In yesterday's Major Indoor Soccer League amateur draft, the Blast first looked to Loyola College and then to the Atlantic Coast Conference for possible help in the future.

With its territorial pick, the Blast selected Niall Lepper, a Loyola defender and two-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

The team then chose ACC players back-to-back, picking Virginia defender and former McDonogh star Jonathan Cole and North Carolina State and Loyola Blakefield product Marcus Johnson with its first- and second-round picks, respectively.

In the third round, the Blast chose Towson goalkeeper Andy Hicks, younger brother of former Blast defender Todd Hicks, before selecting William and Mary standout Carlos Garcia with its fourth and final pick.

General manager Kevin Healey and the Blast have had success bringing in talent through the amateur draft and hope this year is no different, starting with Lepper, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, who found a home as a central defender at Loyola.

"Niall is an extremely strong player who was a force on the field at Loyola. ... He's big and strong, has the composure and we definitely think he can make the transition to the indoor game," Healey said.

Cole, Johnson and Hicks are local players who may get the chance to play professional ball in front of the home crowd.

"Those next three guys I know personally, watching them as far back as when they were 12 years old playing at Du Burns Arena," Healey said. "We know their backgrounds and have a lot of respect for them and their families."

In the past two drafts, the Blast picked up four players - P.J. Wakefield, Andy Wells, Giuliano Celenza and 2001-02 league Rookie of the Year Billy Nelson - who are making solid contributions to the team.