Another basketBull commitment

[Markeymark]

MM, you guys are arguing that we don't get enough good players, but when we have them you belittle their ability before seeing them play.  Give them a chance before you go and say mac can't recruit.

That's my point, Velcro, I plan on giving them a CHANCE but that's different from BB2K and others who are already kissing Coach Mac's ass based on some recruiting hype and whatever else they can dream up. I refuse to believe this is anything more than a team that went 1-15 in CUSA, because that's all they have proven they're capable of. One of the mistakes with the last group is that everybody expected them to win the CUSA South division and go to the NCAA's, and those expectations were founded on a lot of hype. I don't plan on falling into the same trap with the current group.

[Markeymark]

That is ok because I know they will be in his corner after this season.

I am already in the Bulls' corner, but I'll hold off on the back-slapping until they actually do something...

[Guest HowieP1]

Getting back to Chris Howard, here is another article for those interested:

 

FEATURED ARTICLE:

Friendly High School has best season ever

by Denise Jones

03/25/2004  

Friendly High School has best season ever.

Winning one Championship is a great accomplishment but back to back championships are a dream come true. That dream came true for the Washington DC area most dominant tandem and the Friendly basketball program. The dynamic duo dominated the DC area precise passing from true all around point guard Chris Howard who has court vision like a hawk (had 8 triple doubles this season) and Sam Young who stands at 6-6 and displayed his athleticism with a combination of flips, after wining the state champion game, that I gave a perfect ten.

The Friendly Patriots, of Fort Washington, MD, has come full circle in more than one way. Winning the state championship in 2003 and repeating in 2004. They started the season ranked # 1, loss early and fell in the rankings went on a 19 game win streak and still finished ranked # 1 in the Washington Post.

Friendly dropped from the 3A class to the 2A classification and had to prove too many that they were still the team to beat. They did this by beating 2003 4AState champion/2004 4A league champion Oxon Hill, and the 2003 State 2A Champion during the season. Some people would say the higher the class the best ball is being played. Not in the eyes of many Patriots fans who used the Hoosier Movie as reason. In the past 2 years Friendly has managed 2 State Championships (3A and 2A class), 2 Regional titles, 2 County League Championships, 1 Inaugural PG County Championship and a 51-3 (1 forfeit) record.

Though many think Friendly is done bullying the area and will miss the Chris Howard and the high flying acrobats of Sam Young show. They could be wrong. They had a good jv team that finished 18-3 and a group of young talent like lone returning starter 6’-5" Junior WF Justin Jack (brother of Georgia Tech standout Jaren Jack), 6’-4 Kenny Francis, Sophomores Mike Wright, Walter Scott, 6’-7" Freshman Augustus Gilchrist and Freshman Rakeem Vick who all will be returning to this PG County power.

  http://sportscombine.com/scripts/p_tm_news.asp?t=180954

[Guest HowieP1]

By the way, the other half of the dynamic duo at Friendly, Sam Young, just signed with Pitt. It would have been nice if they could have both come to USF.

Pitt basketball: Panthers land second recruit

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

By Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon got his first good news on the recruiting front in a while when forward Sam Young of Hargrave Military Academy gave the Panthers a verbal commitment over the weekend. Young, 6 feet 6, 220 pounds, chose Pitt over Miami, Virginia Tech, Georgetown and George Washington.

Pitt had absorbed a series of blows in recruiting the past few weeks when some of the top players in the country had the Panthers in their final two but chose other programs. Jeff Adrien, one of the top forwards in the country, chose Connecticut; shooting guard Danny Green chose North Carolina; power forward John Garcia chose Seton Hall; and shooting guard Ricky Torres chose St. John's.

Hargrave coach Kevin Keatts said Young will fit in well with the Panthers.

"Pitt got a really good player," Keatts said. "He has the ability to score inside and outside. He's super athletic, a great defender and he gets up on the glass."

Young is not currently rated among the top 150 players by Rivals.com, but Keatts believes he will be by the end of the season. Young is entering his first season at Hargrave. He played previously at Friendly High School in Fort Washington, Md.

"I've coached kids who have gone on to be pros," Keatts said. "In my opinion, he will be a top-50 player by the end of the year. Of my players now, he is the most ready to step in and play at a college program. He's a man. He's only 18, but he's a man as far as mixing it up."

Young is Pitt's second verbal commitment for the 2004-05 recruiting class. Center Mike Davis gave Pitt a verbal commitment last year, but his status is unknown because of some recent personal problems. He was kicked out of Xaverian High School in Brooklyn and will play this season at Banneker High in Brooklyn.

[Guest HowieP1]

Here is a free Rivals story mentioning Chris and Young:

April 14, 2004

Jim Time With Cap Classic Blue Stars Practice

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jim Quinn

MDVarsity.com Magazine Staff    

MdVarsity.com traveled to Springbrook HS last night to watch the "Blue Team" from the Capital Classic Regional Game practice. The Blue Team will be coached by Springbrook Head Coach Keith Adams. Coach Adams started the practice by running the 12 local players through a few basic conditioning, foot work, and ball handling and shooting drills.

The fun started when the players ran some uncontested three man weave drills and Sam Young, James Gist, Terrance Carter and Louis Brookins threw down some serious dunks! Coach Adams then had the players square-off for some fullcourt one-on-one drills. This, predictably, led to a lot of fascinating one-on-one battles - as well as some good natured trash talking! On a couple of occasions, 6'9" 300 pound-plus University of Maryland football recruit Jared Gaither from Eleanor Roosevelt literally bulldozed/backed his defender all the way down the floor with his dribble!

The highlight of the practice was the Red-White Intra-squad game. The "Red" Team won 70-46. Here are some of the statistics/highlights: Chris Howard (Friendly HS) led the Red Team with 19 points. He made 8 of 12 field goal attempts, 3 of 5 three pointers. He also had 5 assists. Sam Young (Friendly HS) had 14 points. 5 of Sam's 6 field goals were rim-rattling, backboard shaking dunks. Though he was giving away about 5 inches, Young had two very emphatic blocked shots on 6'10" White Team center Peter Prowitt.

Brad Farrell (Herndon HS) had 8 points. He threw some slick passes and crushed a nice over the head reverse dunk. Louis Brookins (Springbrook HS) hit both of his attempts from beyond the three-point and scored 12 points total on 5 of 8 field goal shooting. Stanley Hodge (Gonzaga HS) was the scrimmage's second highest scorer with 17 points. Hodge hit 3 of 4 three pointers and 7 of 11 shots in all. He tied Howard with 5 assists. Tunji Soroye (Montrose Christian HS) only had 2 points, but blocked an amazing 11 shots! He totally disrupted the White Team's offense with his shot blocking!

The White Team: James Gist (Good Counsel HS) had 10 points on 5 of 9 shooting. Gist had a couple of powerful dunks and a smoooth 15 foot face-up jumper from the free throw line. He also blocked 5 shots. John Vaughn (Laurel HS) had only 4 points, but played solidly. Folarin Campbell (Springbrook HS) had 9 points, made his only three point attempt. Peter Prowitt (The Potomac School) had a few of his attempts blocked by Soroye and Young, but he powered home 3 dunks and hit a nice hook shot attempt over Soroye. Terrance Carter (Largo HS) had 12 points on 6 of 10 field goal attempts. Carter really excelled in the wide-open style of play and took the ball to the rim with authority. He consistently beat taller players to the glass. Jared Gaither (Roosevelt HS) did not score until the buzzer. Though he only had 2 points, he did a nice job on the boards.

Coach Adams tried to keep the one-on-one play and the "hotdogging/show boating" to a minimum. Twice he stopped the scrimmage to remind the players: "We got 12 All-Mets and All -Stars out here, so let's pass the ball a little more." Later Adams told the players, "People are going to be paying $20 and $30 dollars to see this game, so let's play smart, hard-nosed basketball and cut out the fancy stuff." Still, what good is an All-Star game without at least a LITTLE "playground artistry"? Chris Howard had the "Play of the Night" last night when he successfully completed an behind the back alley-oop pass TO HIMSELF!!! Needless to say, the few fans in the stands at Springbrook went wild - when they realized what they actually saw!

http://mdvarsity.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=285428

[Guest HowieP1]

Anothe Free Rivals article about them in a follow up story:

April 16, 2004

Impending College News...Quinn on Cap Classic

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

James Quinn

MDVarsity.com Magazine Staff    

Last night at Springbrook HS we spoke to several players who will be participating in Saturday's Capital Classic Regional Game at the Comcast Center about their plans for next season.

   

Most of the players in the Capital Classic Game committed to Division One colleges last November, but several players are still weighing D-I college offers and considering the possibility of going to prep school in 2004-2005 before enrolling at a D-I college in the Fall of 2005.

Here is what a few players told us:

- Sam Young, the high-flying 6'5" strongman from Friendly HS was nothing short of electrifying in practice last night with his shot blocking and dunking. Sam also showed his ever-increasing range on his jumper and his improving ball handling skills during drills and the scrimmage. Young, a two-time First Team all-Met who led the Patriots to a Maryland 3A Title as a junior and a Maryland 2A Title as a senior, told us that he is "leaning" towards attending South Kent Prep in Connecticut next fall. Young averaged 24.5 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots this season. Sam also told us that he has "really liked" playing with Baltimore Cecil-Kirk in a couple of recent AAU events.

- Chris Howard, a talented, good shooting 6'3" combonation guard who has helped Sam Young lead Friendly HS to a pair of State Championships as a junior and senior, was the high scorer in last night's scrimmage. He had 19 points and three 3 three pointers. He also had 5 assists. Howard averaged 18 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds this year. Chris told us last night that, "I'm talking to Clemson right now, if I don't sign there, I might go to prep school next year."

- Brad Farrell, an athletic 6'4" point guard who helped lead the Herndon Fighting Hornets to a 24-2 record and a Virginia AAA Concorde District Title this season, will likely be committing soon to Loyola College and nee Loyola Coach Jim Patsos. Farrell, who averaged 15 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists as a senior, nearly committed to Loyola last November after taking an official visit to the Baltimore Catholic college. Brad told us last night that he took an unofficial visit to Loyola after Patsos was hired and he probably won't take any more official or unofficial college visits. “I'm probably not going to visit any other schools, I'll probably commit (to Loyola) real soon. I liked Loyola before. It is a good school with a good campus and it's close. Coach Patsos is a real good coach, this is a good opportunity for me."

Farrell's athleticism was on full display last night as he scored several tough, transition baskets during the scrimmage. Farrell brought down the house with a reverse over-the-head dunk. His jumper was a little off last night, but he showed good passing and floor leadership skills.

Coach Patsos was very familiar with Farrell as the University of Maryland had scouted Brad as a junior at Herndon and with the D.C. Blue Devils AAU Team.

- Louis Brookins, a highly athletic 6'5" swingman who averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds for Springbrook High School's Maryland 4A runner-up squad, told MdVarsity.com that he is still taking official visits and will likely not commit real soon. Brookins, a First Team All-Montgomery County selection and a Fourth Team All-Met selection by the Washington Post, has taken official visits to Towson University and Northeastern University. He has visited several colleges unofficialy during the season. "I liked Northeastern. It was a good visit. Travis Lay (a First Team All-County swingman from Bullis Prep) also visited there. I think he liked it, too. I'm not ready to commit anywhere yet. I'm not sure where else I'm going to visit yet, but I might visit some more colleges."

Brookins played very well last night in the scrimmage with other Capital Classic Regional Game players. He showed his excellent athletic ability to get to the hoop and finish shots and also drained a pair of long three pointers from the corner.

- Travis Lay, who was one of a number of notable omissions from the Roster for the Capital Classic Regional Game, is reportedly also being recruited by American University and several Ivy League colleges.

http://mdvarsity.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=286029

[smazza]

the future looks good

[Guest HowieP1]

2004 National Game Rosters

 

Away Team (Red Jerseys)

Name Ht. Pos. High School Hometown College

Chris Howard 6-3 PG Friendly Ft. Washington, MD Undecided

Stanley Hodge 6-2 PG Gonzaga Washington, DC Undecided

Folarin Campbell 6-4 SG Springbrook Silver Spring, MD George Mason

John Vaughn 6-4 SG Laurel Laurel, MD George Mason

Brad Farrell 6-4 SG Herndon Herndon, VA Undecided

Sam Young 6-6 SF Friendly Ft. Washington, MD Undecided

Terrance Carter 6-5 SF Largo Largo, MD Undecided

Louis Brookins 6-6 SF Springbrook Silver Spring, MD Undecided

James Gist 6-8 PF Good Counsel  Wheaton, MD Maryland

Jared Gaither 6-9 PF Eleanor Roosevelt  Greenbelt, MD Maryland

Peter Prowitt 6-10 C Potomac School  McLean, VA Stanford

Tunji Soroye 6-11 C Montrose Christian  Rockville, MD Virginia

Head Coach: Keith Adams, Springbrook High School (Silver Spring, MD)

Assistant Coach: Lyndon Watkins, Springbrook High School (Silver Spring, MD)  

http://www.jordancapitalclassic.com/event.html

[Guest HowieP1]

Another story:

It was fitting Friendly seniors Sam Young and Chris Howard shared MVP honors following the Patriots' 73-36 victory over Fairmont Heights in the Falconers League championship game last night. Few in the Riverdale Baptist High gym -- including Young and Howard -- were able to choose who was the best player on the floor.

Young, an All-Met forward, scored a game-high 22 points -- highlighted by five dunks that drew rave reviews from the crowd in Upper Marlboro. Howard, a point guard, added 21 points -- eight via slam dunks -- to go along with eight assists as the Patriots won the summer league title for the second straight year.

"I'd go with Chris for MVP because he's the best point guard in the area," Young said. "If there is anyone better, I haven't seen him."

"Sam deserves to be MVP," Howard said. "Did you see what he did out there?"

Though Young did plenty of things on the court beside score -- he grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked four shots -- it was his one-handed, alley-oop dunk from a pass from senior guard Lloyd Phillips in the fourth quarter that left a lasting impression -- especially for Howard.

"Sam and I have a running bet all summer on who does the best dunk," Howard said. "And let's just say that I'm not winning anymore after that one."

Friendly's dominating performance against Fairmont Heights enabled the Patriots to finish the league 8-0, and more importantly made sure the team resumed this summer where it left off this past spring, when it won the Maryland 3A title.

Friendly, which has been reclassified as a 2A school for the next two seasons, did not lose a game on the court last season -- the Patriots finished 25-1 and their only loss occurred when they had to forfeit a game for holding an illegal scrimmage last December.

"We want to make a statement this summer that we are the best team no matter who we play, and we are the team to beat," Howard said. "This was a championship game, and we're not going to lose when championships are on the line."

Howard and Young are the Patriots' only retuning starters.

Phillips added 16 points and five assists for the Patriots, and Fairmont Heights (8-2) was led by senior forward Keith Edmonds, who scored 13 points.

The outcome was never in doubt after the first quarter, which was surprising considering Friendly posted a 59-58 victory over Fairmont Heights last month in league play. Friendly outscored Fairmont Heights 18-5 in the second period to take a commanding 36-21 lead at intermission and stretched the lead to 48-27 entering the fourth.

"Friendly was just a better team than we are right now," Fairmont Heights Coach George Wake said. "I don't think there's anything else you can say."

 

   

 

[mattegunz]

Nice work Howie.  You are the search engine master.   Would you mind writing a research paper for me?   j/k