October 25, 2006

Select's rising star, Josh Selby, ready to help team as he begins his high school career at John Carroll

John Carroll on hoops map
Keith S. Cavanaugh

It's a Monday night in early October and there are 25-30 basketball players at a voluntary off-season workout in the gym at Bel Air's John Carroll High School, from standout 8th-graders on up to juniors, all under the watchful eye of a half-dozen college recruiters including Maryland's Chuck Driesell.

Two years ago John Carroll, a Catholic school in Harford County, went 0-25. But those days are long over.

Coach Tony Martin, who program-built at Spalding in the late 1990s, turning another hoops weakling from a 3-17 lightweight into a 31-5 power, is at it again, this time at a more unlikely spot.

Known more for its football back in the day and more recently girls soccer and lacrosse, John Carroll boys basketball is square on the map with talent ranging from a 7-4 center from Poland to one of the top sophomores in Kansas to the best 8th-grader out of Baltimore City.

Martin, a Hereford native, proved he could do it at Spalding a decade ago and, after picking up 15 wins last year in his first season at John Carroll not to mention some top young talent, is well on his way.

"Everything is in place here, from the support of the administration to the community rallying behind us to the players that we've got in this program, to do what we did at Spalding. I would compare it to Spalding when we got that program going in the 90s," Martin said. "You are not going to see anything like that [0-25] ever again here."

The headliners include 6-1, 165-pound Josh Selby, a first-year freshman guard rated among the top 10 players nationally in the 2010 class.

An Overlea resident, Selby is a quick-on-quick penetrator/scorer with all the moves and excellent size and strength for a freshman. He lives up to his favorite player's style, Dwayne Wade, with the frenetic pace he plays the game and all the ball skills and tricks.

Recruited by all the top prep powers, he chose John Carroll and makes the 30-40 minute commute each morning. Though only 15, he lists Maryland and North Carolina as his early favorites. He could play either guard spot this season and plays AAU ball with Baltimore Select. Rutgers, St. Joe's and others have also sent him recruiting letters.

"I've loved the Terps ever since Juan Dixon played there," he said.

Said Martin:

"He's just an ultra, ultra-competitive kid, maybe the most competitive player that I have had since 'Wojo' at Cardinal Gibbons where I was an assistant. He has every intangible you would want, his desire may be both a blessing and curse, but again he is just a ninth-grader. And he is a tremendous talent on the basketball court with his game ahead of his years. He has a great desire to be a great player like a lot of these kids."

The other headliner is promising 6-7 sophomore Isaiah Philmore, who starred at St. Xavier of Junction City, KS last year, averaging 39 ppg. The 198-pounder, who relocated with his military family and whose mother is from Germany, is a sleek combo forward with 'inside-outside' skills, three-point shooting ability and a great frame that is still growing and filling out.

"He is a multi-dimensional scorer and athlete," Martin said of his top transfer. "He can score inside and out and plays with a quiet demeanor, a calm excellence but can really turn it on."

Philmore plays in the summertime for the Delaware Sharpshooters AAU program. He has a 3.3 GPA and gets after it on the glass.

"I have lived in Kansas, Germany, Alabama, all over growing up," said Philmore, who said he did not begin playing basketball seriously until the 8th grade. "I have received recruiting letters from Maryland, Kansas, also Rutgers and Kansas State early on. Maryland is a definitely a school I will be looking at."

The other players attracting the most attention, starting with the juniors, include:

D'Metric Evans, 5'8 guard - of Perry Hall, Evans has received interest from Radford and Lehigh so far. His ball-handling has improved tremendously as well as his leadership on the court.

Jakub Kusmieruk, 7'4 center - hometown of Sokolow-Podlaski, Poland, Jakub is receiving mail regularly from Clemson, Georgetown, Central Florida, George Mason, St. John's and others. A second-honors student who speaks four languages (English, Russian, Polish, and German). Was an NBA League all star at Five-Star last summer. The big man is still developing but several schools are taking a look. He lives with a host family in Bel Air. The Hoyas have been to the gym often to see him and Philmore.

Mike Maczko, 6'4 guard - hometown of Bel Air, is receiving mail from Richmond, St. Joe's, George Mason, Colgate, Lafayette, Yale and Harvard. He strokes the ball very well and has improved his foot speed. A great student, he was also an NBA League all star at Five-Star this summer. Averaged 9 points per game last season.

Josh Wiegand, 6'8 forward/center - hometown of Whiteford: Josh has received steady interest from Navy, George Mason, Colgate, and Yale. He continues to add strength and has focused his energies on becoming a better rebounder. Great student with a 3.8 GPA.

Sophomores:

Raphael Jordan, 6'0 guard - hometown of Bel Air, has improved his ball-handling and his court sense to become a more complete lead guard. Shows flashes of brilliance. Still young in his recruitment, he has gotten the his first letter from a lot of schools. Martin believes he could be a Derrick Snowden-like (Spalding/Villanova) player. Was invited and performed well at adidas Phenom 150 Camp in San Diego, CA., last summer. Also a strong student. Averaged 9 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals per game last season.

Isaiah Philmore, 6'7 forward - hometown of Bel Air, Isaiah is the transfer from Kansas. Has been showing very well in open gym workouts and will be one of the top players this season. Will challenge players like Sean Mosley, LeShon Edwards, etc., as the best non-senior in the Baltimore area. Was named top 3 at the Reebok Camp Next this summer and is being recruited actively by Maryland, Georgetown, George Mason, Rutgers, Kansas State, St. Joe's and others.

Wyatt Smith, 6'5 forward - hometown of Abingdon, Wyatt has experienced a lot of growth in his game since the summer time. He worked on his mid-range game and the ability to step out with the deep ball. His athleticism is starting to shine as well. He is attacking the rim. He and Isaiah are great bookend, athletic forwards. Was invited and competed well at adidas Phenom 150 Camp this summer where he was named one of the top power forwards at the camp. Wyatt was also named an All Star at Five Star Rising Sophomore Development Week this summer.

Freshman:

Josh Selby, 6'1 guard - hometown of Overlea, Josh is a bundle of energy '1-2' guard rated the best 8th-grader in Baltimore last year and a Top 10 prospect in his class nationally. He can be spectacular at times for his age, often the most talented player on the floor. When he gets mentally stronger and maturer with age, he will be special. Currently ranked in the top 10 by nearly every recruiting service in the class of 2010. Was an all star at adidas Phenom 150 camp.

It appears Philmore and Selby would lead Maryland's 'watch-list' among the John Carroll players.

Looking beyond the ninth-graders already garnering attention, two top Baltimore 8th-graders were also running pickup on the night TT attended.

6-4 Jerred Jones, of Havre de Grace, whose father is an assistant at Aberdeen High School, is a long and talented forward who can put it on the floor and finish who may grow to as tall as 6-11, Martin said. He is all arms and legs now, but has an advanced skills set and plenty of desire.

Another top youngster is Nicholas Faust, a 5-10 Edgewood native and another high-energy lead guard. Both are seriously considering John Carroll for next year as freshmen.

John Carroll, with 850 co-ed students and a strong academic setting, gives need-based financial aid. Also, every incoming student gets a laptop.

Martin said third-year Athletic Director Larry Dukes has been key in helping get the basketball program going. John Carroll plays an intense and ambitious schedule, with some 40 games and several top national and local tournaments this season including the Chick-fil-A Classic in Columbia, SC.

This fall the players go through voluntary workouts five days a week. Martin knows he has a very young team, with no player having played varsity basketball before last season. But the future looks bright at the Bel Air school. Next year they move up from the MIAA's B division to A.

Martin is a Maryland graduate, Class of 1987, and would like nothing more than to establish strong ties with the state school.

"It is great to see Chuck Driesell up here tonight," he said. "We hope to be seeing a lot more of Maryland in the coming years."

October 25, 2006

Select Standout, Terrance Whiters, lands at Arkansas Tech University

http://athletics.atu.edu/bballm.htm

October 25, 2006

Former Select standout, Gary Neal, named to Pre-Season All-CAA Team

http://www.towsontigers.com/sports/mbball/release.asp?release_id=3209

October 18, 2006

Former Select standout, Joey Dorsey, named to Pre-Season All-Conference USA Team

http://gotigersgo.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/101806aaa.html

October 3, 2006

New NCAA rule regarding official visits & test scores

The NCAA is going to require all student athletes to be registered with the Clearinghouse BEFORE they can take an official visit starting next year. Underclassmen get ready for this to begin 2007.

Attention 2007 high school graduates! The NCAA has adopted new legislation that will require prospects who intend to enroll at NCAA Division I and Division II institutions to supply ACT or SAT scores to the Clearinghouse directly from the testing agencies. Test scores on an official high school transcript will no longer be usable for NCAA purposes.

http://www.ncaaclearinghouse.net/ncaa/NCAA/common/index.html

September 18, 2006

Eastern Invitationals Mid Atlantic Top 100 Clinic is coming to the region...

The Hoop Groups Top 100 Tour 2006 will be making its yearly stop here in the Baltimore region October 6-7, 2006.

Event Dates- October 6-7, 2006

Registration - October 6, 2006 4:45pm - 5:45pm

Playing Schedule - October 6, 2006 6:00pm - 10:00pm
October 7, 2006 10:00am - 3:00pm

For more information you can log onto http://www.hoopgroup.com/hoopgroup/eibc_t100.php

September 5, 2006

Freshman (2010) & Sophomore (2009) Tryouts are being held for September Tournament

We are looking to fill a few positions for our freshman/sophomore 16U team that will travel on the Charlie Weber Tournament September 23-25, 2006. If you have any questions, you can contact Coach Jeff @ 443-375-8577. All interested current freshman and sophomores that wish to tryout should come out on:

• Sept. 10, 2006 @ 12:00 pm - Golden Ring Middle School (6700 Kenwood Ave Baltimore, Md 21237)

September 5, 2006

12U Travel Team Tryouts

Baltimore Select hosting try-outs for their 2006-2007 12 & under travel team 2:00pm - Golden Ring Middle School. Contact Coach Scottie @ 443-600-6049.

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