Stationed at the top row in a far corner of Loyola Blakefield’s gym sat a prominent college coach earlier this season, his eyes locked in on yet another promising prospect from the Baltimore area.
In the recruiting game, there are consistent phone calls, text messages and game tape relayed. But there’s something far more special when a college coach takes time out of a hectic schedule to pop into a high school gym to see a prospect in person.
Loyola junior Mason Ellison, who has received offers from 12 schools, including Maryland, with plenty of others showing interest, has grown accustomed to the attention. On this occasion, Marquette coach Shaka Smart was at Knott’s Hall to get a first-hand look at the Dons’ talented 6-foot-4 guard.
“It makes you want to work even harder,” said Ellison, who is averaging 20.5 points and five rebounds this season. “It lets you know the things you’re doing are working, so then I think: ‘What if I did a little extra, if I do more little things like working harder on my body, getting a better jump shot. How farther can I take this?’”
Baltimore has long been recognized as a basketball hotbed. So much so that when Penn State first-year coach Mike Rhoades plans to recruit a player from the area, he often gets more mileage from the visit by checking out a second game or hitting practice to look in on other prospects.
One small word best describes what Rhoades looks for in a player: fit.
“Does the player fit in our system? Does he fit our style of play? Will he fit within our team culture? Will he fit into our university as a student-athlete? Those are the things we’re looking for when trying to find players for our program,” he said.
Before taking over at Penn State, Rhoades spent six years at VCU and his most prized recruit was St. Frances star guard Ace Baldwin, who was The Baltimore Sun’s two-time All-Metro Player of the Year.
In his junior year, Baldwin was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. When Rhoades moved on to Penn State, the standout guard entered the portal and joined him for his senior year and is averaging 13.6 points and 5.1 assists for the Nittany Lions.
Over the past decade, Mount Saint Joseph has produced a steady stream of exceptional talent that keeps the college coaches making treks to Irvington worthwhile.
From Eric Atkins (Notre Dame), Phil Booth (Villanova), Jaylen Adams (St. Bonaventure) and Kameron Williams (Ohio State) to Maryland stars Darryl Morsell and Jalen Smith, James Bishop (George Washington) and last year’s two-time All-Metro Player of the Year Amani Hansberry (Illinois), the Gaels’ program has proven to be a gold mine under coach Pat Clatchey.
Former Villanova coach Jay Wright, former Maryland coach Mark Turgeon and Virginia coach Tony Bennett are among the big-name coaches who have found their way to Mount Saint Joseph’s Smith Center.
“What I always tell my players is if somebody does show interest, I’m happy for you, but please understand you’re not the only guy they’re recruiting, so you have to continue to hold their attention,” Clatchey said. “You have to show them progress, a level of consistency and you have to handle yourself the right way both on and off the court. You constantly have to take care of business as a student and continue to get better as a player.”
Last season, City went 28-0 in claiming the Class 3A state championship with a senior-laden team under coach Omarr Smith Sr. that now has three of the standouts playing in college.
This year, Smith is coaching his son, Omarr Jr., who is drawing plenty of interest from Division I schools. The 6-4 junior combo guard, who is averaging 17.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists, currently has nine offers, including Penn State, Providence, Massachusetts, and local schools Towson and Morgan State.
Former New Jersey Institute of Technology coach Ricardo West was the first to watch Smith play and offer him a scholarship when he was 15. To this day, that has provided the best feeling in terms of his basketball career.
“At that moment, I was extremely excited because I knew what I was doing was paying off and, honestly, it kept me going down the path that I’m going now. It showed me everything that I was working for was actually in my reach,” he said.
In Anne Arundel County, South River’s 6-4 senior guard-forward James Crimaudo’s versatile play has college coaches, mostly from Division II and Division III, on the lookout. With the program not considered a perennial power, the attention Crimaudo has brought is welcomed and a great benefit.
“I love playing in our gym at South River. We have those old wooden seats and it’s got a classic vibe to it, so it’s definitely an honor to have a college coach pull up to your public school and check you out — definitely a huge honor,” he said.
Imagine being Poly then-senior standout forward Justin Lewis on the floor with Georgetown great Patrick Ewing in the stands to watch him play? Lewis passed on Georgetown, went to Marquette and became a become a second-round NBA draft pick.
Any extra nerves when the coaches do come to watch? Crimaudo believes it makes him better.
“When you get all wrapped up in the heat of the moment on game day, I try not to focus on it too much, but it definitely brings some added pressure,” he said. “But pressure is not a bad thing.”