Hear What They Are Saying

NewEnglandRecruitingReport.com | Tuesday, November 27th, 2007

College coaches are not allowed to commit about any potential recruits.  Even after a player has made a verbal commitment, silence is still required by everyone in the program.  It is only after a player has signed their National Letter of Intent that the coaching staff is finally able to openly discuss that recruit and their potential impact on the program.  So with the signing period having just ended, here is a list of quotes that college coaches had to say about some of next year’s freshmen. 

Indiana Head Coach Kelvin Sampson on Devin Ebanks: 

“Devin is the epitome of a guy that doesn't have a position. He is just a 6'8" basketball player. He can really score, make three's and make plays off the dribble. He just has knack for scoring. He has a demeanor on the court, where he just plays with unbelievable confidence. When he has the ball in his hands, you can tell that he thinks he can go score. He is a kid that needs to continue to develop. He is going to get bigger and stronger. He can play three positions, so if you have a point guard and a center, he can play anything in between because he can shoot so well. He can also get to the free throw line and he is still getting better. I saw him in October and I thought he was better then than when I saw him in July."

Arizona Interim Head Coach Kevin O’Neil on Emmanuel Negedu: 

“Emmanuel is really strong with a great work ethic.  He shows great toughness and a relentless style of play.”

Washington Head Coach Lorenzo Romar on Isaiah Thomas:

"Isaiah is a Damon Stoudamire-type that can score in bunches at 5-foot-8.  But, he is not limited to just a guy that can score. He can pass the ball and he can handle the ball. He is a really complete guard."

Massachusetts Head Coach Travis Ford on David Gibbs: 

We are extremely excited that David has joined the UMass basketball family.  David is a terrific young man and a great basketball player. He fits our style of play with his ability to play different guard positions. He has great size and athleticism. I really enjoyed getting to know his mother and father and they have been very supportive during the recruiting process. The Master's School has also been wonderful throughout and everyone is very excited that he will playing his college basketball just up the road at UMass."

Virginia Head Coach Dave Leitao on Assane Sene:

“Assane is still developing as a player.  He’s worked so hard at rebounding and defense he has a natural knack in those areas, which usually come first with an international player. He also possesses the ability, because he has a terrific touch and feel on offense, to become a really good offensive player.”

Virginia Tech Head Coach Seth Greenberg on Kendall Durant: 

"Kendall Durant is a big, physical guard, a lot like Jamon Gordon.  He can check people and is extremely athletic. He is already qualified academically and having this fifth year really helps him continue to develop his point guard skills."

Rutgers Head Coach Fred Hill on Christian Morris: 

"Christian has a phenomenal upside. The sky is the limit. He is an athletic wide body with great hands and feet. I think Christian's best basketball is ahead of him. He can rebound, he can score and he is a physical presence down low on the blocks and in the post. Christian has the chance to be as good as he wants to be."

Duquesne Head Coach Ron Everhart on Johnny Higgins:

"I'm thrilled to have Johnny as part of our program.  He's a tough kid who can play a variety of positions. He's getting better and better by proving himself against some of the top guards in the country day-in and day-out at Notre Dame Prep.”

Duquesne Assistant Coach Bill Barton on Johnny Higgins: 

“Johnny is a proven winner.  When it comes to winning games he is on the level of other great guards I coached at Notre Dame Prep like Carl Krauser [formerly at Pittsburgh], Will Blalock [formerly at Iowa State] and Gary Ervin [Arkansas]. He's a competitor who will do whatever it takes to win games."

Colorado Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik on Nate Tomlinson: 

“Nate combines a high basketball IQ with great shooting and passing skills.  Both of his parents have a rich basketball background in Australia.”

Xavier Head Coach Sean Miller on Mark Lyons: 

"Mark Lyons is an athletic guard that is able to make plays on both offense and defense.  It is important that our guards can pressure our opponent on both sides of the ball.  Mark has the ability to do this for us."

DePaul Head Coach Jerry Wainwright on Devin Hill: 

“We are extremely excited about Devin joining our program both as a player and as a person.  He is a quality young man, a dedicated student, and a young basketball player of unlimited potential.  His length, speed and athleticism gives him the building blocks to be an outstanding Big East player.  He will only get better as he adds strength during his college career.”

Holy Cross Head Coach Ralph Willard on RJ Evans:

"We identified R.J. last spring as our priority recruit for the 2007-2008 class.  In R.J., we are getting a proven scorer and defender, but even more important we are also getting a young man with great leadership qualities and a great competitive spirit. He is the total package as a person, student and player, and we are thrilled to have R.J. joining our program and the College of the Holy Cross community."

Holy Cross Head Coach Ralph Willard on Devin Brown:

"Devin is an athletic wing guard who plays the game with great tenacity and passion.  He is a young man with a real sense of purpose both on and off the floor, and is a great addition to our program. Devin is the type of person, student and athlete who will fit in great with the guys in our program, and the greater Holy Cross community. We are really excited to have Devin join us."

Sacred Heart Head Coach Dave Bike on Shane Gibson, Stanford Dulaire, Nick Greenbacker, and Steve Zazuri: 

"We made an effort to recruit some of the better players in the State of Connecticut and we feel we've done that with this recruiting class."

"Shane has good knack for scoring and excellent range on his jump shot," said Bike. "He's very athletic and can create shots for himself and others."

"Stan is a very athletic and versatile player, capable of playing multiple positions," said Bike. "He will help us replace some of the athleticism we'll be losing this year."

"Nick is fundamentally sound and comes from a winning program," Bike said. "He is a blue collar type of player which is very important to have on a successful team."

"Steve is a tough, hard-nosed worker," Bike said. "He knows how to play the game. He also has good genes, which doesn't hurt."