Complete UNCP Recruiting Report

My article from today's Robesonian newspaper:

The first Wednesday in February has now become the official day to reload for The University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s football program, not rebuild. As the Braves’ inaugural signee in 2006 Brandon McLaurin put it, “it’s just another day to add some extra weapons to our arsenal.”

Following last season’s surprising 9-1 campaign, Braves head coach Pete Shinnick welcomed a new crop of 26 freshman and five transfers Wednesday afternoon at Bob Caton Fieldhouse, spotlighting Robeson County’s version of national signing day.

“We are very excited and pleased with this year’s class,” Shinnick said, after UNCP’s 2009 signing day included a record list of players. “This is the most complete class we’ve ever put together and our staff has put in a lot of hard work bringing these guys in.”

After addressing size and team speed in previous years, Shinnick said the philosophy this season was to bring in players that best fit the program and its future.

“We went back to square one with this year’s class,” Shinnick said. “We return 21 of 22 starters from last season, so most of these guys knew red-shirting is a possibility. It was the first time we’ve recruited with that guideline.”

Headlining the roster of new Braves is South View High defensive back Quinton Pate. The 5-foot-10 play maker from Cumberland County intercepted three passes as a senior and has been a key target for UNCP since his sophomore year.

“He’s a dynamic and physical guy,” Shinnick said. “We identified him as one of the top guys in this region early on. We’re glad he decided to be a part of this program.”

The Braves tapped into Cumberland County again for 4-A state champion teammates Devante Bush and Kris Jackson. Both were three-year starters and All Mid-Southeastern Conference selections last season for Bob Paroli’s Seventy-First Falcons.

“We start with the 910 area code and spread out from there,” Shinnick said. “These three guys from Fayetteville will be an excellent addition to our program.”

Northern Carolina’s 2-A player of the year Justin Rodgers is another highly-touted Braves commit. The 5-foot-11, 230-pound fullback-linebacker hybrid from Bunn rushed for 1,670 yards last season and scored 16 touchdowns for the Wildcats.

Wednesday’s class included five transfers who have already enrolled at the University for the spring semester. Linebacker Anthony McDonald was invited to the junior college all-star game last year after a stellar season at East Central Community College in East Central, MS. Offensive lineman Brandon Holland, who stands at a massive 6-foot-5, 320 pounds, played in three games as freshman at Virginia Tech in 2006.

Another transfer, offensive lineman Deshaun Dilworth from Shaw University, was originally contacted by the Braves’ coaching staff two years ago but picked the Bears over the Braves on signing day.

“Deshaun decided to come back to us and he fills a need for our program on the offensive line,” Shinnick said.

A pair of quarterbacks also signed with UNCP on Wednesday, a necessity according to Shinnick. Since the Braves only have three scholarship signal-callers returning, it was vital to add two more players to the mix under center. Dual threat athlete Teland Todd and pocket-passer Luke Charles both signed letters-of-intent to call plays at quarterback for the Braves, strengthening a prolific offense that averaged 32.6 points per game in 2008.

“We feel we have a complete team now,” Shinnick said. “The future of our program looks great as long as our guys continue to grow and develop.”

Recruiting Central: Braves and Gamecocks

No big surprises thus far for South Carolina on national signing day besides WR Alshon Jeffrey changing his mind from Southern Cal and committing to the Gamecocks. The 6-3 wideout from Calhoun County, SC chose to stay close to home. Jeffrey was another ESPN Under Armour All-American, giving the Gamecocks 7 players out of ESPNU's Top 150.

The Gamecocks have stock piled defense in this year's classes including four star safeties Chris Payne, Stephon Gilmore, Devonte Holloman and Demario Jeffrey. Holloman and Jeffrey may moved to linebacker this spring for Spurrier's bunch.

Complete coverage of UNCP's 2009 class will be posted between 5 and 6pm following today's press conference at Bob Caton Fieldhouse. Stay tuned.

Just finished with the press conference and here's my initial report, check out the story in tomorrow's Robesonian print edition.

Shinnick announced 31 new players, including 5 transfers (2 junior college guys). Headlining the list are three guys from Fayetteville, including a pair from Seventy-First and a DB from South View.

Two quarterbacks were added, including a dual threat guy and a pocket passer. Overall Shinnick seemed excited about this year's class. "Our coaching staff put in alot of hard work this offseason," Shinnick said during Wednesday's press conference. "We started with the 910 area and worked our way across the state of North Carolina."

Interesting note: All 26 freshman are from North Carolina but not a single one is from Robeson County. Shinnick said that most of the guys they were looking at weren't big enough and did not qualify academically.

Tuesday tilt: Gamecocks @ Gators ESPN

Following Saturday's 78-77 win in Lexington, only the second victory ever at Rupp for the Gamecocks, South Carolina (16-4, 5-2 SEC) has vaulted itself to the top of the SEC standings at the season's midway point.

Senior guard Devan Downey has quickly elevated himself on everyone's "best player you've never heard of" list to be the SEC's second leading scorer at 19.8 points per game. His jumper with 3 seconds left at Kentucky gave South Carolina its third 1-point win this season.

"You should take us real serious," Downey told ESPN's Andy Katz by phone from Lexington on Saturday. "We're playing real hard and I feel like we're one of the real bright spots in the SEC."

Coach Darrin Horn's group has beaten three ranked teams this season, the first time that's happened since the NCAA tournament team in 2006. The Gamecocks look to extend their SEC-winning streak to five in Gainesville Tuesday night (9pm tip, ESPN) I'm sure Billy Donovan's group will have revenge on their minds, especially after watching the first game between these teams slip away at the buzzer.

As for my prediction toward South Carolina's Big Dance dreams, I simply ask the question: Why not us?

FSU v. UNCP coined the Two Rivers Classic

There's a new name to the UNCP/Fayetteville State gridiron rivalry set to begin Aug. 29 (Labor Day Weekend) at Nick Jeralds Stadium in Fayetteville: The Two Rivers Classic.

Umm, come again? Yeah, it makes sense since the Lumbee and Cape Fear are near both Universities, but c'mon. How about a fan vote? Some suggestions maybe? I thought the I-95 Divide had a nice ring to it. Maybe the Blue-Gold Showdown?

More details and information coming on this blog after the official press luncheon Feb. 6.

FayObserver's notes on rivalry

Pacers too tall for Braves

Here's a few further comments I have from the USC Aiken/UNCP Men's basketball contest that didn't make The Robesonian's print edition Thursday.

After winning two of its last three Peach Belt Conference games, UNCP returned home Wednesday for a battle with nationally-ranked USC Aiken. The 14th-ranked Pacers proceeded to click on all cylinders offensively after tip-off, scoring 32 points in transition and 40 in the paint.

After jumping out to a 24-point halftime lead, USC Aiken limited UNCP to just 18 field goals in an 87-60 rout in front of 1,700 fans, the largest crowd at the Jones Center this season on "Pack the House" night.

For Braves fans, the losses continue to mount against teams from the Peach Belt. You know it's a long night when your best defender, Cortez Brown, fouls out with 15 minutes to play in the second half. That's right, 15 minutes. The Braves were beaten down the floor and were beaten on the boards. USC Aiken's front court towered over UNCP, who's tallest player on the floor was 6-6 forward Brandon Thomas. Mismatches in the paint caused problems most of the first half for the Braves as they fell behind 46-22 at intermission.

One positive I noticed for the Braves was first-year coach Ben Miller's ability to never stop instructing. With the Braves down 36 points midway through the second half, Miller called a timeout to try and settle the troops, a chore easier said than done for recent Pembroke basketball.

"Coach just told us to ignore the scoreboard," UNCP forward David Moore said. "He said to just play in five minutes increments and try to win those. We tried to put the score out of our minds."

That really says alot about the players' respect for coach Miller. The latest words of encouragement coming from a senior transfer who was one of many Braves bruised and battered inside against the Pacers. The old addage "keep your head up" still has life it seems. The Peach Belt Conference's leading scorer, Chris Commons scored 25 points to pace USC Aiken. The 6-8 senior displayed an array of spinning low-post moves and an occasional look off the glass. After each basket, Commons would come down court laughing at the Braves bench.

It was that kind of night on the hardwood for the Black and Gold.

BOX SCORE

Downey, Fredrick's heroics down Gators

Just when I thought I was witnessing another close loss on the hardwood by the Gamecocks, the basketball Gods shined down on Frank Maguire court Wednesday night in Columbia.

After senior guard Zam Fredrick missed a game-tying free throw attempt with 3.3 seconds left, his layup as time expired gave South Carolina a 70-69 victory over Florida, its first win over the Gators in 10 tries. The win was South Carolina's second victory over a top-25 team this season, including a close victory at Baylor in early January.

Fellow backcourt mate Devan Downey helped spark a seven-point turnaround in the game's final minute, nailing a fadeaway 3-pointer with 27 seconds to play to pull the Gamecocks within a deuce.

At 13-4, 3-2 in the SEC, maybe the Gamecocks can be one of the last four teams to make it into the Big Dance come March.

Tebow, Harvin deliver for BCS Title Gators

It’s great to be a Florida Gator, or at least be blessed with talented players such as Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin.

The SEC flexed its muscles last night in the FedEx BCS National Championship in Miami as the No. 2 Florida Gators upended top-ranked Oklahoma 24-14. Florida scored the game’s final 10 points for the win and held the Sooners 40 points below their season average.

Tebow and Harvin combined for 462 of Florida’s 480 yards of offense and three touchdowns as the favored-Gators delivered the emphatic national championship victory.

The SEC is now 5-0 in BCS Title Games, 12-5 overall in BCS contests. Florida has won two of the last three national championships and Urban Meyer may have just passed Steve Spurrier as Florida’s all-time greatest coach. The Sooners on the other hand are winless in their last five BCS games.

Percy Harvin said it best, when describing his team’s toughness and ability to all but shutdown a powerful Oklahoma offense.

"Everybody wondered about how tough we were," said Harvin, whose two-yard touchdown run on a direct snap in the third quarter gave Florida a 14-7 lead. "I think we answered that question. We were the tougher team, and that's why we're national champions.

I watched the game in Cinedigm Live 3D, a new technologiy created by 3ality and Sony that brought the BCS Title Game Live in 3D to a theatre audience for the first time ever. It was an awesome experience and something I insist on everyone witnessing for live sporting events.

Most Valuable Player – This is a tough call, Percy Harvin and Tebow are both well-deserving. But it was Tebow’s final drive and 108 yards rushing that proved to be the difference in sinking the Sooners and exciting Gator Nation.

Best Oooh/Ahhh Moment – Florida’s Chris Rainey notched a highlight-worthy gain in the second quarter, side-stepping OU’s Nic Harris and falling out-of-bounds near the first down marker. He tweaked his right knee on the juke and did not return.

Staggering Stat – Florida converted 12-of-17 third down attempts, most of which coming via Tebow’s legs or his ability to throw on the run.

After passing for 257 yards and two touchdowns, Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford is expected to announce his early exit out of CFB soon, projected by most to be the Detroit Lions’ No. 1 pick in April’s NFL Draft.

Bradford finished with 50 touchdown passes this season, becoming only the second sophomore ever to win the Heisman trophy. (See Tebow, 2007)


Could the Gators repeat as BCS Champs?

It’s never too early to look at next season’s top squads and projected finish. Here are my predictions for college football’s Top 5 teams in 2009.

1. Florida Gators (If Tebow returns, the loss of Harvin won’t be devastating)
2. Texas Longhorns (Colt McCoy has to be the Heisman front-runner)
3. USC (The Trojans will go undefeated, unless they slip up in the PAC10)
4. Ohio State (QB Pryor has a year under his belt and the Big-Ten to thank)
5. Oklahoma State (Surprise sleeper, the Cowboys return everyone on offense)

Just outside the Top 5 will be the Sooners, Nittany Lions, LSU Tigers and Utah Utes. It wouldn't surprise me if Georgia reloads either, despite losing Knowshon Moreno and Matt Stafford to the NFL Draft.