Jamie Harris
Welcome to the CAA
by Brian Crownover and Bill Martin
College basketball season is now less than two months away. As we close in on the season, many fans want to know how they’ll replace graduated players and where their incoming freshmen will fit into the mix. After watching many of the incoming players last year with their high school and AAU programs, CAA Insider will take a look at some of the newcomers to the CAA this season (Please note, this is only players that we have personally seen).
Expected to contribute right away:
New York City has produced its fair share of guards over the years. Three of the city’s best from the Class of 2007 are expected to have an impact early on in their careers. The Hofstra Pride are losing two players from the three headed scoring machine that was their backcourt last season. All CAA guard Loren Stokes will undoubtedly be the most difficult player to replace. One player who will have the task of trying to replace Stokes and teammate Carlos Rivera is incoming freshman Nathaniel Lester. Lester comes in with a nice resume, including being rated by most among the Top five players in NYC. Lester is more of a rugged, physical guard rather than the flashy guard New Yorkers are used to. Lester should see plenty of time on the court early on in his career. Fellow incoming New York guard, Devon Peterson, is now headed the JUCO route so even more playing time will be available for Nathaniel. Look for the talented guard to make a run at the CAA Rookie of the Year award.
Another backcourt decimated by graduation was that of the Drexel Dragons. The Dragons went up north to the Big Apple and snatched another couple of talented guards. Replacing four-year starter Bashir Mason and long-range bomber Dom Mejia won’t be easy, but the two young guards hope to be up to the task. Jamie Harris isn’t flashy, but rather a steady hand at the point guard position. He looks to pass first and often makes his teammates better. The undersized guard can put the ball in the hoop too. While Jamie’s game doesn’t provide much flair, the opposite can be said about super quick combo guard Gerald Colds. He’s a quick guard who can hit from nearly everywhere on the court. He was hot and cold when we’ve seen him but he’ll have to be more consistent to have a big impact early. Hopefully that’ll come with repetition. Early reports are that both of these guards have a good work ethic. The toughest thing for both will be trying to replace Mason on the defensive end. He was a four time all defensive player. Another guard who could contribute early is the much bigger guard from Canada, Adrian Hynes-Guery.
Canadian Pipeline:
Besides Adrian Hynes-Guery, the CAA will have two other freshmen players from Canada this year. Etoile Imama and Valeriu Lazarescu both played for Champlain St. Lambert in Quebec. Etoile should provide depth at the point guard position right away for Old Dominion. He excels at taking care of the ball and running an offense, so he should be able to step right in and provide some error free basketball. Big time scoring however should not be expected from him. He is not very aggressive on offense, and his jumper needs to be more consistent. Lazarescu is an athletic wing with a decent offensive skill set, who will be suiting up for William & Mary. His jump shot is solid and he can hit out behind the arc. His pull up mid range jumper is probably his most dangerous ability. What Valeriu really has to work on is his ball handling and the mental aspect of the game. He lacks ball-handling moves, so when he drives he does so with one hand and simply tries to blow by his man. Valeriu has all the physical tools to be successful in the CAA, but his decision-making needs serious improvement. He throws the ball away way too often, and does not do well with pressure defense. There is not much playing time available for Valeriu, so he should have time to develop a year before he needs to be counted upon.
Biggest Upside:
When people use the word “upside” as has been described of incoming VCU freshman Larry Sanders, you typically think of someone with no offensive game. The scary part is that Larry does have some offensive game already and yet still has plenty of “upside”. He is extremely long and athletic and built similar to former Drexel Dragon Chaz Crawford. Much like Chaz, Larry is a very good shot blocker. In our brief viewing, he does appear to be farther along that Chaz was coming into the CAA from an offensive standpoint. Larry has excellent hands and some ability to play towards the perimeter. He does need to work on developing more low post moves, but he possesses a soft touch, which should really help him in that area. Like most incoming big men, Larry does need to add strength. With the Rams veteran frontcourt, Larry should be able to develop properly while providing some depth. He still has quite a ways to go offensively, but it wouldn’t shock us at all to see Larry playing in the NBA one day.
Biggest match up problem:
Just a few short years ago, center Kevin Pittsnogle (West Virginia) was wreaking havoc during the NCAA tournament with his long range shooting ability. Perhaps this inspired George Mason to pickup Vlad Moldoveanu for their frontcourt. Vlad is a very skilled forward who is proficient from behind the arc. He also can go inside and score with his back to the basket in the post. Vlad can put the ball on the floor and hit the mid range jumper too. This versatile play should lead to some early playing time and cause headaches for opposing coaches who are trying to match up with him. Vlad does need to get stronger and his defense could improve, but his skills should get him on the court early and cause trouble for the rest of the CAA throughout his career.
Most underrated:
When you play in a state not known for its high school basketball, it becomes easy to be overlooked. Such may be the case with Sanford, Delaware product Edwin Santiago. Edwin led his team a state championship title game appearance and was first team all state yet rarely is he even mentioned among the top incoming CAA players. He didn’t play on a high profile AAU team like some of Delaware’s other more high profile prospects. There’s no doubt though that Edwin can play. The lanky guard can do a number of things well. He’s very smooth with the ball in his hands and can pull up from the perimeter or drive to the goal and use his length to finish in traffic. Edwin is also pretty athletic and looks to get his teammates involved too. He may not be an instant impact player, but don’t be surprised if this University of Delaware player becomes a household name down the road. With his versatility, Edwin could end up seeing some playing time at either guard spot.
Most ready for the college game from a physical standpoint:
Time and time again when writing about high school players we use the phrase “must get stronger.” While many players are not ready for the physical nature of the college game, incoming VCU freshman Myk Brown is an exception to the rule. The well-built wing looks more like a linebacker or fullback than he does your typical basketball player. The Rams lose a physical guard in Jesse Pellot-Rosa who actually tried out for the Jets. Myk certainly can physically fill the role of the departed Pellot-Rosa. Myk also is a solid perimeter shooter and showed flashes of athletic ability when we saw him in action. VCU is losing two starters from the backcourt and is bringing in several other high profile recruits including Ed Nixon and Joey Rodriguez from Florida. The Rams may elect to go with some of those players as replacements, but if they want another physical player in the backcourt Myk Brown is their man.
With 9 of the 15 all conference players from last year lost to graduation, there will certainly be plenty of opportunities for the incoming players to make an impact. How well these freshmen can fill the void remains to be seen. Their development throughout their college careers will be needed to keep the CAA among the top mid major conferences in the country.
