Recruits 2005

[Dane Pound]

Here's some reading on recruits that we've discussed before. Many thanks to Insiders for providing it.

 

Diasparra Has Some D-1 Interest

By Mike Sullivan  Publisher

Date: Jun 25, 2004

 

Westchester Hawks shooting guard Chris Diasparra has some mid-to-low division one interest

 

Chris Diasparra, a 6-foot-2 195 pound shooting guard from Mahopac High School in Mahopac, New York who will attend Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Massachusetts next season, has had several mid to low major schools expressing interest in his skills via the phone. His AAU coach, Phil Diasparra, told us that four schools have made contact.

 

"St. Francis of Pennsylvania, Holy Cross, Canisius, and Coastal Carolina have called," said Phil.

 

Diasparra, a shooting specialist who can hit the long-range jumper, also has shown interest in Vermont, The Citadel, Buffalo, Albany, and Liberty. The Citadel had extended a scholarship offer.

 

Diasparra averaged 19.5 points for Mahopac this season, connecting on 39 three-pointers. He had a high of 36 points against Poughkeepsie High School.

 

Vines Impressive In Win

By Mike Sullivan  Publisher

Date: May 12, 2004

 

Rice has produced some great players over the past couple of decades ...

 

It's well know that Rice High School in New York City is considered one of the best basketball programs on the high school level. Head coach Maurice Hicks, along with his able staff, have forged a positive identity among college coaches too for several reasons. Among them is that players from Rice are usually prepared properly for the college level.

 

Joseph Vines, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound guard/forward is also a player from Rice to keep an eye on this summer. Vines competed this past weekend with the New York City Rise Panthers at a qualifying regional AAU event held at the Island Garden in West Hempstead this past weekend.

 

Vines is a versatile player. He handles the ball well in traffic, can lead a break, grab a rebound, make a steal, and drop in a jumper. Vines scored 18 points in a win that the Insiders Report was on hand to watch in person. He moved around the court very quickly, battled bigger bodies inside, and played hard end to end.

 

Vines is open in his recruiting process. He's likely to land some offers on the division one level due to his versatility and his competitiveness.

 

NY Elite Forward Worth Watching

By Brian Towey  Senior Reporter

Date: May 26, 2004

 

A big summer for a small forward from the New York Elite AAU program could land him some division one offers

 

Benoit Bekono, an athletic 6-foot-6 190 pound combo forward from Our Savior New American in Centereach, New York, is a player out of the class of 2005 whose development bears watching.

 

Bekono is a live-bodied athlete who attacks the rim. He can put it on the floor a little bit, and has quick feet. Shooting-wise, he needs to be more consistent. But the native of Cameroon's physical tools are intriguing.

 

Bekono has received interest from Albany, Rider, Arizona State, Rhode Island, and Florida International. Howevever, he is still flying under the radar a little bit.

 

Bekono scored 17 points for the SRAP/NY Elite team against BABC in the finals of the the Five-Star Springfield Event last weekend.

 

He will travel with the same team this spring and summer, coached by Dave Paulus, Chris Phillips, and Eric Jaklitsch. Next up for the SRAP is the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in North Carolina, and in June they will compete at the Rumble in The Bronx.

 

There is a chance that Benoit will attend either the Adidas camp or Reebok ABCD camp, but that has not been determined yet.

 

Poughkeepsie Forward Has Offers

By Mike Sullivan  Publisher

Date: May 28, 2004

 

A forward from Poughkeepsie High School already has a couple of offers on the table

 

A player to keep an eye on this summer is another Albany City Rocks athlete by the name of Lamar Pittman, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward. Pittman, who plays at Poughkeepsie High School in Poughkeepsie, New York, has been under the radar screen for a good reason -- not many have been able to see him in action over the past year.

 

"He will probably get his first serious exposure this summer," said Albany City Rocks head coach Jim Hart. "He wasn't out there last summer because of an injury. So many really haven't had opportunities to watch him play. I am looking forward to seeing what he can do."

 

It's likely that most fans, scouts, and coaches won't get their first shot at seeing Pittman play until the NIKE camp in Indianapolis, Indiana. "I think that's the first time he will be ready to play," Hart said. "It will be a good test for him."

 

Pittman, a member of the class of 2005, already has two offers on the table. "I believe it's Texas Pan-American and the University of New Hampshire that have offered," Hart said. "He's open in his recruiting. There will probably be many more schools interested once they take a look at his size and the way he plays inside."

 

 

 

Tchana Has High Major Interest

By Mike Sullivan  Publisher

Date: Jun 30, 2004

 

It's a big month of July ahead for New York Elite big man James Tchana

 

The month of July will separate the high major athletes from the mid-to-low college basketball players. James Tchana is one player that will be given an opportunity to shine in the month of July when he competes with the talent rich New York Elite AAU program.

 

One of the Elite coaches, Eric Jaklitsch, was kind enough to spend some time and discuss James' recruiting process. "Richmond, St. Bonaventure, St. Joe's, Fordham, Marquette, Purdue, Albany are only a few schools interested in him," Eric said. "He's open."

 

Tchana, a 6-foot-7, 260-pound forward from Our Savior New American in Centereach, New York, possesses a terrific frame for basketball and football. What he needs to do is become more active. The hard part, of course, is he shares the frontline space with NBA bound center Andray Blatche and outstanding big man, John Garcia.

 

Tchana said he has been offered by Marquette, Purdue, Siena, St. Bonaventure, San Diego, Albany, and Temple. "James can play high division one basketball," Jaklitsch said. "He has been playing much better. He has come back from so much."

 

Jaklitsch is correct. Tchana was involved in that horrible holiday time van crash in North Carolina. Tchana had a couple of collapsed lungs and five broken ribs. "He is still going to physical therapy," Jaklitsch said.

 

James indicated in our last interview he would like to step up his progress in his individual game. "I want to work on my shooting," he said. "I want to get quicker and better along the baseline with my moves.