Majok on a Tear; Recruitment Heating Up

New England Recruiting Report | Monday, January 18th, 2010

Majok Majok has been a man on a mission thus far in 2010. 

The Northfield Mount Hermon big man had a record setting performance in NMH’s big win over South Kent on January 9th as Majok gave his former team 19 points, 26 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots, setting a new school record for the most rebounds in a single game. 

It was more of the same a night later as Vanier College had no answer for the man in the middle with Majok scoring 22 points on 11 of 12 shooting from the floor while collecting 10 rebounds and continuing to anchor the paint defensively with 5 more blocks. 

Majok saw very limited minutes in a lopsided 91-49 bashing of Deerfield last Wednesday but went back to work Saturday with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks in another Class A win over Worcester Academy. 

This weekend we got a chance to catch up with the two people helping to guide Majok through the recruiting process: NMH head coach John Carroll and Majok’s longtime coach and advisor Ed Smith. 

“He’s playing terrific right now and a lot of schools are stepping up their interest,” said Carroll.  “He is in the best condition of his life and I think we’re seeing how well he can play when he is conditioned.  He has become a great weak side shot blocker and as good of a rebounder as I’ve seen this year.” 

This isn’t the first time Majok has caught the attention of college coaches, as he has generated a consistent high-major buzz since arriving on the local scene. 

According to Smith, Majok has drawn attention from a variety of high-major programs including Virginia, Stanford, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, Alabama, and several others. 

Despite opportunities to play college basketball at the highest levels, Harvard emerged as an early favorite for the big man’s services this summer as Majok made no secret of the fact that a great education was one of his top priorities. 

While Majok has thrived on the court this year he has also been working hard in the classroom to earn a qualifying score on the academic index, the tool used by the Ivy League to standardize admission requirements. 

During that time another dark horse school has emerged to rival Harvard in their bid to steal the six-foot-nine big man away from high major conferences.   

“Jared [Grasso] makes Fordham a very appealing option,” Smith said of the newly appointed interim head coach. 

Majok visited the Bronx campus a few weeks ago and reportedly came away very impressed with the school’s academics, the young talent on the team, and Grasso’s vision for the program moving forward.