Kager Has Company in Class of 2015

Image courtesy digitalsports.com

Only three days after the first member of the Class of 2015 made a verbal commitment to play at AU, he has been joined by another promising recruit. Yesterday The Washington Post's Recruiting Insider announced that John Schoof, a 6'5" forward-guard from W.T. Woodson High School in Virginia, made a verbal commitment to play for the Eagles beginning with the 2011-2012 season.

Schoof, like Kager, is a great catch. ESPN gives him an 82, a solid score largely based on his sophomore year of high school. Why his sophomore year? In December 2009, in the last practice before the season began, Schoof suffered a serious ankle injury during practice, taking him out of the game for most of his junior season. After a round of surgery and rehab, he played this summer for the AAU Team Takeover. He'll be back on the court this season for W.T. Woodson, and says that he feels just as good as he did prior to his injury. He still has plenty of time to improve, and is likely flying far under the radar as far as recruiting potential is concerned.

According to ESPN, "John is a long and active wing player...he makes good decisions with the ball and plays with a simple approach..." Players who respect fundamentals usually do very well under Coach Jones, and it's when they start trying to add too much flash they they run into trouble. Schoof is a pure shooter, as evidenced by this video, this video, and this video. Impressed yet?

Image courtesy Rivals VirginiaPreps

Schoof had to decide between multiple offers, including local rival George Mason and Patriot League defending champion Lehigh. According to Northstar Basketball, he also received interest from William and Mary, Davidson, Drexel, Penn, and Harvard, along with offers from Princeton, Mt. St. Mary's, and Lafayette. He was quoted as saying just last month "I like Princeton and Davidson, that's my two, I don't know, it's still open." According to WaPo, he also had a strong desire to stay close to home. Considering his array of options, Schoof made a great decision.

As there will be three seniors graduating in May, we'll be keeping our eyes out for the third and final freshman/transfer recruit for next season. As soon as we hear anything, you'll be able to find it here, with all the juicy details that we can't live without.

Finally, in the tradition of terrible puns that has developed here on AUHoops, we ask - is the competition ready to be "Schoofed?" I hope so. I quote user John K on our message board in saying,"I smell 5 straight titles starting with this year." Share his optimism? Let us know on the boards or in the comments!

Pro Deo Et Patria and GO EAGLES!

Josh