Archive: April 2009
Eight DeMatha Players Hold U-Md. Offers
It's a busy time at DeMatha, where nine juniors and two sophomores already hold scholarship offers. Most interesting? Eight of those players have been offered by Maryland, Stags Coach Bill McGregor said. "We've never had anything like this before," McGregor said. "Truthfully, if you get one or two from the...
By Josh Barr | April 29, 2009; 2:49 PM ET | Comments (5)
Hibbs Resigns at Good Counsel
Will be interesting to see how this reverberates around the area. Good Counsel basketball coach Mike Hibbs has resigned to take a similar position at a Pennsylvania public school. The general consensus among local coaches is that Good Counsel puts a significant emphasis on building winning sports teams. While Hibbs...
By Josh Barr | April 29, 2009; 10:21 AM ET | Comments (4)
Clarke Lands at Drake
Former Good Counsel standout Jordan Clarke will transfer to Drake. Clarke played sparingly as a freshman this past season at Vermont. He visited Drake this past weekend and committed to play for his new school. "I got along great with the coaches and players, it is a real good school,...
By Josh Barr | April 28, 2009; 2:20 PM ET | Comments (0)
Good Counsel Will Open With Md. QB Target
Good Counsel Coach Bob Milloy called to let me know about six more seniors bound to play college football: quarterback Tyler Campbell (preferred walk-on at Salisbury, defensive end Diego Laird (preferred walk-on at Pittsburgh), lineman Tim Anderson and cornerback Terrance Martin (Salisbury), linebacker Durrell Miller (Frostburg) and defensive back Robert...
By Josh Barr | April 27, 2009; 12:03 PM ET | Comments (0)
All-Met Junior Guard Commits to Terps
Big news! Montrose Christian All-Met junior guard Terrence Ross has committed to play for Maryland, Montrose Coach Stu Vetter reports. "As of noon today," Vetter said. "Maryland did a good job recruiting him. They recruited him hard this spring and during the season. Throughout the year, he told me he...
By Josh Barr | April 24, 2009; 3:24 PM ET | Comments (5)
High Schooler Skipping Senior Year to Turn Pro
Don't look now, but is a new trend starting? A teenager from San Diego, who just happens to be 6-11, will skip his senior year of high school to pursue a professional basketball career. Wow. Jeremy Tyler had committed to play for Louisville, but it appears that won't happen now...
By Josh Barr | April 23, 2009; 12:37 PM ET | Comments (2)
Former All-Met Signs With U-Mass.
Heard about this one but had too much to post yesterday. Former Montrose Christian All-Met Terrell Vinson signed with Massachusetts. He played this season at St. Frances of Baltimore and had signed with Loyola Marymount before a midseason coaching change....
By Josh Barr | April 22, 2009; 10:57 AM ET | Comments (0)
Big Get for Mason
Sorry that it took a while to get this post up, George Mason fans, but the Patriots appear to have gotten quite a recruit in guard Sherrod Wright, a senior from Mount Vernon, N.Y., who gives Mason a six-player recruiting class. Credit Mason's Final Four run and the success of...
By Josh Barr | April 21, 2009; 4:28 PM ET | Comments (6)
Marshall Inks Former National Christian Standout
Forward Antonio Haymon, who spent the past two seasons at Cecil (Md.) Community College, has signed a letter-of-intent to play for Marshall. Haymon, who is 6-6, averaged 20 points and nine rebounds this past season. "Antonio will bring explosiveness, athleticism and toughness to our program," Marshall Head Coach Donnie Jones...
By Josh Barr | April 21, 2009; 4:16 PM ET | Comments (0)
Coach Says Benimon Just Waiting on Paperwork
Just got off the line with Fauquier Coach Wayne Brizzi, who says that Jerrelle Benimon is simply waiting for Georgetown's letter-of-intent to arrive. "We haven't signed any papers, it's not official, but they're sending papers out today or tomorrow and he's going to sign them and send them back in...
By Josh Barr | April 21, 2009; 1:54 PM ET | Comments (0)
Hoyas Adding a Local Forward
And it's not who you might think. Multiple sources are telling me that Fauquier fourth-team All-Met Jerrelle Benimon will sign with the Hoyas. Wow. Former colleague Matt Stanmyre, a noted Benimon fan, wrote in in late January about how the 6-8 Benimon being largely ignored by college recruiters despite putting...
By Josh Barr | April 21, 2009; 12:58 PM ET | Comments (0)
Georgetown Adds Point Guard
Around local basketball circles, Georgetown's roster next season is a much-discussed topic. With only seven returning scholarship players and one recruit signed to a letter-of-intent, the Hoyas have plenty of openings. It had appeared that All-Met forward Jamal Olasewere might end up on the Hill, but now I think that...
By Josh Barr | April 21, 2009; 11:39 AM ET | Comments (1)
From Oxon Hill to the NFL Draft
If anyone needs a reminder that college recruiting is an inexact science, consider Richmond defensive end Lawrence Sidbury. He was much-hyped before his senior year at Oxon Hill but wound up at I-AA Richmond and now has shot up draft boards leading up to this weekend's NFL draft....
By Josh Barr | April 21, 2009; 11:24 AM ET | Comments (0)
Locals Shine in Return to D.C.
Spent Saturday night at the Reebok All-American Game at American U., where the theme of the night was former local stars returning to play at home. Kansas recruit Thomas Robinson, who played at Eastern and Riverdale Baptist before heading to a New England prep school for his senior year, was...
By Josh Barr | April 20, 2009; 11:37 AM ET | Comments (0)
H.D. Woodson Duo Bound for Kentucky
Alan Goldenbach with some news: H.D. Woodson seniors Jeniece Johnson and Bernisha Pinkett signed letters-of-intent Wednesday with Kentucky, according to Warriors Coach Frank Oliver. Both players took official visits to the Lexington campus last weekend and came away very impressed. "The new $30 millon facility doesn't hurt either," Oliver said...
By Josh Barr | April 16, 2009; 10:21 AM ET | Comments (1)
Spurlock Set for Virginia
Second-team All-Met forward Tristan Spurlock tells the Charlottesville Daily-Progress that he will play for Virginia next year. Spurlock had been reconsidering his options after the Cavaliers' coaching change but apparently decided to play for incoming coach Tony Bennett. More to come......
By Josh Barr | April 15, 2009; 12:46 PM ET | Comments (0)
Spring Signing Period Begins Today
It's the start of the spring signing period for basketball, which promises to be busier than usual. Locally, the two top players with things to decide are Springbrook All-Met forward Jamal Olasewere and Word of Life second-team All-Met forward Tristan Spurlock. Olasewere has been courted by Georgetown in recent weeks...
By Josh Barr | April 15, 2009; 10:02 AM ET | Comments (0)
Updating Some Transfers
Prolific guard Josh Selby, a junior who has committed to play for Tennessee, has transferred from DeMatha to Maryland 3A champion Lake Clifton of Baltimore. The move is not terribly surprising, given that Selby was suspended for the season's last two months for a violation of team rules, but I...
By Josh Barr | April 13, 2009; 12:24 PM ET | Comments (2)
Former Local Standout Transfers to Loyola
Former Annandale forward Erik Etherly, who played this past season at Northeastern, is transferring to Loyola. Etherly averaged four minutes in the 12 games he saw action in this past season as a freshman. He will have to sit out next season, but could make an impact when he returns...
By Josh Barr | April 10, 2009; 1:43 PM ET | Comments (0)
Locals Win, Villanova Recruit Shines
Straight out of central casting: The name on the front of the jersey doesn't mean a thing, as the Capital All-Stars proved with their 31-point win last night in the Capital Classic. Montrose Christian All-Met center Mouphtaou Yarou snagged MVP honors with 20 points and eight rebounds in just 16...
By Josh Barr | April 10, 2009; 11:44 AM ET | Comments (0)
Looking Back at the NHSI and Future of High School Hoops
Colleague B.J. Koubaroulis looks at this past weekend's National High School Invitational, talking to folks who were out at Georgetown Prep about the future of high school basketball....
By Josh Barr | April 9, 2009; 2:35 PM ET | Comments (2)
Williams Likes WVU; Terps, Hokies, Cavs Out of It?
Colleague Paul Tenorio with the news that Loudoun County linebacker Chase Williams likes what he sees at West Virginia and picked up an offer from Rice. More interesting, however, might be how the trio of local ACC teams hasn't shown an overwhelming amount of interest in the son of the...
By Josh Barr | April 9, 2009; 11:46 AM ET | Comments (1)
Season Will Start With Nick Lynch Classic
The high school football season will start next fall with the Nick Lynch Kickoff Classic, which is scheduled to bring together several top teams from Maryland and one from Colorado on Sept. 5 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. Tony Kennedy, CEO of the non-profit organization Extra Point Productions...
By Josh Barr | April 8, 2009; 12:27 PM ET | Comments (1)
Keeping Recruits Under Wraps
Here's an interesting twist. Most college programs like to publicize their latest recruits, hoping it helps them land other players. Southern Cal, though, apparently wants to keep things as quiet as possible, worried that any announcements just allows other teams more time to poach their verbally committed players....
By Josh Barr | April 8, 2009; 10:51 AM ET | Comments (0)
NHSI Gets High Marks
Give this past weekend's inaugural National High School Invitational an A-minus or B-plus, says one of the event organizers. "That's where I would lean," said James Brown, senior vice president for ESPN RISE, the cable network's division dedicated to high school athletics. "I wouldn't give it the total A." There...
By Josh Barr | April 7, 2009; 1:42 PM ET | Comments (1)
Time for More All-Star Games
With the NHSI in the books, the high school basketball season winds down with more all-star games. The Capital Classic is Thursday at American University's Bender Arena and next week, on April 18, the Reebok All-American Game will be held at Bender. The Reebok main game features several players with...
By Josh Barr | April 7, 2009; 12:41 PM ET | Comments (1)
Terps Still Rate for Recruits
Here's an interesting entry on Phoenix junior guard Terrell Stoglin, who late last week committed to play for Maryland. Stoglin, who plays for Santa Rita, apparently caught Maryland's attention while playing in Good Counsel's season-opening tournament that included many top teams and players, with plenty of college coaches making the...
By Josh Barr | April 6, 2009; 9:55 AM ET | Comments (3)
Texas Recruit Shines as Findlay Wins NHSI
Congratulations to Findlay Prep of Las Vegas, which beat Oak Hill, 74-66, to win the National High School Invitational. Texas recruit Avery Bradley, a talented guard from Tacoma, Wash., was named the tournament's most valuable player. Not a bad week, considering only a few days earlier he won the slam...
By Josh Barr | April 6, 2009; 9:46 AM ET | Comments (0)
Findlay 76, Mountain State 55
Not terribly exciting. Findlay was impressive throughout and folks already are anticipating a Findlay-Oak Hill final on Sunday (sorry, Stu)....
By Josh Barr | April 3, 2009; 7:09 PM ET | Comments (0)
Findlay 39, Mountain State 24 at the Half
It's not terribly exciting ,a bit of a mismatch. Findlay is impressive, Mountain State junior guard Noah Cottill, already committed to West Virginia, is pretty tough, too. Otherwise, not much notable. I'll check in afterwards......
By Josh Barr | April 3, 2009; 6:45 PM ET | Comments (0)
St. Benedict's Post Players Heating Up
Just caught up with St. Benedict's Coach Dan Hurley to talk about his two junior post players, 6-10 John Paul Kambola and 6-8 Gilvydas Biruta, who are receiving college attention. Biruta, a native of Lithuania, had bounced around Europe before coming to St. Benedict's this school year, Hurley said. The...
By Josh Barr | April 3, 2009; 6:26 PM ET | Comments (0)
Junior Center Impresses for St. Benedict's
With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, 6-10, 235-pound junior center John Paul Kambola was the difference for the Gray Bees. He scored 10 of the team's 12 points during a key stretch to lead St. Benedict's to a 74-65 victory over St. Frances. More in a...
By Josh Barr | April 3, 2009; 5:46 PM ET | Comments (0)
St. Benedict's Back in Front
End 3rd quarter: St. Benedict's 47, St. Frances 43. Junior forward Gilvydas Biruta, who is 6-8, had consecutive powerful dunks for the Gray Bees, while Coach Dan Hurley is confined to the bench after picking up a technical foul....
By Josh Barr | April 3, 2009; 5:19 PM ET | Comments (0)
Vinson Has St. Frances in Front, Still Undecided
St. Frances fell behind 14-2 early on, but took its first lead, 25-24, on a Terrell Vinson dunk and leads 29-24 at halftime. Vinson had all 14 of his points in the second quarter. Vinson, an All-Met last year at Montrose Christian, is looking for a new college after Loyola...
By Josh Barr | April 3, 2009; 4:46 PM ET | Comments (0)
Former Va. Tech Recruit Looking for a Home
Just talked to Oak Hill guard Lamont "MoMo" Jones, who had 20 points in the Warriors' 83-64 victory over Pinewood Prep in the first round of the National High School Invitational. He had been committed to play for Virginia Tech but decided recently to open things up and consider other...
By Josh Barr | April 3, 2009; 4:00 PM ET | Comments (0)
Dunk. Block. Dunk.
Just in case anyone isn't watching on TV, Oak Hill center Keith Gallon just showed why he is considered one of the nation's top players. He drives and dunks, blocks a shot then runs the court and dunks in transition....
By Josh Barr | April 3, 2009; 3:14 PM ET | Comments (0)
Carroll Hires Michael Adams
There were rumblings about this earlier in the week and today comes the official announcement: Carroll has hired former NBA guard and Maryland assistant Michael Adams as its boys basketball coach. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. It can be difficult to recruit players to Carroll,...
By Josh Barr | April 3, 2009; 3:07 PM ET | Comments (0)
Busy Times for Clemson Recruit
It's a busy time for Pinewood Prep forward Milton Jennings. The 6-9, 215-pound forward flew from Charleston, S.C., to Miami last Saturday to participate in the McDonald's All-American Game on Wednesday. Thursday, Jennings flew from Miami to Washington, where a representative of the NHSI picked him up at Dulles International...
By Josh Barr | April 3, 2009; 2:23 PM ET | Comments (0)
NHSI Underway...
Walk into Georgetown Prep's Hanley Center and you can't miss the Nike logos -- on the glass doors, the large sneaker displays, etc. Funny, since Georgetown Prep has a deal with UnderArmour. Anyway, the National High School Invitational is underway, but the Oak Hill-Pinewood Prep opener has the feel of...
By Josh Barr | April 3, 2009; 2:06 PM ET | Comments (0)
National Hoops Tourney Starts Today at Prep
The National High School Invitational begins today at Georgetown Prep, an eight-team boys' basketball tournament and four-team girls' tournament that some consider a national championship. I'll have plenty more on the event - I'll be there all day, first game tips at 2 p.m., but here is a list of...
By Josh Barr | April 3, 2009; 9:32 AM ET | Comments (0)
Taylor Scores 15, Helps East Win
Here's the final report from National Christian star Dante Taylor, talking about playing in the McDonald's All-American Game last night: I have been dreaming of playing in the McDonald's All American Games since I was young, and today was the day. We started off the morning with a shoot around...
By Josh Barr | April 2, 2009; 11:42 AM ET | Comments (0)
Taylor Ready to Shine Tonight
Here is Dante Taylor's game-day journal as he prepares for tonight's McDonald's All-American Game in Miami. And here is a linkto my story on the National Christian star in today's paper. Below is some video. Tuesday was the last day to prepare for the McDonald's All American Game. We started...
By Josh Barr | April 1, 2009; 11:35 AM ET | Comments (0)
