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Tracking the College Basketball Stars of the Future
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Hoops Recruiting Report
Saturday, September 14, 2002

By Thad Mumau
Special Correspondent

Seventy-First's Long likes Pirates' C-USA ties

©2002 Bonesville.net

 
Catch up on hoops recruiting news...

Fayetteville guard likes ECU's C-USA ties...
C-USA teams lure big men, big names...
Jamaican joins ECU's international cast...
49ers, Cards snare key '03 commitments...
Ranking the Carolinas recruiting classes...
Foster has plans to bulk up for C-USA...
Wiley refining his game for C-USA wars...
Holcombe-Faye 'pipeline' flows eastward...
'Hot Hand Luke' sold on ECU & C-USA...
Juco wings top off dazzling class...
It's a wrap — ECU signs Moberly's Wiley...
Pirate recruiting class almost complete...
JC Transfer Mackay Makes It Official...
Herrion Snares Aussie Shooting Guard...
High-scoring Rivers signs with ECU...
Pirates seek experience in Juco targets...
Rivers attracted by 'tough' schedule...
'Minges Maniacs' impacted decision...
ECU makes early offer to Enloe junior...
C-USA transforms Pirates' recruiting...
ACC schools' pursuit of Rouse too late...
Mumau's C-USA recruiting roundup...
Kinston forward Rouse officially signs...

Catch up on football recruiting news...

Recruit "set" on ECU but open to suitors...
Camp Logan grad Adams commits...
First impressions important for OT Brown...
Starmount O-lineman Brown headed East...
Parker, Brim wield multiple talents...
Beddingfield QB Parker picks Pirates...
ECU wins recruiting battle for Brim...
Future Pirates hang out together...
Pace quickens: Howard, Black commit...
Running backs stable gains young talent...
Batten's 2003 Recruiting Crystal Ball...
Scotland Connection Keeps Flowing...
Lineman Devours Barbells & Groceries...
Batten's Signing Day Report Card...
Newest Pirates & Thumbnail Profiles...
Bonesville Scores 92% — 22 of 24 Sign...
Signing Day Reflects Progress at ECU...
Coach Primed for His Favorite Time...
Video Clips from Signing Day...
Signees from the Carolinas & C-USA...

East Carolina’s five basketball newcomers this season include a power forward, a couple of small forwards, a shooting guard and a combination guard. That leaves a point guard as a key recruiting goal for the Pirates’ 2003 class.

Casey Long of Seventy-First High School in Fayetteville, NC, is one of the point guards ECU really likes. But he isn’t leaning toward the Bucs. In fact, he doesn’t have any leaders at this point.

"There are some good schools recruiting me," Long said, "and I’m just going to take my time and look around. East Carolina has offered me a scholarship, and I like the idea of playing in Conference USA. There are some good teams in the league, and they will get a lot of exposure."

Tulane, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Wilmington, College of Charleston, Coastal Carolina, Western Carolina and Florida Atlantic have also offered. Florida State (which has Long’s former Falcon teammate, Michael Joiner, on its roster) has shown quite a bit of interest.

Long averaged nearly 14 points along with five assists, three rebounds and three steals as a junior, helping Seventy-First reach the state 4-A championship game. The Falcons finished 27-3 after losing to Winston-Salem Reynolds in the finals for the second time in three years.

He scored 21 points in the title game, had a season-high 27 against Raleigh Broughton and dished out 13 assists to go with 16 points against Richmond County.

Some people list the 6-2 Long as a combination guard, but he looks at himself as a pure point.

"I feel I’m a natural point guard," he said. "Passing has always come naturally for me, and I’m confident I can get in the paint and set people up at almost any time. Also, I love to play defense."

Seventy-First coach Bernie Poole feels Long has not received the attention he deserves from college coaches.

"I think people are overlooking Casey," Poole said, "and that’s mostly because he doesn’t have the flashy stats some other guards have. But that’s because we have had some very good inside players, and Casey has gotten the ball to them. That’s his job as our point guard, and the fact that he does it so well is a big reason we have won so many games.

"He is a very smart player. His ball handling and quickness are far above average. I think he could play for any college team in the country."

Long has a 3.7 grade-point average and has scored 900 on the SAT.

C-USA gets six more

Six more basketball commitments have been added by Conference USA schools, bringing the total for the 2003 recruiting class to 20. The latest promises have a "mature" look as four are in junior colleges and another is a fifth-year senior at a prep school.

Louisville leads the way in C-USA commitments with four after landing Nate Daniels, a 6-8 small forward/wing guard from Broward Junior College in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He made his decision following a visit to Louisville.

Daniels chose the Cardinals over Texas Tech, with St. John’s and Missouri showing interest.

Brandon Bell is the third catch for Marquette. He’s a 5-11 point guard from Detroit (MI) Southeastern High School. Bell picked the Golden Eagles over Pittsburgh and also had scholarship offers from West Virginia, Nebraska and Butler, while Arizona was very interested.

Charlotte picked up its second promise when Marcus Bennett decided on the 49ers over Nebraska, Alabama-Birmingham, Wyoming, Kansas State and Iowa State. Bennett is a 6-3 combination guard who signed out of a Detroit high school with Michigan in 2001. After being declared academically ineligible, he went to Schoolcraft Junior College in Livonia, MI, but did not play last year. He will have three years of eligibility at Charlotte.

Cincinnati penciled in its first commitment when Nick Williams visited the campus, then announced. The native of Texas averaged nine points at Kansas State last season before transferring to Chipola Junior College in Marianna, FL. Williams is a 6-3 shooting guard.

Tulane also grabbed its first commitment. He’s Chris Moore, a 6-4 wing guard at Pittsfield Maine Central Institute.

South Florida got on the board with Ricardo Freeman, a 6-3 point guard from Seward County Community College in Liberal, KS. He averaged 10.7 points and almost seven assists per game last year.

Alabama-Birmingham, Southern Mississippi and St. Louis are still without commitments.

Here is the complete list of C-USA hoops commitments for 2003 as we have them:

  • CHARLOTTE — Martin Iti, 6-11 center, Winchendon (MA) School; Marcus Bennett, 6-3 wing guard/point guard, Schoolcraft Junior College.
  • CINCINNATI — Nick Williams, 6-3 wing guard, Chipola Junior College.
  • DePAUL — Sammy Mejia, 6-5 wing guard/point guard, Cornwall on Hudson (NY) Storm King.
  • EAST CAROLINA — Keith Foster, 6-9 power forward/center, Winston-Salem (NC) Reynolds.
  • HOUSTON — Lanny Smith, 6-3 point guard, Missouri City (TX) Hightower; Parker Pinkalla, 6-4 wing guard, Houston (TX) Strake Jesuit College Prep School.
  • LOUISVILLE — Brandon Jenkins, 6-2 point guard/wing guard, Detroit (MI) Southeastern; Nouha Diakite, 6-10 power forward, Barton County Junior College; James Lang, 6-10 center, Birmingham (AL) Central Parkway; Nate Daniels, 6-8 small forward/wing guard, Broward Junior College.
  • MARQUETTE — James Matthews, 6-7 power forward, Detroit (MI) Denby; Dameon Mason, 6-5 small forward/wing guard, Aurora (IL) West; Brandon Bell, 5-11 point guard, Detroit (MI) Southwestern.
  • MEMPHIS — Kendrick Perkins, 6-11 center, Beaumont (TX) Ozen; Sean Banks, 6-7 small forward, Oradell (NJ) Bergen; Michael Ford, 6-8 small forward, Fitchburg (MA) Notre Dame.
  • SOUTH FLORIDA — Ricardo Freeman, 6-3 point guard, Seward County Community College.
  • TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY — Blake Adams, 6-5 wing guard, Houston (TX) Nimitz.
  • TULANE — Chris Moore, 6-4 wing guard, Pittsfield (ME) Central Institute.

Send an e-mail message to Thad Mumau.

Click here to dig into Thad Mumau's Bonesville archives.

02/23/2007 02:40:01 PM
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