I must say that I was surprised when I got the call from Christopher Newport to come here and be their next Men’s Basketball head coach. After mulling it over for 24 hours I decided to accept. With the strength of the returning coaches and the prowess of the new ones entering the league I decided to accept the offer to become the 13th (including SIM AI) head coach in Christopher Newport’s 55 year history.
Upon arriving at campus it was easy to see why this program is ranked 371 out of 384 teams in terms of wins and 373 out of 384 in terms of winning percentage. The facilities, well I have seen better at some High Schools I have been to. And the current players… well lets not get into that. So to say this is going to be a challenge is a drastic understatement, but that was actually part of the appeal of this job.
My first week was a whirlwind to say the least. With the makeup of this team containing 1 Sr. 2 Jr’s and 8 So’s, it leaves 1 open spot to fill during recruiting. After some evaluating I determined my first course of action was to cut 2 of the weaker So’s from the team. 8 So’s is way to many and in an attempt to balance class size and begin to bring in players that better fit my system some casualties were to be expected. So this leaves me with 6 So’s and 3 spots to fill on 1 scholarship’s worth of money.
Armed with just over 1 Scholarship worth of money to play with for 3 positions I fully expected and was willing to accept the prospect of taking on 1 if not 2 walk-ons. Upon hitting the recruiting trail I scouted several states within 300 miles only to find that the talent was seriously lacking.
After making dozens of calls to DII prospects and their coaches, and getting little positive feedback I knew this was going to be a wait and see type of year. Then I found a Sr transfer that was willing to talk to me. He had good numbers and would give me another open scholarship to recruit with next season so I went after him. I offered a start which he accepted but he did not want to accept the guaranteed minutes I was offering. He was considering me then another school jumped in on him and I was done. I spent $1740 on him only to have to walk away empty handed. That was a rough blow.
I still had several backup targets that I was waiting on to drop so patience became my ally. As players began to fall to me I began to go to work. I was not overjoyed with any of them but here’s to hoping they will at least be better than what I have currently.
Recruit #1
Melvin Compton (dropdown)
PF | 6'7" | 225 lbs. | 3.2 GPA
Freedom HS | Morganton, NC
PF-416
Athleticism
|
25
|
High
|
Speed
|
24
|
Low
|
Rebounding
|
50
|
Average
|
Defense
|
16
|
Average
|
Shot Blocking
|
39
|
High
|
Low-post
|
48
|
Average
|
Perimeter
|
1
|
Low
|
Ball Handling
|
30
|
High
|
Passing
|
44
|
Average
|
Work Ethic
|
39
|
|
Stamina
|
59
|
Average
|
Durability
|
41
|
Low
|
FT Shooting
|
65.4
|
Average
|
Recruit History
3/6/2011 scholarship offer $100
3/6/2011 home visit $435
3/4/2011 call current coach $10
3/4/2011 phone call $10
Total $555
Melvin is a player that will be an average scorer at best. He will be very good with the ball in his hands for a big man. He will be able to distribute from the low post and will not be a liability against FCP teams. His defense is lacking as is his stamina so his court time will be limited throughout his career. He may never become a starter but he will be a solid backup. And for a cost of $555 he fills a roll.
Recruit #2
Paul Wright (dropdown)
SF | 6'6" | 213 lbs. | 2.1 GPA
Bridgeport HS | Bridgeport, WV
SF-435
Athleticism
|
23
|
Average
|
Speed
|
25
|
High
|
Rebounding
|
43
|
Low
|
Defense
|
10
|
High
|
Shot Blocking
|
31
|
Low
|
Low-post
|
44
|
High
|
Perimeter
|
28
|
Low
|
Ball Handling
|
28
|
Low
|
Passing
|
14
|
Average
|
Work Ethic
|
48
|
|
Stamina
|
66
|
High
|
Durability
|
75
|
Low
|
FT Shooting
|
73.9
|
Low
|
Recruit History
3/6/2011 scholarship offer $100
3/6/2011 home visit $426
3/6/2011 phone call $10
Total $536
Paul is a tough player to judge. He has high speed and LP which should allow him to be able to slash to the basket and score on a consistent basis. He has decent Reb skills but no upside. I wish his BH was better as well as his pass. He will never make the All-Conference teams but he has potential to become a solid contributor.
Recruit #3
Justin McKowen (dropdown)
SG | 6'1" | 197 lbs. | 3.5 GPA
Midland Trail HS | Hico, WV
SG-406
Athleticism
|
18
|
Average
|
Speed
|
56
|
Average
|
Rebounding
|
1
|
Low
|
Defense
|
16
|
Average
|
Shot Blocking
|
1
|
Low
|
Low-post
|
13
|
High
|
Perimeter
|
36
|
High
|
Ball Handling
|
44
|
Average
|
Passing
|
37
|
Average
|
Work Ethic
|
69
|
|
Stamina
|
67
|
Average
|
Durability
|
48
|
High
|
FT Shooting
|
65.4
|
Average
|
Recruit History
3/8/2011 guaranteed starting spot $10
3/8/2011 declined guaranteed minutes - (15) $10
3/8/2011 pending scholarship offer $100
3/8/2011 phone call $10
Total $130
Justin was a last minute attempt to add an outside presence to my team. His Per is High and with good worth ethic, combined with speed projected around 70 he could become a nice scorer for my team. I offered him a start and minutes which he declined mainly because I had no money left to recruit with, and they were my only options, and he ended up signing after all was said and done with recruiting last night.
Considering the money I had to work with I think I did fairly well. None of my recruits are going to become stars but they all fill a roll and if they grow properly in some key categories they can become consistent contributors. This is going to be a tough year for CNU, but I guarantee the needle is finally pointing north for this team.