Gilliam, who is about 6'3 ½, and he's also a player who's probably like Bakari in a way. There's no real definite position for him. He's just a player. He's got a strong build, he can score and he's a very good athlete that can jump over the moon. He's an aggressive rebounder and he plays hard. He knows how to score. He's got an unorthodox shot, but he makes the shot. He's an aggressive rebounder and just loves to play.
The other two guys are two transfers. Robbie Jackson, who's 7 feet, a transfer from Marshall University. Robbie can get up and down the floor for a big man of his size. He's mobile, he's got a nice touch for a big guy. He's also a rugged rebounder. And then Chris De La Rosa, who's transferring in from Siena College, is a point guard who's got basketball savvy. He's a gym rat -- loves to stay in the gym, work out and play. He's got good quickness, makes good sound basketball decisions and he's got three years to play with us. Chris is also really working on his conditioning, and he's a very capable scorer. He likes to push the ball in transition to make things happen. He'll definitely be an asset to our program.
How were you able to convince Smith to sign during the fall instead of waiting until the spring?
Well I think early on in the year, before our season started, we were able to land Bakari, and actually Bakari came up when we were practicing and visited our school and really liked what we had to offer him in terms of his education and in terms of an opportunity to play basketball at the Division I level. And also, it gave his parents an opportunity to see him play. And he's just very excited about getting started with this upcoming season.
Talk about the recruitment of Wasco.
Jake, on the other hand, was a young man who's still learning the game, but I just think his best basketball is ahead of him. He was a young man who, during the process, was just taking his time and just doing a very good job in being a little more independent in his decision-making process in terms of what was going to be the best fit for him. I think he's got a chance to be a good player at the college level.
Since winning the America East championship, and earning an NCAA tournament berth, have you noticed a difference on the recruiting trail? How much easier does success like that make recruiting for you?
When you talk about the success we had this year -- and I'm often asked how it helps recruiting -- and I say you have to keep working and plugging away. Everyone knows we've been on TV, and the exposure we got winning the America East conference championship and having the opportunity to go to the NCAA tournament. I think it'll help next year's class more than this year's. And I say that because people can certainly identify with us right now. When you say 'UMBC,' people turn their heads and it brings a smile to their faces. To me, that's a great thing, and it's a very rewarding thing to see.
Who was the main competition for Smith and Wasco?
Bakari had been hearing from schools such as [James Madison] earlier in the year. Prior to [attending Montgomery Community College this year], he played at Baltimore Community College, and he had been hearing from the likes of St. Bonaventure and Towson and schools of that nature, just to name a few.
Jake actually had a slew of Division II schools after him. He had some schools looking, I know Boston University liked him. But it was a situation where we responded right away. To me, he was a big guy who can run the floor, hit the glass and I just think he had a tremendous opportunity with us and he felt it was a good place for him.
Which of your newcomers do you expect to make an immediate impact?
I think that's hard to tell right now. I think these young men are going to be able to help us. But who will come and make an impact, I think that remains to be seen. Because once again, they're like freshman, even though Bakari has three years to play and he's at junior college -- to me he's still a freshman, because he'll have to adjust to the college environment, adjust to our practices and adjust to our academics. So I don't care how talented you are. The young people that have ability that we see as coaches, it still takes time for them to adjust and process things and put it all together. I'm confident in Bakari's ability. If I wasn't confident, we wouldn't have recruited him. All of those five guys, we have confidence in their abilities and think they'll be very successful. At the same time, we want them to come in and digest a few things at a time and grasp certain things on the offensive and defensive end. By doing that and having good leadership in my three captains, Jay Greene, Darryl Proctor and Matt Spadafora, I think it will definitely help this ball club.
Will Gilliam's experience playing at one of the top prep schools in the nation with numerous DI prospects ease his transition to college?
I think it should help him, but once again, he's still going to be a freshman. Any time you get an opportunity to go to prep school, you become a year older, a little more mature, and I think that's a part of the process. But I think the fact that he's played against some top notch competition in prep school should definitely prepare him for the rigors of the college basketball season, the practice and the travel.
Which other schools were recruiting Gilliam?
Chauncey had some schools looking at him. I know High Point was involved with him and I think Quinnipiac, but the thing that I liked about him was his sheer desire to compete. I think when you can do that, you're going to be in good situations.
You're bringing in three players with Baltimore area ties in Gilliam (Columbia), Jackson (Aberdeen) and Smith (Baltimore City Community College). How important is it to continue landing guys from the area?
I think it's a good thing. It's a good thing from a perspective in that it always tells young people that are close to home that it's a tremendous opportunity and that although you are close, you're still away from home. So it still allows you some independence so that you can do some things and learn how to take care of yourself, so to speak, because college also prepares you for the life after. So I think from this standpoint, and with both Chauncey and Bakari, I see them both helping us and we're excited about getting them the opportunity. Of course, everything is predicated on what they do between now and when they come here.
What are your thoughts on the upcoming season?
I'm excited about the upcoming year. People say, 'well, you lost your top three scorers,' but it's called 'graduation.' It's called 'moving on,' and it happens in every college basketball program in the country. The players that have played a significant role, they go on, and that means that it's someone else's opportunity in the fold. When you have the group of young men we have, starting with our three experienced players in veteran Jay Greene, who I think can be one of the best guards in the country, Darryl Proctor, who's certainly a player who is undersized, but plays bigger than he is, and Matt Spadafora, who has continued to improve year after year. You have Justin Fry, who's a big guy that started coming on for us near the end of the season. We'll be fine. And with that leadership and those young men coming in, they're anxiously awaiting to get started. We'll be fine.
Sun photo of Randy Monroe by Lloyd Fox
