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Post by Bornthrilla on May 29, 2009 9:19:11 GMT -5
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aggie62
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Post by aggie62 on May 29, 2009 9:31:19 GMT -5
Thanks, Thrilla.
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Post by thefriscotxaggie on Jun 24, 2009 0:05:35 GMT -5
One thing that has not been said is that these recruits are very solid acadimically - Witter plans to major in engineering. His mom is a highschool principal. Upchurch plans to major in accounting and was praised by his Coach for his work in the class room. These young men are great recruits for the program and I sure will continue to add even more stability. Based on the early commitment of the two recruits from Maryland (Buck & Smith) I would guess they perform well in the class room also.
This is definetly a soild recruting class for Coach Eaves.
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Post by truthseeker on Jun 24, 2009 17:24:39 GMT -5
witters mom is a hampton alum...
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Gator
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Post by Gator on Jun 25, 2009 8:28:53 GMT -5
Eaves needs to be given some credit for recruiting kids that qualify academicly.
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SixtiesAggie
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Post by SixtiesAggie on Jun 25, 2009 9:24:32 GMT -5
Eaves needs to be given some credit for recruiting kids that qualify academicly. Yes, we need athletes that can academically matriculate in a reasonable time.
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Post by aahhbigboy on Jun 25, 2009 10:15:43 GMT -5
Yeah, lets give him credit for not recruiting guys that can't get into school. Even I will give Eaves credit for that.
Yeah guys, I'm with you.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Jun 26, 2009 12:28:02 GMT -5
AGGIES ANNOUNCE 2009-10 RECRUITING CLASS
GREENSBORO, June 24, 2009 – If there ever was a recruiting class that personified what North Carolina A&T men’s basketball coach Jerry Eaves likes in a player, the 2009-10 class is it.
Eaves announced the completion of his 2009-10 class on Wednesday with signing of four future Aggies. Three of the players are between 6-foot-5 and 6-8, have impressive wing spans and can do a variety of things on the basketball court. While shorter than the other three, the fourth also has an impressive wing span and loves to play defense.
Austin Witter, DaMetrius Upchurch, Lawrence Smith and R.J. Buck are looking to lead the Aggies to championship glory over the next four seasons. “We will have tremendous athleticism this season,’’ said Eaves, who is entering his seventh season as the Aggies head coach. “We will be able to really get after people with our pressure because we can come at people in waves with long, athletic players.”
Witter (6-8, 190 pounds, Princeton Junction, N.J.) can play as a shooting guard or a small forward. He averaged 14.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, 6.6 blocks, 3.8 assists; shot 47 percent from the field and from 3-point range. Witter also recorded nine triple doubles, and led West-Windsor South to the best record in school history at 24-4.
The Trentonian named Witter its 2008-09 Colonial Valley Conference Player of the Year after he led the Pirates to the CVC Colonial Division title and the Central Jersey Group IV championship.
“Austin is a four-year Ed Jones,’’ said Eaves, comparing Witter to the 6-8 Jones who led the Aggies in scoring last season. “He can really handle the ball, he can shoot the three and he will dunk it on your head. Before he leaves A&T, I envision him playing shooting guard. But he is one of those young men who can do a lot of things for you.”
The only in-state signee in this class is Upchurch (6-7, 208, Garner). Upchurch will likely play the power forward position for N.C. A&T. Upchurch averaged 19.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game for the Garner Trojans last season. He is a two-time All-Greater Neuse River Class 4A Conference performer.
He was also named the 2008-09 Greater Neuse River Player of the Year, a second-team All-Triangle selection and earned a roster spot on the North Carolina East/West All-Star Game. Upchurch led the Trojans to an 18-10 overall record, a 13-1 conference record and a second round game in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A state playoffs.
“I really like this young man,’’ said Eaves. “He’s got a great body and a great touch around the basket. He didn’t get to show it a lot in high school, but he can step out and hit a 15-foot jump shot. We’ll also let him bang in the post. He’s a young man who will block some shots for us.”
For the second straight year, the Aggies dipped into the deep talent pool at Bishop McNamara. A year ago, the Aggies signed point guard Marc Hill out of McNamara. This year Smith (6-5, 195, Bowie, Md.) will be the latest McNamara graduate headed to N.C. A&T.
Smith averaged 7.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game for the nationally-ranked program. He was named Washington Catholic Athletic Conference honorable mention. McNamara won 22 games last season, the most in school history. Smith had a 17-point performance against one of the best high school teams in the nation in St. Patrick’s. He also played in the prestigious Capital Classic.
“He comes from a winning program with loads of talent, so he didn’t average that many points in high school,’’ said Eaves. “I think people will be surprised at his offensive output on the collegiate level. He has a tremendous body, and he is strong enough to help me in the post right away.”
R.J. Buck (6-2, 175, Lusby, Md.) also played in the WCAC. He averaged 11.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game. WCAC honorable mention honors came his way last season at St. Mary’s Ryken. As a junior, he led his team in rebounding.
“R.J. is a tremendous athlete,’’ said Eaves. “He can take the ball between his legs in the air and dunk the ball. I can see him down the road being my defensive stopper. His length is really going to help me with my pressing style.”
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oleschoolaggie
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Post by oleschoolaggie on Jun 26, 2009 13:46:09 GMT -5
AGGIES ANNOUNCE 2009-10 RECRUITING CLASSR.J. Buck (6-2, 175, Lusby, Md.) also played in the WCAC. He averaged 11.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game. WCAC honorable mention honors came his way last season at St. Mary’s Ryken. As a junior, he led his team in rebounding. “R.J. is a tremendous athlete,’’ said Eaves. “He can take the ball between his legs in the air and dunk the ball. I can see him down the road being my defensive stopper. His length is really going to help me with my pressing style.” i followed buck in the newspaper all season long and "rarely" do i recall him scoring more than 10 points on any given night, at least not in the wcac. maybe he scored better in non-conference games which may not have been reported in the washington post. but in the wcac i believe he averaged less than 10 ppg...
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Post by thefriscotxaggie on Jun 26, 2009 14:07:31 GMT -5
oleschoolaggie,
Whats your take on Buck and Smith since you are there in Maryland ? I used to leave in White Plains (Waldorf) so I know its a heavy duty league (wcac). There is certainally more info out on the net for Witter and Upchurch.
Can these guys (buck / smith) contribute in 09 ? It seems as though Witter and Upchurch will play this year.
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oleschoolaggie
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Post by oleschoolaggie on Jun 26, 2009 15:28:30 GMT -5
oleschoolaggie, Whats your take on Buck and Smith since you are there in Maryland ? I used to leave in White Plains (Waldorf) so I know its a heavy duty league (wcac). There is certainally more info out on the net for Witter and Upchurch. Can these guys (buck / smith) contribute in 09 ? It seems as though Witter and Upchurch will play this year. thefriscotxaggie, i like smith. i'm confident that he will be able to contribute as a true freshman. he consistently scored in double figures, he's "physical", and if you use to live in the waldorf area, you probably already know how tough the wcac is. smith played in the capital classic allstar game and scored about 12 or 14 points. but he was a county allstar, not an usa allstar. but i think we're gonna get a quality player in smith and i think he will be very comfortable playing along side his former high school teammate, marc hill. but rj buck may be better off redshirting his freshman year. i think he's very athletic and he definitely has the physical tools, but he needs to further develop his offensive game. i don't see him having very much impact as a true freshman and unless he improves his scoring ability, he may turnout to be just a good role player. but ya never know about kids like this, sometimes they blossom late. if he's a hard worker, i can see him eventually becoming an impact player. athletically the tools are there but it may be a couple of years before he becomes an impact player. i've only seen them both very briefly in person when they played against each other at mcnamara. so i haven't had an opportunity to watch them thoroughly. but i followed them both very closely all season long in the newspaper...
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DECKS
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Post by DECKS on Jun 26, 2009 18:18:37 GMT -5
oleschoolaggie, Whats your take on Buck and Smith since you are there in Maryland ? I used to leave in White Plains (Waldorf) so I know its a heavy duty league (wcac). There is certainally more info out on the net for Witter and Upchurch. Can these guys (buck / smith) contribute in 09 ? It seems as though Witter and Upchurch will play this year. thefriscotxaggie, i like smith. i'm confident that he will be able to contribute as a true freshman. he consistently scored in double figures, he's "physical", and if you use to live in the waldorf area, you probably already know how tough the wcac is. smith played in the capital classic allstar game and scored about 12 or 14 points. but he was a county allstar, not an usa allstar. but i think we're gonna get a quality player in smith and i think he will be very comfortable playing along side his former high school teammate, marc hill. Lol! How can you say Smith consistenly scored in double figures?
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Post by DIEHARDAGGIE on Jun 26, 2009 23:00:56 GMT -5
Smith was not the go-to player at McNamara
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Post by truthseeker on Jul 8, 2009 18:43:34 GMT -5
these freshmen are aggressive.. they are trying to score on you every time..
as for redshirting rj buck oleschool... that i would have agreed on... but after watching him play pick up games... he has worked on some of his weaknesses... look for him to contribute...
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Post by truthseeker on Jul 8, 2009 18:46:18 GMT -5
i like this freshmen class... not only are they smart... but they are good ball players too... this is a case where stats don't mean too much...
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