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CUNNINGHAM PICKS NOVA

By Rob Harrington
robharrington@prepstars.com
October 6, 2004

Villanova scored a minor upset in beating Maryland for Dante Cunningham, a 6-7 WF/BF from Washington (DC) St. John's. Cunningham who had envisioned himself as a future Terrapin for a long time and received a scholarship offer in the early fall, but he ultimately chose the Wildcats for an earlier shot at playing time.

Cunningham has plenty of talent for the Big East, ACC or any other conference, for that matter. He's a solid offensive player but projects to be most valuable because of his versatility; at 215 pounds and possessing good athleticism, he can defend both wings and posts.

BROCKMAN MAKES IT OFFICIAL

What was reported late last week was made official at a Tuesday press conference. Snohomish (WA) High All-American Jon Brockman gave Washington one of its most significant pick-ups in years. The 6-7 BF spurned Duke, UCLA and others in favor of the hometown Huskies.

Brockman is made to order for Washington. He's a likely McDonald's All-American who will give the program a major dose of toughness and scoring ability inside, yet he doesn't have the size or overwhelming athleticism to hurt U-W next spring by going to the NBA.

Here are Brick Oettinger's thoughts on Brockman:

"Arguably the hardest-working player in high school basketball today, this blue-collar 246-pound insider hustles incessantly, posts up brutally, loves to set picks, and scraps and claws for every rebound. He infuses his team with energy and synergy, and his rugged play as the "bully on the block" is irrespective of the time and score on the scoreboard. His style of play and considerable skills enable him to score often on post-ups and putbacks, and to shoot a ton of free throws. Given his burly physique, he has surprising bounce and finishes athletically (frequently with slam-dunks) versus taller players. Add to all this that he plays strong, intelligent position defense and is a skilled interior passer with either hand, and you have a big-time plus prospect."

ELSEWHERE....

Virginia added a presently-unheralded Class of 2006 commitment in Stephen Kendall, a 6-3 WG from St. George (VA) Blue Ridge. He's a high school teammate of another UVa commitment, senior BF Laurynas Mikalauskas. ... Tennessee suffered recruiting attrition when WG pledge Jarvis Hill de-pledged from the Vols. Buzz Peterson and crew would love to replace him with TN WG Jamont Gordon. ... Top-15 WA WG Martell Webster reportedly has set a press conference for 6:00 EST Thursday to announce his college decision. He is expected to pick Washington, though many sources believe the NBA will be a factor on his final decision. ... George Mason made a very nice pick-up in Sammie Hernandez, a 6-4 WF/WG from Jacksonville (FL) Arlington. Hernandez is battle-tested and a solid perimeter scorer. ...