PROVIDENCE - First it was Maryland. Then Michigan. Now Keno Davis' first recruiting class as Providence College's head coach is growing again with an addition from Georgia.Kadeem Batts, a 6-foot-8 forward from John McEachern High in Powder Springs, Ga., has committed to the Friars. Batts visited Providence this weekend and committed to Davis before he returned home to Atlanta yesterday. Batts joins two guards, Antoine Allen of Baltimore and Duke Mondy of Grand Rapids, Mich., in a class of recruits that can sign letters-of-intent in November and arrive on campus next summer."I don't know Duke but, I got to scrimmage with Antoine and he's a real good scorer and passer," Batts said. "Basketball-wise, it's a real good fit for me up there."Batts, who is regarded as a tough rebounder and shot blocker and is only 17 years old, heard from a wide variety of colleges. Indiana, Marquette, Minnesota, Western Kentucky and the College of Charleston all offered scholarships, according to McEachern coach Mike Thompson.Batts may live in Georgia but he's returning home by choosing to play in the Big East. The 230-pound forward grew up in Boston and attended Lincoln-Sudbury High for two years before moving to the Atlanta suburbs last summer. After hearing from Providence when Tim Welsh was coach, Batts continued to think about PC once Davis and assistant coach Pat Skerry contacted him last spring."I'm still a Boston guy," Batts said yesterday just before asking how the Patriots were doing. "We moved down there for family issues, but I'm looking forward to getting back."Batts joined a powerhouse prep program at McEachern that plays in Atlanta's highest division (5-A) and boats alumni like NBA forwards Josh Smith and Shareef Abdur-Rahim. McEachern finished 22-8 last season and was knocked out of the playoffs last spring by Wheeler High, the alma mater of PC point guard Sharaud Curry.Batts, Curry (Gainesville) and sophomore guard Marshon Brooks (Tucker) will give the Friars three Atlanta-area players in the program next season.Batts was a key player for McEachern as a junior but averaged just 7 points and 5 rebounds a game. He was overshadowed by guard Trae Golden, who was one of the top sophomores in the country, and current University of Richmond freshman Darrius Garrett, but is hoping to share a much larger role with Golden this season. Golden is being recruited by high-profile colleges like Ohio State, Kentucky, Georgia and Georgia Tech."We've got five guys that will probably sign (with) Division One schools," said Thompson. "I don't look for his numbers to be gaudy but be can be a double-figure guy in points and rebounds and be our best defender. He understands that we can win a state championship."Thompson added that PC is getting a high-quality prospect off the floor as well."In basketball you have a lot of self-centered, greedy kids but he's completely opposite of that. He's a very mature kid."Batts, who says he weighs 230 pounds, is hoping to continue expanding his game this year and bring a variety of skills to the Big East next fall."I can step out and handle the ball and make shots and Coach Davis' system will let me do that," he said. "That's one of the reasons I think Providence is a good fit for me."

Brown Gets Another

August 23rd, 2008
NewEnglandRecruitingReport.com

Less than two weeks after picking up a commitment from Tucker Halpern, Jesse Agel and his staff are at it again as they have now added Andrew McCarthy to their first recruiting class.

New Brown men’s basketball coach Jesse Agel has made it clear that owning his backyard will be a priority in recruiting.  Not only has he targeted, and now landed, two local New England products, but all three members of his newly formed staff have roots in the region as well. 

For any Ivy League school that wants to target New England, Northfield Mount Hermon is a good place to start.  McCarthy becomes the sixth NMH product to commit to an Ivy League School in the last three years.  That number will only increase as he is just the second member of the Hoggers class of 2009 to commit. 

As for McCarthy, his decision ends what has been a tumultuous couple of years.  Rewind not even two years ago and the southpaw forward was just starting to see his stock take off as schools from the highest levels of college basketball were beginning to show interest.  But then McCarthy suffered a back injury that sidelined him for the better part of the calendar year.  Unable to show his best basketball, and rarely able to even get on the court for the rest of his career at Buckingham, Browne, and Nichols, McCarthy made the decision to do a post-graduate year at NMH. 

This summer he was back to his old form.  He was fantastic at the Super 16 Showcase where he dominated 7’5” center Ring Ayeul of New York Elite by pulling the opposing big man away from the basket with his shooting range and finding ways to score and rebound around the basket.  Agel and Brown assistant T.J. Sorrentine were on hand for that performance and it didn’t take long for them to make McCarthy one of their top priorities. 

With the tandem of Halpern and McCarthy already in the mix, Brown has an interior duo that should prove to be quite formidable in the Ivy League.  Not only are they a talented pair, but they are very good friends on and off the floor (they even work out together during the summer).  Between their individual talents and chemistry working together, Brown’s frontline looks to be in great shape for the next four years.