Wednesday, July 25, 2012

WCAC Major Talent Pool for Colleges


As August approaches and the AAU basketball season comes to a close we are right in the thick of the college hoops recruiting period. For many areas this would be a pretty dead time in the world of amateur sports but the DC Area features the nationally renowned Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and is bound to be one of the first stops on any college coaches recruiting trip.

Here we will feature some four the top rising seniors in the WCAC and where there recruiting trails taken them so far. We have brought in Edgar Walker form mdhoops.net to give us some insight into what he likes about each player.

Lennard Freeman, F, St. John’s (Team Takeover)
I recently featured the 6’8’’ Freeman in an article for USA Today High School Sports because his recruitment has been absolutely on fire lately. In the past months he has picked up several major offers including a pair from perennial NCAA Tournament goers Xavier and CUSA Power Memphis. Freeman, who was selected second team all-conference last season, averaged nearly a double double and led the Cadets to the conference semi-finals before they were bounced by eventual champion Paul VI. Currently Freeman holds a dozen offers and said that while he doesn’t really have a list of favorites, he said that UAB, George Washington, Xavier and Memphis are recruiting him the hardest. Walker’s take on Freeman is that he is an athletic specimen that is taking his game to the next level—a fact proven by the gratuitous amount of high level scholarships he has recently received.

BeeJay Anya, C, DeMatha (Team Takeover)
Once overweight, out of shape and nearly 300 pounds at the end of his sophomore season Anya transformed his body dropping over 30 pounds of fat leading up to his junior year. Now standing at a muscular 6’9’’ 265, Anya is one of the most sought after big men in the class of 2013. He throws down thunderous slams but his real strength is at the defensive end of the ball. There, Anya’s 7-foot-9 wingspan has helped him become one of the best shot blockers in the country. Walker told me “What I like about BeeJay is he’s a force to be reckoned with and he powers through the paint and isn’t afraid of anything on the court.” So far Anya has a host of offers from almost every powerhouse school in the country and plans on making his decision only after taking all five official visits. Things are looking good for Indiana however as they are the only school that he has said he will be visiting.

Kris Jenkins, WF, Gonzaga (DC Assault)
After losing UNC commit Nate Britt to Oak Hill and 2015 star Franklin Howard to WCAC foe Paul VI, Gonzaga’s success will rest primarily in the hands of the 6’6’’ forward Kris Jenkins.
 Luckily for the Purple Eagles, Jenkins, the 2011-2012 Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Player of the Year, is completely capable of putting the team on his back—something college coaches are taking notice of. Since last season, in which he averaged 20.4 points and 10.6 a game, Jenkins, who was already a high major recruit, has exploded into the mainstream recruiting scene. He recently told me he holds about 20 scholarship offers including ones from Miami, Xavier, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Villanova. Also involved in his recruitment are programs like Ohio State and Georgetown. When asked Walker was extremely high on Jenkins. He said “[Jenkins] defines as a player. You can’t limit him to one position. He can shoot, dribble, defend, just do it all. He will go in and have an immediate impact in college.”

Stanford Robinson, G, Paul VI (Team Takeover)
The lone committed player featured here, Robinson committed to Indiana in May. Prior to that point the sweet shooting 2 guard with a tenacious defensive streak was being courted by a variety of schools mostly on the east coast. Now very solid with his commitment to IU Robinson has shifted his focus to getting other players, like Anya, to commit to the Hoosiers. Walker’s take on Stan is that he is a true scorer. He is skilled in the lane and just blows by defenders off the dribble. With his commitment out of the way Robinson will be able to put his full focus on bringing another championship to PVI.

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