Recruiting Report

Campanaro hits the combine circuit

2008-05-14T15:53:05Z

Things are just a little different now for River Hill athlete Michael Campanaro. After verbally committing to Wake Forest last month, Campanaro sent e-mails to all the other coaches recruiting him, informing them of his decision and thanking them for their time. So now, when college coaches come to River Hill, a visit with Campanaro isn’t on the agenda. “A lot of coaches come by the school and stuff, and I'm always with my buddies [safety Leron Eaddy and running back Malek Redd], but I'm not getting pulled out of class anymore because I'm already committed.” While recruiting is over for Campanaro, one part of his life that remains unchanged since he became a Demon Deacon is his participation in any nearby combine or training camp. Last weekend, the 5-foot-10, 180-pounder squeezed two events into his busy schedule. “First we went to Rutgers for the [Big Time] Showcase and it was pretty fun,” said Campanaro, who rushed for 1,884 yards and scored 30 total touchdowns as a junior. “We just ran a 40 and then got to do one-on-one stuff. It was fun to be out there with the lights on. “Then Saturday I was at the Nike camp [at Penn State]. I felt like I performed very well -- it was one of my best camps.” Campanaro ran a 4.41 hand-timed 40 at Rutgers, which wasn’t a personal best, but a satisfying time nonetheless. “I've done better than that,” Campanaro said, “but I would say I was pretty happy with it because I've put on more weight. I'm up to 180, so [I’ve put on] probably about a good 10, 12 pounds.” While many prospects turn out for combines to get noticed by coaches, that’s obviously not the intent for Campanaro. Instead, he uses the platform to measure his game against other top wideouts and go toe-to-toe with some of the country’s top defensive backs. “I think [I attend the camps to] just try to make myself get better, and just compete against the top guys on the East Coast and across the nation,” Campanaro said. “I just want to keep competing to make myself better. Before I know it, I'll be playing Division I football and everyone’s going to be really good -- bigger, stronger, faster -- so it's good going up against some of the top guys in the nation.” Campanaro, who chose the Demon Deacons over North Carolina and Northwestern among others, said making his commitment so early in the process wasn’t a difficult decision. A few visits to Wake was all it took to convince The Sun’s Howard County offensive player of the year that Winston Salem, N.C. was the place for him. “I think after I sat down with my family, I knew what offers were coming in and what schools were looking at me,” Campanaro said. “And I figured if I had these offers from these schools, would Wake still be the school? And I thought if I had Wake and all the offers in the country, Wake would still be the school.” Now Campanaro, who will primarily play slot receiver in college, is trying to convince other area prospects that Wake Forest could be the right school from them as well. “I'm starting to recruit myself and get some guys interested in Wake and helping out a little bit,” Campanaro said. “I know a few Maryland guys that I'd like to come down, get them down to camp. ... And guys I see on Wake's [Rivals and Scout sites], I'll hit them up on Facebook or something to see what they're thinking.” Before attending Wake's camp this summer, Campanaro has a few more combines on tap for the spring. He’ll also suit up for River Hill’s 7-on-7 team. While he’s entirely focused on his senior season at River Hill, Campanaro said he’s excited to go from one tight-knit football family to another. “Right when I committed [to Wake Forest], all the coaches and players, they kind of brought me in and welcomed me to the family,” Campanaro said. “They really pride themselves on being a family and I already feel like a part of it.” Credit: Sun photo of Michael Campanaro by Doug Kapustin

Checking in with Tevin Brown

2008-05-13T15:30:28Z

There’s an early favorite in the recruitment of Dunbar linebacker Tevin Brown. Brown, who recorded 134 tackles, seven interceptions, five forced fumbles and six sacks during the Poets’ run to the 1A state title, is currently receiving interest from West Virginia, Akron, James Madison, Delaware State, Bowie State and Morgan State. The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder is still waiting for his first offer, but in a month and a half, he’ll have an opportunity to state his case for a scholarship on the campus of the school he currently favors. Brown spoke with Recruiting Report recently about that school and his recruitment. Brown sacks Fort Hill quarterback Rich Shook during the second quarter of the 1A state championship game / AP photo by Gail Burton Do you plan on going to any camps this summer? West Virginia. They want me to come down June 29, see my size, how I move on the field and see what position I'd actually play in college. Right now they’re not sure if I could play outside linebacker or strong safety. [They’ve seen me] on film -- now they just want to see me in person. Do you have plans to visit any other schools? I do have plans to visit [Akron]. They're just telling me they’re interested and that I could [possibly] be a part of their program. But right now my favorite school out of all these is West Virginia. Have you visited West Virginia yet? Me, [Dunbar running back] Tavon Austin and [Dunbar quarterback] Jonathan Perry went down there. We went -- I don't remember the exact day -- but it was for the Junior Day. What do you like best about West Virginia? I like their athletic program. I also like the players and the atmosphere as far as academics and athletics. The facilities were nice and the coaching staff too -- they talked to you and made me very interested in coming down there [for camp]. I also heard from the students that it's a good academic school, because I want to go to school for physical education. It's easy to adapt to. How helpful has it been going through the recruiting process with your teammates? It’s been helpful. ... Tavon is doing it for all of us. He opened up the door for all of us. We never would've expected some of these schools to step foot in Baltimore. He opened the door for the whole team. And not only us, but all of Baltimore. All the big Division I schools are coming through. And I'm very thankful for that.

Weekend wrap

2008-05-12T15:21:02Z

It was a good weekend in Maryland for football recruiting ... if you’re a Penn State fan. On Saturday, Lackey cornerback Darrell Givens switched his commitment from Ohio State to the Nittany Lions. Givens, whose teammate at Lackey High School, Malcolm Willis, committed to Penn State on April 29, had chosen Ohio State, but de-committed from the Buckeyes and chose the Nittany Lions over offers from Florida, Michigan and Oregon among others. Then last night, Eleanor Roosevelt cornerback Derrick Thomas also pledged to PSU. The 6-foot, 175-pounder is the third DB to announce for the Lions in as many days and fourth secondary player overall to pick Penn State. He attended the PSU Nike Camp Saturday. • Quince Orchard defensive tackle Terrence Stephens announced his verbal commitment to Stanford on Friday. The 6-foot-2, 280-pounder, who chose the Cardinal over offers from Maryland, Nebraska, NC State, Penn State, Syracuse, UConn and West Virginia, told Scout.com that Stanford’s education was a major factor in his decision. “My mother is a single parent, so she obviously had to face the fact that she knows I’m leaving and leaving soon now which was understandably hard for here, but she is very happy in my choice and happy that I’m going to be happy, so I really appreciated that from here,” Stephens explained. “She was thrilled with the education that I’ll be receiving at Stanford above everything else and also really liked the coaching staff. She knew the opportunity for me coming out of Stanford was top-notch and that nothing else compared to it. My mother knew I was making a good choice.” • Switching to basketball recruiting, ZagsBlog reports that Plainfield, N.J. point guard Isaiah Epps picked up an offer from Pittsburgh recently. In that update, Plainfield head coach Pete Vasil mentions Maryland’s interest in Epps. The 6-2 Epps already holds offers from Maryland, Rutgers and Seton Hall, with Maryland head coach Gary Williams telling Vasil he's targeting Epps as his guard of the future out of the Class of 2010.

Weekly recruiting roundup

2008-05-09T15:47:25Z

The story of Maryland shooting guard signee Tyree Evans went national this week. On Monday, SI.com took a closer look at Evans’ criminal history. The Sun followed that story up yesterday with the revelation that Evans hasn’t been admitted to the university yet. Today, Childs Walker took a look at other athletes with troubled pasts that were given another chance in college, while Rick Maese penned a column explaining why Gary Williams’ recruitment of Evans shows that he’s playing with a new rulebook. • Former Terps shooting guard target Chris Turner has finally found a home. The former Oregon State commitment signed with East Carolina yesterday. "Chris is an energizing addition to Pirate Basketball," said [ECU head coach Mack] McCarthy. "He gives us a dimension that we lack--someone who creates his own scoring opportunities. An outstanding athlete, Chris will make an immediate impact on the East Carolina program. We welcome him to our basketball family." • Walbrook sophomore Roscoe Smith has decided to focus on academics this spring, while continuing to pick up scholarship offers. Scholarship offers keep coming to Walbrook sophomore All-Metro forward Roscoe Smith, who is not playing Amateur Athletic Union basketball right now so he can concentrate on academics and his SAT score. Smith has received scholarship offers from schools that include Maryland, Georgetown, Florida State, Texas, Kansas, North Carolina, Xavier, Connecticut and Duke. • TurtleSportsReport.com took a look this week at a DC-area prospect that could be 'the next big thing.' Jordan Goodman is a 6-foot-8 wing player from Bowie who is currently developing his game while playing with the D.C. Assault AAU program. Goodman, who will be a freshman at Rockville High this fall, has been compared to local product and former all-American DerMarr Johnson at the same stage. • Maryland women’s signee Lynetta Kizer was named to Virginia’s AAA all-state team this week, while UM women’s target Tierra Ruffin-Pratt was honored as the state’s Player of the Year. Pratt was chosen in balloting by a panel of sports writers from around the state. She averaged 26 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists in leading her team to a 22-1 record. Football recruiting • Maryland signed wide receiver Kerry Boykins from Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake, Va., in February. Now the Terps are hoping to land his teammate, linebacker Jerod Askew, who has already visited College Park for a Junior Day. "I liked Maryland's facilities," said Askew. "The coaches were great and the players were excellent. We talked to them about how the school is and what it was like playing there. • South Carolina offensive lineman Brandon Thomas told The [Charleston, S.C.] Post and Courier that South Carolina, Clemson and North Carolina are his leaders, but he’ll visit College Park before making his decision. Recruiters from USC, North Carolina and N.C. State visited Dorman last week to check on OL Brandon Thomas (6-4, 286), and he's expecting Clemson this week. Thomas nearly committed to Clemson last month. "I did feel that way because I thought I was going to have to make my decision early," Thomas said. But he now plans to take official visits to Clemson, USC, North Carolina, Maryland and Vanderbilt before deciding. • Terps fans with the sports package on Direct TV will be able to take an early look at UM quarterback commitment C.J. Brown this fall thanks to Fox Sports Pittsburgh's high school football telecasts. FSN's fourth season of Thursday night high school football telecasts opens with Seneca Valley and quarterback C.J. Brown, who's committed to Maryland, playing host to Erie McDowell on Sept. 4. • North Dartmouth (Mass.) tight end and UM target Arthur Fontaine ended his recruitment this week by verbally committing to Boston College. “It’s a great opportunity for him to play at a very good school,” said Dartmouth coach Richard White. “The family (his sister attends BC and the mother is a BC grad) has a chance to be involved in watching him play. This is a great for program, we have a group of kids who are very talented.” • This link is a little dated, but New Jersey linebacker Ka'Lial Glaud has already visited College Park and liked what he saw. One of the few schools that he's already visited is Maryland. "It's a great atmosphere there," he said. "They have a great family bond and the coaches are cool. We just talked about stuff and not just football. "I also really like the facilities and campus at Maryland," he said. • DeMatha quarterback Tom Chroniger picked up his first scholarship offer this week, according to Yahoo Sports. “I got an offer from Eastern Michigan,” he said. “The big people I’m also talking to are Illinois, Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Pittsburgh.

Patsos talks Loyola's 2008 class

2008-05-08T14:53:35Z

Loyola head coach Jimmy Patsos can clearly see the difference on the recruiting trail. When the former Maryland assistant came to Baltimore four years ago to take over the moribund Greyhounds program, recruiting players to a team that had won just one game the previous season was more than a bit challenging. But after leading Loyola to three straight winning seasons, Patsos was able to assemble the biggest -- and probably the most highly touted -- recruiting class of his Greyhounds tenure. Patsos announced the signing of five players to Loyola’s 2008 recruiting class yesterday. After the announcement, Patsos spoke with Recruiting Report about the class. You’re obviously replacing a senior class that did great things for Loyola. How do you think this incoming class will do in filling the void of those departing seniors? To start with, we have a guy who redshirted last year named Jamal Barney. He went to Southwestern High School and he attended Providence for one year. He’s been enrolled for a year. So he can play next year. He will be a sophomore, but he’s our most important recruit because he’s taking Gerald Brown’s place. So you’ve got to start with him because he has three years left. ... That’s where the mid-major level has changed. I look at transfers as recruits. He’s done well academically and he’s happy to be home. Our freshman class, we just got our last commitment and we’re super excited about it -- Anthony Winbush (a 6-foot-7 forward). He was the MVP of the state tournament in Virginia. He went to TC Williams [in Alexandria, Va.] of Remember the Titans. We had to beat out VCU, St. Louis, LaSalle, some other A10 schools. I’ve never put a lot of faith in freshmen turning around a program. But Barney we will rely on, and Winbush was the most highly touted recruit [of the class]. He’s good because he can play like three positions. He can play a little inside and a little out. And he can run. The next player we got is Jhared Hall (a 6-foot-2 guard), and he’s from Blessed Sacrament in [New Rochelle, N.Y.] He averaged almost 30 points [per game] up there. He’s a scorer and he just played great in a postseason tournament [in New York called] the Wheelchair Classic. Hopefully he can learn from (rising senior guard and Archbishop Spalding grad) Marquis Sullivan how to be that scorer. The next two recruits are a little bit of projects. Paolo Ivis, (a 6-foot-7 forward), he’s from Croatia. We learned about him from the same people as [former Loyola player] Josko Alujevic. [Ivis] played [at The Sagemont School in Weston, Fla.] this past year. The best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores, and Paolo will have a big learning curve. He’s only been [in the U.S.] a year. The Croatia region has always put out a ton of guys that know how to play. They’ve got a bunch of pros, so we’re really excited about Paolo. Joe Joe Muvana, he’s from Rwanda. Very thin. He will redshirt for us. He’s 6’10, long, skinny and can run. He’s got a good upside. He comes from Worcester (Mass.) Academy -- (graduating Greyhounds senior) Hassan Fofana is from the Worcester area, and that area has always produced good players. The last guy we got is (6-foot-9 forward/center) Josh Wiegand, who’s from John Carroll in Bel Air. He’s going to be good. He’s got good upside. He handled himself pretty well this year on a John Carroll team that was pretty good. What can you say about Loyola’s efforts in recruiting the area, and how will the new guys mix with the veterans? I’m excited about [Wiegand] as a local kid. Barney’s from the city of Baltimore, Winbush is from the DC area. Jhared’s from New York, where we play a lot, but we’re excited. The success of our season will depend on our senior Marquis Sullivan, (sophomore guard) Brian Rudolph and (junior guard) Brett Harvey. They’re our backcourt that’s all coming back. If they can teach these young guys, we’ll be in good shape. We’ve established ourselves as a winning program. We’re going to miss Gerald Brown -- he had a knack for winning. He had that Baltimore toughness. So we’re going to have to replicate that. But we’re excited. We’ve never gotten this many recruits before. We were so bad for a while, so I think that our senior class that leaves -- [Omari] Isreal, [Hassan] Fofana, [Gerald] Brown and [Michael] Tuck -- those four guys showed Loyola how to win at basketball. Without those guys, you don’t get these [new recruits]. Three years ago, I’m not sure if we get them to come to Loyola. What do you expect from Wiegand? I like him. I just think he’s got a big upside. He played like 20 minutes a game at John Carroll. I think his better days are ahead of him. [John Carroll head coach] Tony Martin came in and took that program over that now they’re a force to be reckoned with. But I just like Josh. He’s a tough kid, got some good size, knows how to play. His family comes to all the games. I’m glad we have a local kid that fits so well at Loyola. If he didn’t play basketball, he’d probably still come to Loyola. He’s a great student. He’s got a little Bill Laimbeer in him, to be honest. He’s got some toughness. He’s got that size -- you bang into him and notice him. Talk about how you landed Winbush. VCU, LaSalle and St. Louis and us. Three years ago we would’ve been laughed at. We recruited him from November until April. We recruited him the whole year. [Loyola assistant] G.G. Smith did a great job. We just hung in there. The kid’s mother loved the school. He picked the school for academic reasons and basketball reasons, and I’m really happy about that. He was interested in the whole picture. He talked about our loyalty to him. And MASN’s really helped us out. He’s seen us play on TV. They’ve given us a lot of exposure. Which of the newcomers will you expect to contribute immediately? Barney’s the biggest and Winbush and Hall will play. And I think Josh Wiegand is going to play. I expect him to play and contribute. Joe Joe, I’ll tell you right now, we’re going to redshirt him, and Paolo is yet to be determined because he’s only been here a year. There’s a big adjustment coming from high school to college. ... But we have some good guys coming back. Jawaan Wright, he played here for two years, but we had so many inside players last year that he sat out -- he’s going to get his MBA -- but he’s back. I’m really excited for practice because we have like 10 guys going for spots. It’s the most excited I’ll be for practice in four years. There are a lot of new guys and a lot of veteran guys competing for spots. Sun photo of Jimmy Patsos by Kim Hairston

Bobby Maze finds a home

2008-05-07T21:44:53Z

Former Terps point guard commitment Bobby Maze is off the market. The Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College standout and Suitland native committed to Tennessee today, according to GoVolsXtra.com. "Stevie Wonder could see this is where I needed to be," said Maze, who transferred from Oklahoma to Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College last year. "They’ve called me 'The Solution' here, so you do the equation: what better place could I be?" Maze's coach at HCC, Ryan Swanson, was an assistant under UT head coach Bruce Pearl at Wisconsin-Milwaukee for two years. Maze picked the Volunteers over reported offers from Cincinnati, Kentucky, Southern Cal, St. John's and Wichita State.

Terps after multiple Roosevelt standouts

2008-05-07T15:57:53Z

During his seven years as the head coach of the Surrattsville football team, Tom Green had one player sign with a Division I school -- future Maryland running back Davin Meggett. After leading the Hornets to their best season in school history last fall, Green was hired as head coach at Eleanor Roosevelt in Greenbelt in February. At ERHS, Green expects “between six and eight” of his rising seniors to sign DI letters of intent come Signing Day. “A lot more coaches come to [Roosevelt] on a daily basis,” Green said. “I would still get the same coaches to come through [Surrattsville], but they’re just spending a lot more time with me visiting. But like I always tell my players, coaches don’t get kids scholarships -- kids get kids scholarships. Kids playing football well and being prepared academically, that’s what gets kids scholarships.” Three Raiders in particular have drawn college coaches to Roosevelt this year -- cornerback Derrick Thomas, defensive end Isaiah Ross and cornerback Stephon Morris. The most heavily recruited Raider thus far has been Thomas, who claims offers from Maryland, Illinois, Penn State and Rutgers. “His versatility -- I think the biggest thing with him is you can use him in so many places,” Green said. “Him being 6 foot and a half, that allows him to play safety or corner. He has very good [football instincts] and speed, so you could play him at receiver or in the slot. [Schools] know if they recruit him they can use him at any one of those positions.” Ross was offered a scholarship by Maryland last week, his first offer so far. “With Isaiah, because he’s so explosive at the point of attack, he can play at inside ‘backer,” Green said. “And he’s strong enough that he can put his hands down and play defensive end.” Morris sports an offer from Penn State, while Maryland and many others have shown interest. “Morris’ thing is that he’s very quick,” Green said. “He’s only 5’8 and some change, so I think that was probably some of the hold up on a few schools that didn’t offer him early. But Penn State looked at his tape and saw that he ran so well and has great hips [to play] cornerback.” Green said he thinks Thomas, Ross and Morris will all let their recruitments play out a bit before making their choices. “With these guys, they’re so well schooled in the recruiting process, that a lot of these guys are going to visit the schools in the summer, go to some one-day camps, and then feel them out to see where they want to go to college.”

Brown talks Mount's 2008 class

2008-05-06T15:51:03Z

Winning the Northeast Conference championship and playing in the NCAA tournament has made things a bit easier on the recruiting trail for Mount St. Mary’s head coach Milan Brown. Last week, Brown announced the signing of two players for Mount’s 2008 class, Philadelphia point guard Lamar Trice and Emporia, Va. forward Jacolby Wells. Trice, a third team All-Philadelphia Public League selection, averaged eight points, eight assists and three steals per game for Ihmotep Charter, while Wells, who made Virginia’s AA All-State first team, averaged 15 points, nine rebounds and five blocks during his senior season. Brown was kind enough to discuss Mount’s 2008 class with Recruiting Report last week. Did you notice a difference in recruiting before your season and after? Was it easier convincing kids to come to Mount St. Mary’s after making the NCAA tournament? We do try to hopefully get kids early and get them in the fold, but if it works out where we have to wait to the spring, we’ll wait. But we actually had that verbal commitment in the fall from Lamar Trice, the point guard from Philadelphia. So we just signed two kids late, but Jacolby Wells, actually verbally committed in the midst of us making the run. So I guess that the publicity helped in getting him. Because of where we are and the size of our school, the publicity has actually helped all of our programs ... and the entire university. Did your postseason success help convince Wells to sign on? He actually visited us early in September and waited until the spring to sign. Obviously, us making the push late into the NCAA tournament was the deciding factor in his saying, ‘this is where I want to go to school.’ It’s always good as a coach when I can say, ‘did you see us on TV three or four times?’ And he says, ‘yeah coach, we watched you play.’ It’s always good when you don’t need cable to watch us play. [The tournament berth was] definitely something that helped us keep his mind at ease. He liked our staff, our players, our situation -- part of it was just going away from home and just people in his ear telling him to wait and that he could go someplace bigger. The [tournament] push made him realize that we can do something big at our place. You don’t need to go to prep school. Come here and do something special with us. It opened his eyes. You can be a part of something special, and play and be a huge part of it. Not just watch from the sidelines because you’re at the bigger place, just because another mid-major or high-major needed another 6’7 or 6’8 kid. What will Wells bring to your program? He’s going to bring some ability to block shots and give us depth to our frontcourt with another athletic body. His best basketball is definitely ahead of him. It’s just a matter of when everything is going to click because he can score with his back to the basket, but he can also face up and play. He’s got a nice jump shot. It’s just a matter of whether it will all come together in November or later in the year, or whether it will take him a year. But he gives us another athletic 6’7, 6’8 player that can get out and run, finish in transition [and play] above the rim -- something that we definitely need. What do you expect from Trice? He’s a true point guard and he’s very quick. He’s going to enable us to continue to play up-tempo basketball and hopefully give the opposition no breaks when Jeremy Goode goes out. [He'll be] someone on the heels of being as quick as the point guards we already have. He’s going to continue to play up-tempo basketball. And he’ll bring a good basketball IQ at the point guard position, which is very important. His ability to beat people off the dribble is definitely going to be needed, because it will come from someone besides Jeremy. Now other teams have to worry about someone else. Are recruits recognizing the Mount St. Mary’s name more since your NCAA tournament appearance? Recruiting’s never easy on our end. ... When we go and see players, if they look and see our shirts, they might say, ‘hey, I just saw you play,’ rather than, ‘where exactly are you?’ It’s helped out in just giving us a little more leverage in trying to do things the right way and [it shows] we also can win championships. When you’re one of the last ones standing and you can actually have proof that you cut down the nets, kids want to be a part of that. It’s definitely given us some leverage and we’re hopeful we’re going to ride the wave when we can, be successful and hopefully do it again. Sun photo of Milan Brown by Gene Sweeney Jr.

Weekend hoops wrap

2008-05-05T16:17:42Z

The link of the weekend comes from The Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch, which profiled Terps shooting guard signee Tyree Evans. The profile takes an in-depth look at Evans’ upbringing in Richmond, and his time at Motlow State (Tenn.) Community College. Pasting portions of the article here wouldn’t do the piece justice, so click here to read the entire story. • Bruce Pearl’s dismissal of point guard Ramar Smith and forward Duke Crews from Tennessee has opened a spot in the Volunteers’ backcourt for former Terps commitment Bobby Maze. According to GoVolsXtra.com, UT has made Maze a priority. Bobby Maze, a former Oklahoma starter now at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, appears to be the top target. But with Cincinnati and Kentucky also in the mix for Maze's services, there's no guarantee the Vols will start next season with two true point guards. • Oxon Hill native Maurice Creek, a one-time Maryland target, took himself off the market this weekend. Creek, a teammate of Jin Soo Kim at South Kent (Conn.) School, verbally committed to Indiana yesterday. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard committed to Tom Crean’s Hoosiers without ever having been to the state of Indiana, according to The [Louisville, Ky.] Courier-Journal. IU assistant coach Bennie Seltzer, who was on Crean's Marquette staff when the Golden Eagles were recruiting Creek, told the player Crean still wanted him. "That's really all I needed to hear," Creek said. "I wanted to play for Coach Crean, and I didn't see any reason to wait any longer before I committed. • Former St. Frances guard Naji Hibbert verbally committed to Texas A&M today, according to Scout.com. The DeMatha standout and Baltimore native picked the Aggies over reported offers from Xavier, Clemson, Marist, Marquette and Miami (Fla.), among several others.

New Terps women’s target

2008-05-03T14:28:36Z

The Maryland women’s basketball team will welcome one Riverdale Baptist product (Dee Liles) onto its roster for the 2008-09 season. For the following season, coach Brenda Frese hopes to add another prospect from the Upper Marlboro school. Tianna Hawkins, a 6-foot-3 junior forward/center, picked up a Terps offer last weekend during a visit to College Park, according to Keith Lynch, an assistant with Riverdale Baptist and coach of the Fairfax (Va.) Stars AAU program. Lynch said Hawkins also has offers from Georgetown, George Washington, Wake Forest, Delaware, Delaware State, Miami and Florida. “Maryland is definitely a top school she’s looking at,” Lynch said. “... She really enjoyed the visit.” Hawkins averaged 15.8 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks per game for Riverdale Baptist during her junior season. Lynch said she’s constantly improving her game. “She has a real nice outside shot -- she can hit the 3,” Lynch said. “She’s very athletic. Her jumping ability is amazing. She can grab the rim. She’s very competitive.”

Weekly recruiting roundup

2008-05-02T14:53:16Z

I’ve stubbornly held off from writing anything about 2010 basketball recruiting for Maryland, but with AAU season in full swing and new offers going out to several prospects, it’s probably time to give in. This week, Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog has updates on two sophomores with Terps offers. One of those prospects is Dix Hills, N.Y. swingman Tobias Harris, who has plenty of early options. A slew of schools have already offered Harris, with Rutgers being the first. UConn, Maryland, Arizona, Virginia Tech and Indiana previously offered, according to Torrel Harris, Tobias's father and coach of his Unique All-Stars AAU club. Zagoria also updates the recruitment of Plainfield, N.J. point guard Isaiah Epps, who was recently offered by Maryland. "He was formally offered a schollie by Gary Williams," Plainfield coach Pete Vasil said Monday. "Both assistants are supposed to come tomorrow morning for a visit. This is the guard they've targeted in the Class of 2010. They're looking for him to play major minutes. • The Bobby Maze watch continues, and ZagsBlog has the latest. "Bobby is visiting Cincinnati this weekend, Kentucky the weekend after that," Hutchison (Kan.) Community College coach Ryan Swanson said by email. "No visit has been set yet for St. John's." • Former Terps target Ater Majok ended his recruitment this week. The one-time Baylor commitment picked Connecticut over Kentucky, Kansas and a host of others. The 6-foot-10, 220-pound forward from the Heat Basketball Academy in Virginia picked the Huskies after careful deliberation. HBA coach Jason Niblett confirmed the news with Rivals.com. "He felt at home and he wants a chance to win a national championship," Niblett said. "I think he felt like [UConn] was the best fit for him." Football recruiting • In the third installment of The Sun series, Recruiting Tavon Austin, the Dunbar running back talks about picking up an offer from Georgia, and the possibility of playing in the SEC. The SEC is known for producing some of the best NFL-ready players, and I think it's one of the strongest conferences in college football. I'm not really worrying about any of that, though. I want to choose a school based on how I feel and where I feel the most comfortable. • The Washington Post’s latest installment of Recruiting Spotlight looks at Quince Orchard defensive tackle Terrence Stephens. According to The Post, Stephens sports offers from Maryland, Nebraska, Stanford, West Virginia, Syracuse, N.C. State, Connecticut and Penn State. Click here to see the video. • The Post’s Josh Barr checked in with Roosevelt (D.C.) head coach Daryl Tilghman this week for an update on defensive end prospect Darin Drakeford. According to Tilghman, the Terps look increasingly favorable to Drakeford. "At first, I thought he was lukewarm toward Maryland, but after they talked he kind of had a different look at Maryland and is getting a little more interested," Tilghman said of the 6-1, 210-pound Drakeford, who is projected as a rush linebacker with about 20-25 more pounds on his frame. "I know he's going to their camp this summer." • Newark (Del.) Hodgson Vo-Tech twins Jamil Merrell, a defensive lineman, and Jamal Merrell, a wide receiver, told Yahoo! Sports that they plan on visiting College Park this summer. “We’re going to Rutgers and Maryland. We plan on going to Florida State, Tennessee and maybe West Virginia. We’ll probably have a favorite school after visiting those over the summer.” • Virginia Beach (Va.) Landstown running back Sterlin Phifer made a recent visit to Maryland. The Terps haven’t extended an offer, but Phifer considers UM one of the leaders in his recruitment. “It was a good visit there too,” he said. “I’ve been there a number of times and it was nothing different. I got to talk to Coach Brattan. They want me to come to camp and then they’ll probably offer.” Currently Maryland and West Virginia are two of four schools leading for Phifer.

Checking in with Terence Garvin

2008-05-01T14:31:41Z

Last month, Loyola safety Terence Garvin saw his Dons teammate, quarterback Leon Kinnard, end his recruiting process by offering a verbal commitment to UConn. If Garvin has his way, he’ll join Kinnard as a committed Division I prospect sooner rather than later. “We’re probably going to go to camps [this summer],” Garvin said. “I got invited to the combine at Penn State. [I could do camps at] Maryland and West Virginia, but that’s if I’m not committed yet. I would like to be committed before the summer, but that’s depending on where I’m going.” Garvin, 6 feet 2, 210 pounds, sports offers from the Terps and Mountaineers. Garvin spoke with Recruiting Report recently about his recruitment. What do you like about West Virginia? Well the coach was telling me he runs a defense called the 3-3-5 defense, and that kind of caught my attention because he was saying three safeties play on the field at the same time. And he said he likes my size and I’d be able to blitz a lot. I know traditionally they’re pretty good. They’re bringing in a lot of [commitments so far]. What other schools have you heard from? Syracuse is talking to me a lot and North Carolina State. Syracuse, their [running backs] coach [Randy Trivers] was at our school [Tuesday]. And he was saying I’m pretty close to getting offered by them. They like me. They like me more as an outside linebacker type, or at free safety. What stood out about your visit to Syracuse? I went up there a couple weeks ago. I like their history. I saw Heisman trophies for the first time up there -- it was Ernie Davis’ trophy. It was pretty nice. They've got a whole lot of history with Jim Brown and everything. And The [Carrier] Dome was kind of nice. How was your visit to Maryland for the spring game last weekend? It was very enjoyable. That was the first time I’ve ever seen them play at the field. It wasn’t completely packed, but you could see the atmosphere. It gets kind of loud out there if it does get packed. And the field is pretty nice, too. They’re reconstructing stuff so it’s going to get bigger, so I kind of like that. Who is recruiting you for Maryland? [Maryland defensive coordinator] Chris Cosh. He’s a real person -- he tells you what’s really going to happen. He kind of likes my size. I’d have a chance at being a strong safety, maybe an outside linebacker, but [I’d play] more of a safety position. What’s next for your recruitment? Is any school standing out? I’m just trying to see the right place where I can be. I’ve been up to Maryland a whole lot, and right now, I like it a lot up there. But I have to visit West Virginia, and I like Syracuse. North Carolina State, I’ve never been there, but I’m supposed to visit. But I like Maryland a lot right now.

Meet Tyree Evans

2008-04-30T14:47:05Z

After bouncing around from high school to prep school to junior college, Tyree Evans was looking for a place where he could start fresh and not be continually reminded of his well-documented past. Enter Motlow State (Tenn.) Community College head coach Bobby Steinburg, who welcomed Evans to spend his sophomore year of junior college with the Bucks. “Oh man, he was very important in my life,” Evans said of Steinburg. “He scooped me up like an ice cream cone. I turned down (an opportunity to play at Chipola (Fla.) College) for coach Steinburg. [Motlow] wasn’t a major school and they weren’t that great, so I came in, tried to put stuff together, put the puzzle together and we came up with a great year, 28-5. He was a great guy. ... He just inspired my life. He just showed me what was out there.” Evans, who signed with Maryland two weeks ago, will enroll at College Park this summer, four years after finishing high school in Richmond, Va. Needless to say, it’s been a long wait for Evans. “I can’t even wait. I think about it all the time,” Evans said. “I’m a very patient guy, but it’s just like my grandma, my family, everybody in Richmond has just been waiting for this day. You have some people wanting to bring you down and a lot of people wanting to see you do right and roll with your dream.” Here's an introduction to Evans. Name: Tyree Evans Birthdate: 1/18/85 Birthplace: Richmond, Va. Hometown: Richmond, Va. Nicknames: Ree Height: 6’3 Weight: 205 Position: Shooting guard Junior College: Motlow State (Tenn.) Community College High School: George Wythe High School in Richmond, Va. Sophomore statistics: 21.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 2.0 assists Runner-up: Arizona Other schools considered: Tennessee, Kansas State, Mississippi State, West Virginia Favorite NBA player: Gilbert Arenas Favorite NBA team: Washington Wizards Favorite all-time Terp: Len Bias, Steve Francis Favorite music: Gucci Mane, Lil Boosie Favorite book: Only the Strong Survive: The Odyssey of Allen Iverson by Larry Platt Favorite movie: Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood Favorite TV show: The Wayans Bros, The Boondocks Favorite food: Soul food Favorite junior college class: Business Favorite thing about College Park: “Just the people out there. I went out there and fell in love with all the people. I met some of the fans, the staff at the University of Maryland -- it just felt like a second home.” Other high school sports: Football (wide receiver, cornerback) Hobbies: “I like to build stuff ... I made this TV stand. We didn’t have a TV stand in our apartment, so I made one out of a couple of wooden legs from an old table and used the top from a table.” Intended major: “Business and marketing. I want to get into real estate.” Something that not many people know about you: “I’m an animal lover. I don’t really like cats though, but like reptiles and stuff like that -- exotic animals.” Best basketball moment: “When I played my cousin (Boston College guard) Tyrese Rice in the opening game of the districts (in high school). I had 51 points. I went like 25 out of 29 and had 31 points the first half.” Role model: “I look at Allen Iverson as a role model because he came from my same circumstances. He got in trouble, kept on fighting and following his dreams. He never gave up. A lot of people that have a lot of good talent, they just give up as soon as they get out of high school. He’s a fighter. He kept fighting for it like I kept fighting for mine.” Why Maryland? “Home away from home. It’s like me and (Terps assistant) Chuck Driesell -- there’s a trust thing. We have a great relationship. I’ve known him for at least two years. He always believed in me. And coach [Gary] Williams, he’s a great guy. He believed in me as well, just as the Maryland family did in offering me a scholarship, and I’m going to make them not regret giving me the scholarship because I’m going to bring them something they’ve been missing for a long time.”

Weekly recruiting roundup

2008-04-25T04:34:26Z

The second installment of the Sun series, Recruiting Tavon Austin, ran in today's paper. In this edition, the Dunbar running back recounts a recent visit to Penn State. The coaching staff talked to me and introduced themselves to my mother. I talked to coach Joe Paterno, and he always shows me love when I go there. He talks about grades and stresses that I keep them up. They also said that no spots on the team are guaranteed, so if I show up to practice and perform well, I could play early. • Rivals.com updated its 2009 rankings this week, and Good Counsel linebacker Jelani Jenkins saw his ranking rise significantly. Jenkins, a 6-foot, 203-pound linebacker with offers from nearly every major program in the country, was previously No. 79. Jenkins, who also runs track, has tremendous speed, plays downhill and loves to hit. While he plays running back on offense as well, his future is clearly as a game-changing linebacker. Jenkins recently took an unofficial visit to Penn State, and the Nittany Lions, Boston College, Maryland, Virginia and many others are high on his list. • This news is a little dated, but Norcross, Ga. athlete D.J. Adams had good things to say about Maryland in an interview with Scout.com last week. Adams already attended junior days at Maryland and Clemson. "I liked the location of Maryland a lot," he said. "It's close to DC and that's the farthest north I've ever been. I see their program being on the rise and the coaches are great. They have a lot going for them. The weather there is also pretty good and I just had a good experience there." • According to this update from The [Charleston, S.C.] Post and Courier, Maryland has offered several South Carolina prospects. The above-linked article has updates on offensive lineman Brandon Thomas, defensive end Tariq Edwards and defensive end Sam Montgomery. The article also has tidbits on North Carolina linebacker Hawatha Bell and Delaware wide receiver Justin Brown. • Ashburn (Va.) Stone Bridge defensive end Zach Thompson claimed early offers from Maryland, Boston College, N.C. State, Syracuse, Virginia, Wake Forest and West Virginia. Earlier this week, Thompson ended his recruitment, committing to the Demon Deacons. "We kept going back and forth between Virginia and Wake," Mickey Thompson said. "And he just felt a little more comfortable with the smaller campus and all that kind of stuff. "He was adamant that he liked both places, but he definitely wanted to go to Wake." • The Washington Post’s latest installment of Recruiting Spotlight takes a look at Roosevelt (D.C.) defensive end/tight end Darin Drakeford. The Post reports that Maryland and Illinois have offered Drakeford. Click here to see the video. Programming note: I’ll be out of town until Tuesday, so updates until then will either be spotty or non-existent.

Bobby Maze

2008-04-24T15:33:47Z

I’ve received more than a few e-mails and comments recently from readers wondering where former Terps commitment Bobby Maze will end up. I spoke with a source at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College yesterday, and he said that Maze is scheduled to visit St. John’s this weekend. Kentucky and Wichita State have also shown interest. This link from the Wichita (Kan.) Eagle also mentions Cincinnati and Southern Cal as programs that have expressed interest in Maze. Hutchinson coach Ryan Swanson’s phone has “been ringing off the hook,” so it’s safe to say that Maze will find a home. As for Maryland’s parting of ways with Maze, the source said Maze was disappointed, but not critical of UM’s handling of the situation. Maze is still expected to qualify academically, but he will have to take a few credit hours this summer before his associate’s degree is complete.