Post by aggiejazz on Apr 1, 2007 21:21:26 GMT -5
Eaves is going have to recruit similar to Bozeman going after non-typical recruits in a somewhat unconventional way.
Ron Bailey, Publisher
March 31, 2007 – Growing up around 24th and Diamond in North Philadelphia, Ameer Ali developed into a rugged player able to muscle through, or out-skill opponents. His basketball exploits led him to be named first team All-City, and second team All-State, as a senior in 2005, at Philly’s fabled Simon Gratz High School.
Unfortunately, he didn’t focus as hard on academics, leading him to attend Philadelphia Lutheran Prep School the following school year. But the distractions he faced at Gratz still presented themselves at Lutheran, and he found himself still short of NCAA qualification.
Enter Temple Hills, MD’s Progressive Christian Academy pastored by Don Massey, and its first year hoops program, coached by Vann Whitfield. The move down Interstate 95 to Progressive Christian has proven the right tonic for Ali.
“It showed me something different, growing up in the city” said Ameer recently, at the DC Metro Public-Private Invitational's title game, the culmination of an event to be held yearly at PCA. “Down here is kind of rural”.
Many in Prince George’s County, MD would scoff at that assessment, but Ali is firm in his belief that PCA has helped him tremendously. “I think I needed that, to get away” from the distractions Philadelphia seemed to present him he posited, before stating “Down here, I can focus on school and basketball”.
As he has done. On the court, Ali shared averages of around “17 points and 14 rebounds”, while off it, he not only became NCAA qualified, but has accepted a scholarship offer to Morgan State University.
Whether in the City of Brotherly Love, or outside of the Nation's Capital, Ameer Ali has grinded on the court. Now, he's off to the Charm City.
Why Morgan, which is led by its talented coach, Todd Bozeman? It wasn’t the academics, which Ameer did note were stellar at Morgan, or the social life, or wanting as an African-American to attend a Historical Black College or University (HBCU), since he honestly admitted “I’m not familiar with the benefits of attending an HBCU”.
It was Bozeman and his program that swayed Ameer, who had competing offers from “Ball State, University of New Orleans, New Mexico State, Hampton University” as well as High Point University.
“I chose Morgan because of the coach” shared Ali. “I have a good relationship with the coach, and I like the way the program is headed”.
He picked the Baltimore-based institution, despite what others close to him in Philadelphia said. “A lot of them feel I could have went somewhere higher” said Ali, of the ‘counsel’ he received from many people who felt Morgan is not high enough on the hoops food chain for a player such as himself. “But I have to live with my decision, and it’s where I wanted to go”.
That decision delivers a 6’5” and 225 pound forward to Baltimore, one capable of doing work around the cup and away from it, as he indicated while at PCA, “I extended my range out to about 24 feet, worked on my ball handling” as well as “stepped up on the defensive end”.
PCA’s Whitfield has no doubt Ali will be successful in Bozeman’s program. “He’s such a smart ball player, such a clutch ball player” said Whitfield. “This dude has won MVP of every single tournament he has played in for two years”.
According to Whitfield that feat, which included earning MVP honors during PCA’s NACA National Prep Elite Division II Championship title run – quite an accomplishment for a first year program – is due to hard work.
“People talk about guys doing all the dirty work and not getting the recognition” opined Whitfield. “Well he does the dirty work and scores. He does the dirty work, to get the points”.
In addition to becoming even more mature, which Ali said really increased with the decision to attend PCA, as he “had to learn to be a man”, expect the young guy on the court to improve his defense, ball handling, and decision making – all self-identified points of continued improvement.
Also expect him to learn very quickly the benefits associated with the HBCU experience. And be as happy he chose that course, as the Morgan community will be of his choice.
Ron Bailey, Publisher
March 31, 2007 – Growing up around 24th and Diamond in North Philadelphia, Ameer Ali developed into a rugged player able to muscle through, or out-skill opponents. His basketball exploits led him to be named first team All-City, and second team All-State, as a senior in 2005, at Philly’s fabled Simon Gratz High School.
Unfortunately, he didn’t focus as hard on academics, leading him to attend Philadelphia Lutheran Prep School the following school year. But the distractions he faced at Gratz still presented themselves at Lutheran, and he found himself still short of NCAA qualification.
Enter Temple Hills, MD’s Progressive Christian Academy pastored by Don Massey, and its first year hoops program, coached by Vann Whitfield. The move down Interstate 95 to Progressive Christian has proven the right tonic for Ali.
“It showed me something different, growing up in the city” said Ameer recently, at the DC Metro Public-Private Invitational's title game, the culmination of an event to be held yearly at PCA. “Down here is kind of rural”.
Many in Prince George’s County, MD would scoff at that assessment, but Ali is firm in his belief that PCA has helped him tremendously. “I think I needed that, to get away” from the distractions Philadelphia seemed to present him he posited, before stating “Down here, I can focus on school and basketball”.
As he has done. On the court, Ali shared averages of around “17 points and 14 rebounds”, while off it, he not only became NCAA qualified, but has accepted a scholarship offer to Morgan State University.
Whether in the City of Brotherly Love, or outside of the Nation's Capital, Ameer Ali has grinded on the court. Now, he's off to the Charm City.
Why Morgan, which is led by its talented coach, Todd Bozeman? It wasn’t the academics, which Ameer did note were stellar at Morgan, or the social life, or wanting as an African-American to attend a Historical Black College or University (HBCU), since he honestly admitted “I’m not familiar with the benefits of attending an HBCU”.
It was Bozeman and his program that swayed Ameer, who had competing offers from “Ball State, University of New Orleans, New Mexico State, Hampton University” as well as High Point University.
“I chose Morgan because of the coach” shared Ali. “I have a good relationship with the coach, and I like the way the program is headed”.
He picked the Baltimore-based institution, despite what others close to him in Philadelphia said. “A lot of them feel I could have went somewhere higher” said Ali, of the ‘counsel’ he received from many people who felt Morgan is not high enough on the hoops food chain for a player such as himself. “But I have to live with my decision, and it’s where I wanted to go”.
That decision delivers a 6’5” and 225 pound forward to Baltimore, one capable of doing work around the cup and away from it, as he indicated while at PCA, “I extended my range out to about 24 feet, worked on my ball handling” as well as “stepped up on the defensive end”.
PCA’s Whitfield has no doubt Ali will be successful in Bozeman’s program. “He’s such a smart ball player, such a clutch ball player” said Whitfield. “This dude has won MVP of every single tournament he has played in for two years”.
According to Whitfield that feat, which included earning MVP honors during PCA’s NACA National Prep Elite Division II Championship title run – quite an accomplishment for a first year program – is due to hard work.
“People talk about guys doing all the dirty work and not getting the recognition” opined Whitfield. “Well he does the dirty work and scores. He does the dirty work, to get the points”.
In addition to becoming even more mature, which Ali said really increased with the decision to attend PCA, as he “had to learn to be a man”, expect the young guy on the court to improve his defense, ball handling, and decision making – all self-identified points of continued improvement.
Also expect him to learn very quickly the benefits associated with the HBCU experience. And be as happy he chose that course, as the Morgan community will be of his choice.
If you basing that statement on what happen at Cal, then there may be only a hand full of D1 coaches that you can trust. Bozeman’s mistake (in comparison to others) was that he was in the money loop, thereby losing his plausible deniability. Don’t forget he did stand up and admit the wrong doing, preventing punishment of others, unless you believe other weren’t involved. Also don’t forget it was the parents that squealed on him after taking the money for almost two years. Did they pay the money back? If that had been one of his coaching frat brothers, I almost guarantee they would have thrown somebody else under the bus. I don’t think the issue is trust, hopefully, at 41 he will not make the same mistakes he did at 29.
