The Mount Gets a Steal
This is the time of year when most recruiting mistakes are made.
Schools get desperate for players, especially at certain positions, and get forced to make quick decisions. In fact, the correlation between spring signees and future transfers is especially high.
However, every once in a while, there are steals to be found and that's exactly what Mount St. Mary's did with Bridgton Academy forward Bobby Planutis.
Planutis was hardly a secret from Mount head coach Jamion Christian and his staff, they had been watching him for several years, back when he previously starred at Hazelton Area High School in Pennsylvania.
When he left for prep school last fall, they continued to watch closely, and they saw Planutis take his game to new levels and his recruitment grow in correlation as he went from a player who only had division II offers out of high school to one with mid-major suitors. Their persistence proved to be worthwhile earlier this week when the 6-foot-7 forward called to offer his commitment following an official visit over the weekend.
Now a player who may have once looked like a fringe division I prospect coming up the ranks in Pennsylvania, is a steal in the NEC and should be capable of stepping right in, making an immediate impact, and playing multiple positions.
Bridgton head coach Whit Lesure calls Planutis an "old school gym rat" while his AAU coach with JB Hoops, Brian Doyle, noted the development of his playmaking ability and three-point shot to Backcourt Hoops. Combine that with high rising athleticism and an instinctive feel for the game and the NEC champions just added another high level player.
Bobby Planutis