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Post by vabigpoppa on Oct 12, 2008 16:03:22 GMT -5
2009 RU ProspectsJamal Curry (PF) SIGNED LOICharleston (SC) Porter-Gaud School Ht: 6-9 Wt: 190 lbs Schools Interested (Radford, Davidson, Penn St., Charleston Southern, Tulsa, Furman, Jacksonville, Citadel, Boston U, Wofford, USC Upstate) hssouthcarolina.scout.com/a.z?s=232&p=8&c=1&nid=3731991insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=93727&season=2009Gorkem Sonmez (SG/SF) SIGNED LOILeonardtown (MD) St. Mary's Ryken HS Ht: 6-5 Wt: 225 lbs Schools Interested (Wyoming, Radford, Jacksonville, Maryland, Miami) scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=4239148insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/player?page=onthetrail&recruitId=87263&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fplayer%3fpage%3donthetrail%26recruitId%3d87263Michael Wooten (SG) SIGNED LOIGraham (NC) Graham H.S. Ht: 6-2 Wt: 165 insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=74593&season=2009&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fplayer%3frecruitId%3d74593%26season%3d2009Blake Smith (SG) SIGNED LOICharlotte (NC) United Faith Christian Academy Ht: 6-4 Wt: 175 scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=3936143insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=74024&season=2009&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fplayer%3frecruitId%3d74024%26season%3d2009Evan Faulkner (PG/SG) SIGNED LOISandy Hook (KY) Elliot County Ht: 6-2 Wt: 175 virginiapreps.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=89410insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=45875&season=2009Tommy Spagnolo (PF) SIGNED LOIWest Jefferson (NC) Ashe County Ht: 6-7 Wt: 210 virginiapreps.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=89411insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=72942&season=2009&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fplayer%3frecruitId%3d72942%26season%3d2009Tolga Cerrah (PF) SIGNED LOIAnkara, Turkey Ht: 6-9 Wt: 190 insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=95673&season=2009&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fplayer%3frecruitId%3d95673%26season%3d2009 Jamar Wertz (Committed to UMBC) Troy Daniels (Committed to VCU) Jamelle Hagins (Committed to Delaware) Dante Morales (Fishburne Military School) Chris Johnson (Committed to St. Francis PA) Darius Theus (Committed to VCU) Jim Janson (Committed to Division II Le Moyne College) Tyshawn Patterson (Committed to Stetson) Alex Godette (Committed to Army) KJ Sherrill (Committed to Charlotte) Cadarian Raines (Committed to Va Tech) Troy King (Committed to Navy) Wakefield Ellison (Committed to East Carolina) Brendan Bald (Committed to Vermont) Lamar McKnight (Committed to Youngstown St.)
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Post by vabigpoppa on Oct 12, 2008 16:09:20 GMT -5
hey guys, i figured 1 post would be easier to keep track of and have conversations about the 09 prospects. I also added 3 other prospects to the list that i had not made a separate post for.
Fresh, feel free to edit the post how you see fit
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Post by knvb141 on Oct 12, 2008 16:50:09 GMT -5
This def makes it easier....great post....lets get a couple studs Coach G!
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Post by vabigpoppa on Oct 12, 2008 20:06:24 GMT -5
Hickory's Morales Adds Big South OfferMatthew Hatfield VirginiaPreps.com Basketball Analyst Six-foot-5 Hickory (Chesapeake, VA) swingman Donte Morales has picked up his first offer from Radford University out of the Big South Conference. Last season as a junior, Morales averaged 17.6 points per game, making him the leading returning scorer in the Eastern Region for 2008-09. His numbers were good enough to earn him 2nd Team All-Southeastern District honors. "We give him the green light. I'd like for him to take about 25 shots a game because he shoots over 50%. Some nights it looks like he didn't do well and he's 8-for-12, got to the foul line six times and had 22 points," declares Hickory Head Basketball Coach Shane Smith. "He's always had that back to the basket game, and then over the summer he worked on his jump shot. A lot of kids nowadays don't have that mid-range game. From 15-17 feet facing the basket, Donte shoots the ball pretty well, and at the end of the year he extended out to the three-point line." Morales also hit 26 3's a season ago. He scored 28 points as Hickory fell to King's Fork 48-38 in the Southeastern District Tournament quarterfinals. "He rebounds and blocks shots well from that guard position," Smith noted. "We're going to try to get him about 5000 jump shots this summer in the gym, so that when he gets out there next season he can be one of the premier three-point shooters in our district, if not the area." Smith pinpointed "ball-handling and his first step off the dribble to get around some defenders to get to the rack," as areas for improvement in Morales' game. "Defenses now are getting in his face and trying to make him put the ball on the floor and beat them off the dribble instead of letting him spot up for the open jump shot." One of the things Smith would like to see from Morales and the rest of the Hawks is better communication on the court. "Donte's not the biggest talker. He leads by example a lot, but what we've talked about is that a good leader doesn't just lead by example. You also have to be vocal, and Donte's learning that role." Western Carolina out of the Southern Conference has expressed interest in Morales. What's a school getting with him? "They're getting a kid that can put the ball in the basket," Smith simply states. "He's got a great upside, yet they're getting someone who can play defense and rebound as well. He made a huge jump from his sophomore to junior year." Hickory's basketball team has never been to the Eastern Region playoffs in the school's history. Next season should definitely be their best chance yet. "This will be my fifth year here, so all these guys are my guys. Our goal is that regional tournament, and we feel like this is our year with the pieces coming back," Smith agrees. "I thought last year was our chance, but we're still learning how to win those close games. We won ten games last year and we had a chance for four or five others. Our first summer league game against Maury, we were leading the whole game and they took us to overtime and beat us. A lot of these guys haven't won from the middle school on, and learning how to win is difficult."
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Post by vabigpoppa on Oct 12, 2008 20:18:47 GMT -5
Chris Johnson - Denbigh's Poised Presence at the Point
Matthew Hatfield VirginiaPreps.com
Only four schools have been to the Eastern Region Tournament four consecutive years. Three of them – Booker T. Washington, Nansemond River and Tallwood – have been to the State Tournament in that span. The other hasn't, however the Denbigh Patriots certainly are becoming one of the most consistent basketball programs in the Hampton Roads area. Helping provide some consistency as well as efficiency has been 5-foot-10 point guard Chris Johnson.
"I don't think there's a better point guard in the area," says Denbigh Head Coach Bryan Weaver of Johnson. "What he does, he does better than anyone locally. I have never coached a kid or been around a young athlete that understands the game of basketball the way he does. He sees things sometimes before they happen."
Johnson burst onto the scene as a sophomore during the 2006-07 campaign when he scored 22 points and was a perfect 14-for-14 from the free-throw line against Newport News city rival Woodside. Four games later when the Patriots faced another Peninsula District foe, the Menchville Monarchs, he went 7-of-7 at the charity stripe. That night his Denbigh team pulled an upset of the eventual district Champs, thanks to the game-winning steal and assist from Johnson. In other words, if nothing else, he's proven to be clutch.
"One of the things I've always tried to do with my guards, especially my point guard, is talk to them and ask them 'what do you see, what do you want to do, how are things going'? He has great instincts and unbelievable vision. He's a great shooter under pressure. Everybody in the gym knows it's going to him, and most of the time they can't do anything about it," noted Weaver.
"He's getting better and better at knocking down the outside shot," said Weaver, who also added, "I want him to finish a little stronger at the rim. He's a small kid, yet he's aggressive and goes in there in the lane. Every once in a while he'll throw up a wild shot, so getting under control and see if you can draw a foul."
While shooting over 51% from the field, Johnson averaged 13.7 points and 3.2 steals per game in 2007-08 as a junior. He was named Honorable Mention All-Peninsula District for the second year in a row. Johnson currently has no offers, though has received interest from Radford, Longwood and Richmond. Weaver believes he's a Division I guard "as long as people are willing to gamble on him as far as his size, but if people really see the kid play, they'll see his size is not a factor."
Since upsetting Nansemond River in the opening round of the 2005 Eastern Region Tournament, Denbigh has fallen short in the first round to Ocean Lakes, King's Fork and Booker T.
"My wife asked me, 'what else do you have left to accomplish in coaching?' You're back at your alma mater, they were losing when you got there and now they're winning. I told her, 'we have no hardware.' We always play well enough to advance and get in, but we don't have any hardware," pointed out Weaver, a 1989 Denbigh graduate.
"Fortunately for us our very first trip we won a game. We want to advance. Getting there is nice. In the last five years we've played against that back-to-back State Championship Woodside team, the Bethel team that lost once to Tallwood, that Menchville team that was unbelievable and a Bethel team that lost in the State Championship. We've played against some fabulous basketball teams in the last few years. We've been fortunate in that regard, but also unlucky."
Weaver feels that the upcoming season could possibly be their breakthrough with Johnson returning for his senior year as the team's floor leader. The off-season is going well so far with Denbigh owning a 9-2 record heading into Tuesday night in the Maury Summer League.
"Our kids compete, we show up and I think it prepares us for when it comes to regional play," states Weaver. "It's about building that culture. Hopefully it teaches these kids that they have to do better things in the classroom and in the community. We don't just want to win games; we want to make sure it's a better overall atmosphere. We haven't lost a lot to eligibility, but our goal is to make them understand that it's all a total package."
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Post by vabigpoppa on Oct 14, 2008 19:11:19 GMT -5
just an update on the William Fleming duo...Troy Daniels has official offers from Radford, Marquette, Gonzaga, Coastal Carolina, Cincinnati. Jamelle Hagins has offers from Delaware and Radford.
After seeing whos actually offered, I think we have a 0.00001% chance of getting Troy lol. But I think we have a very good shot at Jamelle. The only way I think we can get Troy is if Jamelle some how convinces him to come to RU with him, or Troy has cold feet about leaving VA and decides he rather stay close to home.
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Post by RUFresh on Oct 14, 2008 19:24:21 GMT -5
just an update on the William Fleming duo...Troy Daniels has official offers from Radford, Marquette, Gonzaga, Coastal Carolina, Cincinnati. Jamelle Hagins has offers from Delaware and Radford. After seeing whos actually offered, I think we have a 0.00001% chance of getting Troy lol. But I think we have a very good shot at Jamelle. The only way I think we can get Troy is if Jamelle some how convinces him to come to RU with him, or Troy has cold feet about leaving VA and decides he rather stay close to home. While I agree the other programs have more prestige, you'd be surprised at how some recruits base their decision on. There is a lot more parity and a lot of 3-4 star recruits want to shine at a small school. You make a good point that he could always want to stay close to home, which would benefit us. Or who knows maybe Daniels and Hagins have talked about playing college hoops together and they have a chance to do so at RU. All I know is I want at least one of them, but if we could score both it would be huge. Greenberg and his staff have done a fine job thus far in their recruiting pitch, hopefully upgrades to the Dedmon Center will make their case even more impressive.
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Post by vabigpoppa on Oct 14, 2008 19:42:30 GMT -5
good point, w/ mcduffy and KT leaving, im sure greenberg is able to play the "start your freshman" year card. that has to be tempting. youve given me some more hope haha.
im so happy so far w/ the staffs recruiting, a freshman class of daniels, hagins, morales, and theus has potential to be a monster. im just hoping we can close the deal!
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Post by knvb141 on Oct 15, 2008 15:54:49 GMT -5
You guys are getting me pumped up too.....man i hope we sign a couple of these guys in the early period!
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Post by vabigpoppa on Oct 17, 2008 18:47:37 GMT -5
picked up 2 verbal commits today, Evan Faulkner and Tommy Spagnolo. Radford Scores Twiceby Dave Telep of Scout.com, October 17, 2008 at 9:26am ET Brad Greenberg and the Radford men’s basketball team welcomed two new members this week. Elliott County (Ky.) High’s Evan Faulkner cast his lot with Radford and couldn’t be happier. “I felt like the coaches and I developed a real good relationship,” Faulkner said. “I just felt like they’ve got a real good team and one of the best frontcourts really in college basketball. They’re going to be good plus I can play right away.” Faulkner, a 6-foot-1 guard, has a twin brother who won’t sign this fall but is keeping his options open for the spring. “After I decided to do this, he’ll probably wait and see what offers come his way.” Radford’s other pledge comes from Tommy Spagnolo, a 6-foot-7 power forward out of Ashe County in North Carolina. Tommy Spagnolo (#15) Evan Faulkner
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Post by knvb141 on Oct 18, 2008 5:22:43 GMT -5
www.courier-journal.com/blogs/demling/labels/Ethan%20Faulkner.htmlLanding the twins? Elliott County twins Ethan and Evan Faulkner would love to stay together and play college basketball at the same school, but they know there's a chance that won't happen. Talked with Ethan Faulkner (photo) after one of his two game-winning shots in Las Vegas. He has like five game-winning shots this spring and summer - ridiculous! The 6-foot-1 senior hit a three-pointer to beat Grassroots Canada - the eventual adidas Super 64 champion - and then hit a bucket late to edged Gateway Basketball. "I just want to come out and play hard and play good," Ethan said. Eastern Kentucky coach Jeff Neubauer was spotted at a couple of games and Ethan Faulkner said he was likely there to watch several players, including the twins, Scott County's Richie Phares and Franklin County's Andy Donovan. Ethan Faulkner has made an unofficial visit to the EKU campus. "He's just evaluating us and isn't sure what he's going to do," Ethan said. "He's not sure if he'll have a scholarship for both of us or for just one of us. I'll just wait and see."
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Post by vabigpoppa on Oct 18, 2008 13:50:25 GMT -5
I wonder if RU offered both twins? lol
So with 13 scholarships, we should have 2 or 3 more scholarships available depending on if Greenberg gave Cole Wilder, Alex Gynes' scholarship.
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Post by knvb141 on Oct 18, 2008 16:25:29 GMT -5
Who else was after these guys? 2 star? 3 star recruits? Any more info? Nothing on the Radford site yet...
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Post by vabigpoppa on Oct 18, 2008 17:39:42 GMT -5
yeah RU probably wont announce anything till they sign a LOI. rivals and scout have them both as 1 star recruits. ESPN gave Faulkner a grade of 70 which means "Player either can earn a scholarship to a top national Division I program or contribute significantly as a freshman at the mid-major level." rivals and scout didnt list any other schools that were looking at these 2. from browsing message boards spagnolo had RU, UNC Pembroke, and The Citadel. heres an article about the twins getting interest from schools. its from may, so it may be before RU offered. www.courier-journal.com/blogs/demling/2008/05/twin-scholarships.htmlTwin scholarships?Two of the most intriguing Class of 2009 prospects in the state of Kentucky are Elliott County twin guards Evan (right) and Ethan Faulkner (left). The 6-foot-1 high-energy guards have established themselves as two of the best players in Kentucky and this summer they're again trying to impress the college coaches. Playing for the Derek Smith All-Stars, the Faulkners are drawing a lot of interest. They want to attend a college together but both realize that may not happen. "It would be a big adjustment,"Evan said. "But we have to do what is best for each other. If that's not playing for the same school, then that's the way it will have to be." It's hard to tell the two apart. But it's not hard to figure out the twins have talent. They zig-zag around the court like two waterbugs, diving on the floor even in the final minutes of games that have already been decided. The twins can shoot the three, love taking defenders off the dribble and even without a lot of size are really good rebounding in the post. As far as college, Air Force has shown an interest in both and Morehead State could be an option for both players to continue playing on the same team. Both players do have an offer - to play together - at Georgetown College. After a recent tournament, Ethan Faulkner had a number of new calls including American, Leigh, Longwood and Penn. Evan Faulkner said he's hearing from Yale and Cornell among others. And for the record, these are two great kids and I love watching them play!
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Post by vabigpoppa on Oct 19, 2008 13:50:17 GMT -5
another evan faulkner article about coming to radford www.courier-journal.com/article/20081019/SPORTS11/810190576/1002/SPORTSFaulkner backcourt likely to be broken upBy Jody Demling • jdemling@courier-journal.com • October 19, 2008 Elliott County High School will have all-state twins in the backcourt on its boys' basketball team this winter, but that might be the end of their careers together. Advertisement Evan and Ethan Faulkner originally hoped to attend the same college, but that doesn't appear likely now. Evan found "the perfect spot" for himself and committed to Radford. Ethan is uncommitted and probably won't sign until spring. "We were prepared for that," Evan said of the split-up. "We wanted to go somewhere together, but we knew the higher level of play, the harder it would be to stay together. (Radford) is a great situation for me." Evan Faulkner is a 6-foot-1 guard who has helped Elliott County to back-to-back 16th Region championships. He averaged 16.7 points and 5.2 rebounds and had 79 assists as a junior for the Lions. Both twins are considered among the top 15 seniors in the state and drew a lot of NCAA Division I interest with the Derek Smith All-Stars during the summer. Evan said Radford had shown interest since spring, and he visited the campus last month. "I started to develop a really good relationship with the coaches," he said. "It was a place where I was comfortable and very happy."
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