From GoArmySports.com, Army basketball releases seven year coach Jim Crews.
Seems like very strange timing given that Army took AU to the last minute last year in the semi-finals, and the team looked like it was going to be a contender this year. Sure Crews has never had a winning season in seven years and his winning percentage was only .302, but if you were going to let him go, why not let him go at the end of last season instead of a mere 40 days before this one starts. Bizarre.
Who knows how the Black Knights will respond to their new coach, whoever that ends up being.
Sure makes you happy that we have some stability in Jeff Jones, even though we never get a smile or wave out of the guy before the game starts and he doesn't acknowledge our "Jeff Jones" chants, and even though I end up yelling at Jeff Jones more during a given game (for yelling at our players) than I do the opposing coach, still makes me happy that we won't have to go looking for a new coach any time soon (God willing).
Anyway, short little check-in here. I'm waiting on some information before I give you another big post. Hoping to look at some of the other Patriot League teams' non-conference schedules for an upcoming entry.
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
ZOMG Nine Guards? What is this "T-Pain Goes to the Club Night" at Bender Arena?
It's been a long day, so forgive the title. Or laugh at it. I did. Oh, speaking of T-Pain, if you haven't seen AutoTune the News, you must. So fantastic.
So I think it's fair to describe what we currently have right now as a glut of guards. Bringing in four different freshman guards isn't a bad idea given that three of the four of them are highly touted (and were sought after by other Patriot League teams) but it's going to be very interesting how the coaching staff balances all this new young talent (assuming they live up to the hype) against what experience actually is on the team.
I'm going to cheat a little bit here because I just wrote an entry about Jordan Borucki, and I still don't have a ton of information on him. So for what I do have, please see this entry, and I'll try to get you some more info pretty soon.
Moving on.
Let's get to know...Blake Jolivette
5'11", 170lb, St. Thomas High School, Houston, TX
One thing you can say about Blake Jolivette. The guy isn't discriminating about courts. Whether they be the kind you play basketball on or the kind I wind up in after leaving parties at the Berks, Blake likes them. Apparently he wants to be a lawyer and is really smart, given that he got 12 scholarship offers, some from Ivy League schools and two of the service academies. Impressive. He also turned down a scholarship offer from Holy Cross. That's not impressive, it's just smart.
Blake's rationale for winding up as an Eagle?
"I originally wanted to attend an Ivy League school because I have good grades, but they don’t offer athletic scholarships … I chose American because I was close with the coaches and they did a good job recruiting me. I like their philosophy pertaining to me and the fact that I will have a good chance to start my freshman year … and I really like the DC area because it is a perfect environment for law,” Blake said. Well how about that, told him he had a good chance to start eh? Tell that to the other eight guys, five of them with a year or more of experience. There's a pretty good reason for him to think he's got a good shot at starting though.
Rivals gives him two stars. ESPN grades him an 82 and says, "Jolivette has a good basketball body and is a strong lead guard. He has a good basketball IQ and takes care of the ball. He has the ability to run the team and is very steady...He makes excellent decisions in transition as well as in the half court and scores with his mid range game on dribble pull ups and slashes to the rim. He can keep the defense honest from behind the arc but his strength is running the team and finding the open man." Sounds like the skill set Mercer was so successful with for four years. At 5'11", he's got four inches on Mercer, now let's see if he's got anywhere close to Mercer's handle. If he lives up to the hype he could be the starting point guard by the end of the season, but he's got a lot of people to go through to get there, including junior Steve Luptak and also the guy behind door number two...
Let's get to know...Daniel Munoz
6'1", 175lb, St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Plantation, FL
Dan came remarkably close to being a Terrier up at Boston University. In fact, he committed to the university and would've been barking his little terrier tail (Dan, if you read this, seriously, think about it, you were going to be one of those dogs that snooty women carry around in dog purses, gross) up in Boston if it weren't for BU's coach Dennis Wolff becoming a member of the unwillingly jobless club. After Wolff was made to leave, Dan decided to decommit and signed with us. Munoz now becomes a key part of what could be a fantastically talented backcourt in a year or two, maybe better than Mercer/Carr. Munoz, according to AU Athletics' press release, was "named All-County by both the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and Miami Herald in his junior and senior seasons. He averaged 11.1 points and 7.0 assists per game in his senior year, helping to lead his team to a 17-8 record and a runner-up finish in the district." Jeff Jones offered him lofty praise saying, "Dan is a throwback, pass first-type player who makes everyone around him better. He's an extremely hard worker and a basketball junkie who will fit in well with our team and our incoming class."
That hard work is probably what helped turn him into a two-star Rivals recruit. ESPN gave him an 81 and said, "Munoz is a true point with a high basketball IQ. He is a fundamentally sound good athlete that is also gym rat. He is an excellent ball handler and passer that can find the open man when penetrating the lane or when running the half court offense. He does a great job of feeding the post as well. Munoz is an excellent decision maker in transition as well as in the half court. He can knock down the open jumper with range to the arc." My thought is that in a year or two the coaching staff tries to convert him to a solid-handling shooting guard since he seems to have, from the sound of it, better range than Blake. That hard work will serve him well I'm sure, though I don't know if being called a "gym rat" is a good thing. Should be a hell of a battle between Luptak, Jolivette, Munoz, and our last candidate...
Let's get to know...Josh Snodgrass
6'4", 220lb, P.K. Yonge High School, Gainesville, FL
Josh, yet another Rivals two-star recruit, got offers from six schools but ended up here at AU. I'm excited to have him because I think they could convert him to a solid 3-guy, which means that in two years you could potentially have the trio of Jolivette-Munoz-Snodgrass starting. That would be nasty. I'd put money on it now if gambling on sports wasn't so wrong (unless you're in Delaware or Las Vegas, in which case, track me down we'll get a wager going). Josh was named to the class 3A all-state first-team in Florida last year. That's just the beginning of a long list of accolades, though. Gainesville Sun Basketball Player of the Year. North Central Florida Class 3A player of the year. Hell, he finished third in class 3A Mr. Basketball voting behind Kenny Boynton (now at Florida, where Josh can give him hell in the game this season) and Brandon Knight (2009 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year Award, ranked in the top 5 by Rivals, ESPN, and Scouts, Inc. in the NATION). Nah, Josh didn't do much in high school. Not much at all. Pffft.
Along with Jeff Holton he has the highest ESPN grade of the new recruits (an 83), and ESPN's analysis of him was short, sweet, and positive:
"Josh is a solid shooter with good size. He has range to 22 feet. He has solid strength and should have no problem adjusting to the college game. He can do a little off the dribble but is mostly a shooter and a scorer. He is a great get for American."
The Gainesville Sun offers their own analysis: "Quite possibly the area's best inside/outside offensive player, Snodgrass is comfortable behind the three-point line, driving to the basket or using his 6-5 frame to post up smaller guards or forwards. Similarly to Gantt, he worked diligently throughout his career to build his once-slender frame into one resembling a muscular college guard."
Impressive.
The best thing about having all this talent on the team is that they all have to play each other in practice. They'll only get better having high caliber competition.
I'm all about it. If things turn sour this year (and God I hope they don't) but if they do, you better believe we have a solid foundation to build on for the future. Good Lord. Great work by the coaching staff to bring in a fantastic new class of seven after losing seven to graduation last year. So exciting. Well, that's that, now you've met the freshmen. What do we think of the class now that we know about them? Leave your comments!
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
So I think it's fair to describe what we currently have right now as a glut of guards. Bringing in four different freshman guards isn't a bad idea given that three of the four of them are highly touted (and were sought after by other Patriot League teams) but it's going to be very interesting how the coaching staff balances all this new young talent (assuming they live up to the hype) against what experience actually is on the team.
I'm going to cheat a little bit here because I just wrote an entry about Jordan Borucki, and I still don't have a ton of information on him. So for what I do have, please see this entry, and I'll try to get you some more info pretty soon.
Moving on.
Let's get to know...Blake Jolivette
5'11", 170lb, St. Thomas High School, Houston, TX
One thing you can say about Blake Jolivette. The guy isn't discriminating about courts. Whether they be the kind you play basketball on or the kind I wind up in after leaving parties at the Berks, Blake likes them. Apparently he wants to be a lawyer and is really smart, given that he got 12 scholarship offers, some from Ivy League schools and two of the service academies. Impressive. He also turned down a scholarship offer from Holy Cross. That's not impressive, it's just smart.
Blake's rationale for winding up as an Eagle?
"I originally wanted to attend an Ivy League school because I have good grades, but they don’t offer athletic scholarships … I chose American because I was close with the coaches and they did a good job recruiting me. I like their philosophy pertaining to me and the fact that I will have a good chance to start my freshman year … and I really like the DC area because it is a perfect environment for law,” Blake said. Well how about that, told him he had a good chance to start eh? Tell that to the other eight guys, five of them with a year or more of experience. There's a pretty good reason for him to think he's got a good shot at starting though.
Rivals gives him two stars. ESPN grades him an 82 and says, "Jolivette has a good basketball body and is a strong lead guard. He has a good basketball IQ and takes care of the ball. He has the ability to run the team and is very steady...He makes excellent decisions in transition as well as in the half court and scores with his mid range game on dribble pull ups and slashes to the rim. He can keep the defense honest from behind the arc but his strength is running the team and finding the open man." Sounds like the skill set Mercer was so successful with for four years. At 5'11", he's got four inches on Mercer, now let's see if he's got anywhere close to Mercer's handle. If he lives up to the hype he could be the starting point guard by the end of the season, but he's got a lot of people to go through to get there, including junior Steve Luptak and also the guy behind door number two...
Let's get to know...Daniel Munoz
6'1", 175lb, St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Plantation, FL
Dan came remarkably close to being a Terrier up at Boston University. In fact, he committed to the university and would've been barking his little terrier tail (Dan, if you read this, seriously, think about it, you were going to be one of those dogs that snooty women carry around in dog purses, gross) up in Boston if it weren't for BU's coach Dennis Wolff becoming a member of the unwillingly jobless club. After Wolff was made to leave, Dan decided to decommit and signed with us. Munoz now becomes a key part of what could be a fantastically talented backcourt in a year or two, maybe better than Mercer/Carr. Munoz, according to AU Athletics' press release, was "named All-County by both the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and Miami Herald in his junior and senior seasons. He averaged 11.1 points and 7.0 assists per game in his senior year, helping to lead his team to a 17-8 record and a runner-up finish in the district." Jeff Jones offered him lofty praise saying, "Dan is a throwback, pass first-type player who makes everyone around him better. He's an extremely hard worker and a basketball junkie who will fit in well with our team and our incoming class."
That hard work is probably what helped turn him into a two-star Rivals recruit. ESPN gave him an 81 and said, "Munoz is a true point with a high basketball IQ. He is a fundamentally sound good athlete that is also gym rat. He is an excellent ball handler and passer that can find the open man when penetrating the lane or when running the half court offense. He does a great job of feeding the post as well. Munoz is an excellent decision maker in transition as well as in the half court. He can knock down the open jumper with range to the arc." My thought is that in a year or two the coaching staff tries to convert him to a solid-handling shooting guard since he seems to have, from the sound of it, better range than Blake. That hard work will serve him well I'm sure, though I don't know if being called a "gym rat" is a good thing. Should be a hell of a battle between Luptak, Jolivette, Munoz, and our last candidate...
Let's get to know...Josh Snodgrass
6'4", 220lb, P.K. Yonge High School, Gainesville, FL
Josh, yet another Rivals two-star recruit, got offers from six schools but ended up here at AU. I'm excited to have him because I think they could convert him to a solid 3-guy, which means that in two years you could potentially have the trio of Jolivette-Munoz-Snodgrass starting. That would be nasty. I'd put money on it now if gambling on sports wasn't so wrong (unless you're in Delaware or Las Vegas, in which case, track me down we'll get a wager going). Josh was named to the class 3A all-state first-team in Florida last year. That's just the beginning of a long list of accolades, though. Gainesville Sun Basketball Player of the Year. North Central Florida Class 3A player of the year. Hell, he finished third in class 3A Mr. Basketball voting behind Kenny Boynton (now at Florida, where Josh can give him hell in the game this season) and Brandon Knight (2009 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year Award, ranked in the top 5 by Rivals, ESPN, and Scouts, Inc. in the NATION). Nah, Josh didn't do much in high school. Not much at all. Pffft.
Along with Jeff Holton he has the highest ESPN grade of the new recruits (an 83), and ESPN's analysis of him was short, sweet, and positive:
"Josh is a solid shooter with good size. He has range to 22 feet. He has solid strength and should have no problem adjusting to the college game. He can do a little off the dribble but is mostly a shooter and a scorer. He is a great get for American."
The Gainesville Sun offers their own analysis: "Quite possibly the area's best inside/outside offensive player, Snodgrass is comfortable behind the three-point line, driving to the basket or using his 6-5 frame to post up smaller guards or forwards. Similarly to Gantt, he worked diligently throughout his career to build his once-slender frame into one resembling a muscular college guard."
Impressive.
The best thing about having all this talent on the team is that they all have to play each other in practice. They'll only get better having high caliber competition.
I'm all about it. If things turn sour this year (and God I hope they don't) but if they do, you better believe we have a solid foundation to build on for the future. Good Lord. Great work by the coaching staff to bring in a fantastic new class of seven after losing seven to graduation last year. So exciting. Well, that's that, now you've met the freshmen. What do we think of the class now that we know about them? Leave your comments!
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
Making an Appetizer Sausage Entry Out of Some Loose Ends
See how I did that in the title? Because you make sausage out of meat scraps and...ah, screw it. In any event, this is very much a loose ends post.
First and most exciting,
WE ARE FORTY DAYS FROM THE FIRST PRESEASON GAME.
Go ahead, think about it. Savor it. Roll it around in your brain. Do you feel it in the pit of your stomach? That desire to skip your evening classes so you can paint yourself blue and join your fellow Blue Crew members in Bender? That curiosity about where your five or six Blue Crew shirts are? That pang of desire for a Lumpkin Patch t-shirt? I can feel it from here. Get excited, the long wait is almost over.
The next tidbit of information (courtesy of our friends at AUEagles.com) is that the CBS College Sports Package (CBS's version of ESPN8 "the ocho") will pick up two HOME men's basketball games this season. January 17 versus Colgate at 2pm and February 11 versus Bucknell at 7pm. The deal also includes an option to pick-up the February 21 game AT Holy Cross and the February 27 home game against Lafayette.
Now, this is pretty exciting because any time AU appears on TV it's a big deal. But let's be serious, this should not matter to you. Why? BECAUSE IF IT'S A HOME GAME, YOU HAD BETTER BE IN THAT ARENA UNLESS YOU'RE AT SIBLEY. Besides, we don't get the CBS College Sports Package in the dorms. So let your parents know they can see you in the stands, and then get your freaking paint on.
Last tidbit of information concerns the Lehigh Hill Pigeons. Rivals released their top 100 rankings and, lo and behold, Lehigh did indeed break the top 100 at number 96. Rivals' take on the Pigeons? "The Mountain Hawks are coming off a disappointing season, but every key piece returns. Those pieces should be good enough to push Lehigh to the top. Carrington (14 ppg, 8.6 rpg) leads the league's best frontcourt and rebounding team. Marquis Hall (13.9 ppg) keys a backcourt that must become more productive overall. "
Seems nasty. Carrington and Hall were a beastly duo last year. Still, one game at a time, and, like my dad says, that's why they play the games.
Anyway, appetizer course over, bring on the entree: analysis of the incoming freshmen guards!
See you in a minute.
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
First and most exciting,
WE ARE FORTY DAYS FROM THE FIRST PRESEASON GAME.
Go ahead, think about it. Savor it. Roll it around in your brain. Do you feel it in the pit of your stomach? That desire to skip your evening classes so you can paint yourself blue and join your fellow Blue Crew members in Bender? That curiosity about where your five or six Blue Crew shirts are? That pang of desire for a Lumpkin Patch t-shirt? I can feel it from here. Get excited, the long wait is almost over.
The next tidbit of information (courtesy of our friends at AUEagles.com) is that the CBS College Sports Package (CBS's version of ESPN8 "the ocho") will pick up two HOME men's basketball games this season. January 17 versus Colgate at 2pm and February 11 versus Bucknell at 7pm. The deal also includes an option to pick-up the February 21 game AT Holy Cross and the February 27 home game against Lafayette.
Now, this is pretty exciting because any time AU appears on TV it's a big deal. But let's be serious, this should not matter to you. Why? BECAUSE IF IT'S A HOME GAME, YOU HAD BETTER BE IN THAT ARENA UNLESS YOU'RE AT SIBLEY. Besides, we don't get the CBS College Sports Package in the dorms. So let your parents know they can see you in the stands, and then get your freaking paint on.
Last tidbit of information concerns the Lehigh Hill Pigeons. Rivals released their top 100 rankings and, lo and behold, Lehigh did indeed break the top 100 at number 96. Rivals' take on the Pigeons? "The Mountain Hawks are coming off a disappointing season, but every key piece returns. Those pieces should be good enough to push Lehigh to the top. Carrington (14 ppg, 8.6 rpg) leads the league's best frontcourt and rebounding team. Marquis Hall (13.9 ppg) keys a backcourt that must become more productive overall. "
Seems nasty. Carrington and Hall were a beastly duo last year. Still, one game at a time, and, like my dad says, that's why they play the games.
Anyway, appetizer course over, bring on the entree: analysis of the incoming freshmen guards!
See you in a minute.
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Let's Learn a Little Bit More About the Newest Eagles
Sorry it's been so long between entries, friends and fans. It's been a long week what with the real world and the weekend and all that good stuff.
I've got to be honest, my beloved (and often befuddled) Miami Dolphins are on Monday Night Football for the first time since 2006, so I'd like to watch them wreck Peyton Manning's evening. In the interest of letting me do that, we're going to do this entry quick and dirty like a Holy Cross education. Ohhhh. Yep.
Before I start on the main point of this entry, which is to take a look at our incoming freshmen, I want to send a shout-out of support to the team. I've been seeing (via Twitter and Facebook, yes I use social media, you might even say I am "hip" to it) that the team's practices have been featuring ladders. For those of you who don't do much in the way of physical activity except for double-clicking your mouses to come to this blog, ladders are hellacious. Just thinking about when I used to run them for cross-country makes me nauseous. Not sure what flavor of ladder the team is running, but you can be assured they aren't the least bit fun.
With that said, I have two things to say to the team: THANK YOU and KEEP GOING. I know it's easy for me to say the second thing since I'm not the one out there busting my ass on the court. I get that. But you guys had better believe that the fans appreciate the work you do to get in shape for the season. We'll repay all that effort with Blue Crew frenzy come game time. It will all be worth it in the end when you're running all over your winded opponents in the last five minutes of games.
In any event, let's talk a little bit about the class of 2013. We'll start with the forwards.
Get to know...Jeff Holton
6'7" (though he's also been listed variously at 6'6" and 6'8"), 240lb, Germantown Academy, Ft. Washington, PA
Jeff Holton is going to have to step up this season and have the kind of season that Lumpkins had last season. Why? Because as documented in the last entry, our depth at the 4 and 5 spots is just not there this year, and if Lumpkins or Vlad the Impaler get into foul trouble, Holton is going to have to step in and play some quality, or at least not bad, minutes. Named the best senior basketball player in his high school league, Holton has also been highly praised by ESPN's Scouts, Inc. who called him a "very skilled pick and pop four man that can put on the floor and get to the rim or stretch the defense by knocking down the open three. He runs the floor and has an excellent basketball IQ. Holton is a constant threat on the offensive end of the floor." ESPN does note that, "One area that Holton must improve in is rebounding. If he can add the offensive glass to his game and help start the break on the defensive end it takes his game to another level. Overall tremendous skill and scoring ability." You can find that review here if you have an ESPN Insider account (free!). The inexplicable thing here is that although Scouts gives him a grade of 83, which amounts to "a solid contributor and two- or three-year starter at a mid-major program," wasn't enough to get him any stars from Rivals. Let's hope Rivals was wrong on him (but right on Jolivette and Munoz).
Get to know...Mike Bersch
6'6", 205lb, Rancocas Valley Regional High School, Mt. Holly, NJ
If nothing else, the talented Mr. Bersch fills what I personally feel is a critical role on the team: representing for the Garden State. Sure he's a completely different kind of player than the last guy to hold that position down (Derrick Mercer), but let's hope he's bringing the same level of talent. Bersch helped Rancocas Valley win Jersey's Group 4 championship (the most competitive of NJ's six groups) in his junior year, but they were unable to repeat his senior year because of a broken hand. Bersch seems to be right in the thick of things because he also suffered a shoulder injury and concussion in his senior year. Like a true gamer though, Bersch, who was supposed to miss 4-6 weeks from these injuries, came back in under three weeks and in his first game back scored 25 points. He went 2-3 from long range and 5-7 from the line. Like Holton, he's going to have to play solid minutes behind Vlad and Lumpkins. ESPN praises his passing ability and says that he can "make a living as a pick-and-pop guy or as a shooter that spots up and delivers 3-point daggers in transition." They do criticize his ball-handling a bit, which means he might not be able to penetrate into the paint too often. Hopefully the coaches will work with him on his handle, which will go quite nicely with what sounds like an absolutely lethal long-range jumper.
Get to know...Daniel Fisher
6'7", 220lb, Melbourne Grammar, Melbourne, Australia
I have to begin this part of this entry with an apology, I haven't been able to get much on our newest eagle from the southern hemisphere. This is the only article that I have been able to find about him, but I'm hoping that I will get some more information soon from our friends at AU athletics. Daniel, takes this as a lame I.O.U., I look forward to writing plenty about you in the blog over this upcoming season.
Well friends and fans, I wanted to give you details on all seven freshmen tonight, but we're already most of the way through the second quarter, and there's a lot to write about on the guards. So I'll have to offer you a raincheck for the night, and you can be sure to wait with bated breath for an article that will be packed with arbitrary Rivals star ratings and what is sure to be a very competitive battle for the team's 1 spot. In the meantime, I hope you've enjoyed getting to know these forwards. Learn these names, because they'll be taking the place (on the court, not necessarily in our hearts) of Frane, Brian, Jordan, and Frank (when he was playing the 3). Anyway, cross your fingers that Joseph Addai continues to have a poor game, that'll make me much happier when I come back to tell you about the guards.
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
I've got to be honest, my beloved (and often befuddled) Miami Dolphins are on Monday Night Football for the first time since 2006, so I'd like to watch them wreck Peyton Manning's evening. In the interest of letting me do that, we're going to do this entry quick and dirty like a Holy Cross education. Ohhhh. Yep.
Before I start on the main point of this entry, which is to take a look at our incoming freshmen, I want to send a shout-out of support to the team. I've been seeing (via Twitter and Facebook, yes I use social media, you might even say I am "hip" to it) that the team's practices have been featuring ladders. For those of you who don't do much in the way of physical activity except for double-clicking your mouses to come to this blog, ladders are hellacious. Just thinking about when I used to run them for cross-country makes me nauseous. Not sure what flavor of ladder the team is running, but you can be assured they aren't the least bit fun.
With that said, I have two things to say to the team: THANK YOU and KEEP GOING. I know it's easy for me to say the second thing since I'm not the one out there busting my ass on the court. I get that. But you guys had better believe that the fans appreciate the work you do to get in shape for the season. We'll repay all that effort with Blue Crew frenzy come game time. It will all be worth it in the end when you're running all over your winded opponents in the last five minutes of games.
In any event, let's talk a little bit about the class of 2013. We'll start with the forwards.
Get to know...Jeff Holton
6'7" (though he's also been listed variously at 6'6" and 6'8"), 240lb, Germantown Academy, Ft. Washington, PA
Jeff Holton is going to have to step up this season and have the kind of season that Lumpkins had last season. Why? Because as documented in the last entry, our depth at the 4 and 5 spots is just not there this year, and if Lumpkins or Vlad the Impaler get into foul trouble, Holton is going to have to step in and play some quality, or at least not bad, minutes. Named the best senior basketball player in his high school league, Holton has also been highly praised by ESPN's Scouts, Inc. who called him a "very skilled pick and pop four man that can put on the floor and get to the rim or stretch the defense by knocking down the open three. He runs the floor and has an excellent basketball IQ. Holton is a constant threat on the offensive end of the floor." ESPN does note that, "One area that Holton must improve in is rebounding. If he can add the offensive glass to his game and help start the break on the defensive end it takes his game to another level. Overall tremendous skill and scoring ability." You can find that review here if you have an ESPN Insider account (free!). The inexplicable thing here is that although Scouts gives him a grade of 83, which amounts to "a solid contributor and two- or three-year starter at a mid-major program," wasn't enough to get him any stars from Rivals. Let's hope Rivals was wrong on him (but right on Jolivette and Munoz).
Get to know...Mike Bersch
6'6", 205lb, Rancocas Valley Regional High School, Mt. Holly, NJ
If nothing else, the talented Mr. Bersch fills what I personally feel is a critical role on the team: representing for the Garden State. Sure he's a completely different kind of player than the last guy to hold that position down (Derrick Mercer), but let's hope he's bringing the same level of talent. Bersch helped Rancocas Valley win Jersey's Group 4 championship (the most competitive of NJ's six groups) in his junior year, but they were unable to repeat his senior year because of a broken hand. Bersch seems to be right in the thick of things because he also suffered a shoulder injury and concussion in his senior year. Like a true gamer though, Bersch, who was supposed to miss 4-6 weeks from these injuries, came back in under three weeks and in his first game back scored 25 points. He went 2-3 from long range and 5-7 from the line. Like Holton, he's going to have to play solid minutes behind Vlad and Lumpkins. ESPN praises his passing ability and says that he can "make a living as a pick-and-pop guy or as a shooter that spots up and delivers 3-point daggers in transition." They do criticize his ball-handling a bit, which means he might not be able to penetrate into the paint too often. Hopefully the coaches will work with him on his handle, which will go quite nicely with what sounds like an absolutely lethal long-range jumper.
Get to know...Daniel Fisher
6'7", 220lb, Melbourne Grammar, Melbourne, Australia
I have to begin this part of this entry with an apology, I haven't been able to get much on our newest eagle from the southern hemisphere. This is the only article that I have been able to find about him, but I'm hoping that I will get some more information soon from our friends at AU athletics. Daniel, takes this as a lame I.O.U., I look forward to writing plenty about you in the blog over this upcoming season.
Well friends and fans, I wanted to give you details on all seven freshmen tonight, but we're already most of the way through the second quarter, and there's a lot to write about on the guards. So I'll have to offer you a raincheck for the night, and you can be sure to wait with bated breath for an article that will be packed with arbitrary Rivals star ratings and what is sure to be a very competitive battle for the team's 1 spot. In the meantime, I hope you've enjoyed getting to know these forwards. Learn these names, because they'll be taking the place (on the court, not necessarily in our hearts) of Frane, Brian, Jordan, and Frank (when he was playing the 3). Anyway, cross your fingers that Joseph Addai continues to have a poor game, that'll make me much happier when I come back to tell you about the guards.
Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!
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