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Tracking the College Basketball Stars of the Future
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ECU &
C-USA Hoops
Recruiting Report
Sunday, August 10, 2003
By Thad Mumau
Special Correspondent |
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Giddings family move improves
ECU's odds
©2003 Bonesville.net
One way to take away a hometown advantage for a school is to
take away the hometown. Schools battling Virginia Tech for Jarhon Giddings
will no longer have to worry that he may simply stay at home and be a Hokie.
Giddings is a 6-8 combination forward who averaged 16.1
points, 7.1 rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists per game as a
junior at Blacksburg (VA) High School.
The Virginia Tech campus wasn’t far from his house, and his
mother and father were both on the Virginia Tech faculty. But things have
changed.
Giddings’ parents will both be teaching at Winston-Salem
State University this coming school year, so the family has moved to
Winston-Salem.
Giddings will be a senior at Winston-Salem Reynolds High
School, which sent current freshman forward Keith Foster to East Carolina.
The Pirates have reportedly offered Giddings a scholarship
as has Virginia Tech. Richmond, College of Charleston and Duquesne have also
offered, and West Virginia and UNC-Wilmington are interested.
Giddings, a 210-pounder, has played power forward in high
school, but he has small forward skills.
In other Conference USA recruiting activity, Cincinnati lost
a commitment and gained one in the span of a few days.
Jamar Butler, a 6-2 point guard from Lima (OH) Shawnee High
School, backed out of his commitment to the Bearcats. He is looking hard at
Clemson and Ohio State.
Although Butler said he is still considering Cincinnati, the
feeling may not be mutual. That’s because Bob Huggins and his staff received
a commitment from combo guard Vincent Banks.
Banks also took back a commitment as he had previously made
a pledge to Miami. That was last year, however, when he was at South Atlanta
(GA) High. But he did not qualify academically.
A 6-2 guard who is a better scorer than playmaker, Banks
plans to attend Laurinburg (NC) Charter School as a fifth-year senior. He is
ranked the No. 77 prospect in the country by Prepstars.com.
Butler is No. 28.
Memphis leads C-USA schools with three basketball
commitments so far. DePaul, Louisville, Saint Louis, Texas Christian and
Tulane have one apiece, giving the league a total of eight.
The biggest name to promise Memphis — and Conference USA —
is Darius Washington (the No. 3 senior), a 6-0 point guard from Orlando (FL)
Edgewater.
Shawne Williams (No. 34) gives the Tigers two commitments
from the top 50. He is a 6-8 small forward from Memphis (Tenn.) Hamilton.
The other promise is from Robert Dozier, a 6-7 power forward from Lithonia
(GA) High.
DePaul’s commitment is from Aking Elting, a 5-10 point guard
from Southern Idaho Junior College.
Louisville has a pledge from Terrance Farley, a 6-10 center from Louisville
(KY) Pleasure Ridge Park.
Saint Louis has a promise from 5-9 point guard Dwayne Polk
of St. Louis (MO) Vashon.
Brent Tackett, a 6-3 wing guard from Fort Worth (TX)
Southwest, has committed to Texas Christian.
Tulane’s commitment is from David Gomez, a 6-7 power forward
from Baton Rouge (LA) Episcopal. He picked the Green Wave over Vanderbilt,
Georgia and Rice.
Gomez averaged 25.2 points and 9.2 rebounds as a junior and
was named to the 2-A all-state team. He has a 3.5 grade-point average and
has scored above the required 17 on the ACT.
The Green Wave got a recent unofficial visit from Deron
Washington. He’s a 6-6 small forward from Fort Washington (MD) National
Christian.
LaSalle and Wisconsin-Green Bay are also very interested in
Washington, but Tulane has an edge. His father is a former Wave football
player.
Charlotte caught a break in its recruitment of a big man.
Ousmane Konate, a 6-10, 270-pound center from Laurinburg
(NC) Charter, has backed out of his commitment to Missouri.
A fifth-year senior who broke his foot in January, Konate is
looking at Xavier and Arizona as well as the 49ers.
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02/23/2007 02:40:09 PM |
