A Day Later Rhode Island College Gets the Steal of all Steals
Had we known then what we know now…this would have likely made the top of the list. If Anthony Fortes had ended up at the division II level we still would have considered it a steal, as he was getting a good deal of division I interest throughout the year. But for division III Rhode Island College to keep the local native close to home is a huge recruiting victory for Head Coach Bob Walsh.
Fortes is a 6’2 combo guard who starred for Proctor Academy this season. After spending the better part of his junior season sidelined with an injury he exploded onto the scene at the 2006 New England Elite 75 Showcase when he was one of the top guards in the gym. On that day Fortes was outstanding when he was allowed to run the point, something he was rarely able to do on his AAU or high school teams. He showed great composure and confidence running a team while continuing to demonstrate his ability to create his own shot, which was enough to gain the praise of former Wright State Head Coach Paul Biancardi.
Although Proctor Academy had a disappointing season this year as they failed to qualify for the NEPSAC Class “B” Tournament after falling at the buzzer in the previous year’s final, that wasn’t due to a lack of production on Fortes’ end. In fact the guard was one of the few consistent bright spots on his team this year.
At Rhode Island College Fortes will be joining an Anchormen team that is coming off of their best season in history as they won the Little East Conference Championship and advanced to the Elite 8 of the division III NCAA Tournament. Nevertheless, Fortes should see major minutes right away as he will likely be asked to step in for last year’s leading scorer Kinsey Durgin, who graduated last month.
Anthony Fortes