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MIAMI-DADE CC RECRUITING UPDATE

One of the top JUCO teams for 2008-2009 has plenty of Big East ties

You can hardly play Miami-Dade Community College head coach Matt Eisele for already being excited for the 2008-2009 basketball season. On his roster he boasts a player committed to Pittsburgh, a player committed to Memphis and players who have transferred into Miami-Dade this year from Marquette, Alabama, one who expected to be at South Florida this year and another getting plenty of attention from college recruiters, including a couple Big East teams.

Last year, Matt Eisele’s program sent Steven Toyloy to the Big East as the 6-foot-8 mountain chose Mick Cronin’s Cincinnati Bearcat program. While the Miami-Dade team had a very solid season, it was a very young team that had Eisele very excited for the future, a future that will arrive this season.

Leading the way for his team is the 6-foot-9 man in the middle, Will Coleman. After heavy recruiting interest from schools such as Pittsburgh and Connecticut, Coleman made a verbal commitment earlier this summer to Memphis.

“William Coleman is committed to Memphis. He is going to have a huge year for us,” Eisele told the NBE Basketball Report.

Another player already destined for the Big East is 6-foot-7 forward Darnell Dodson. After sitting out last season to preserve a year of eligibility and get his academics in order, Eisele is expecting a big year out of the former Eleanor Roosevelt High School star from Greenbelt (MD).

“Darnell Dodson is doing great,” Eisele said. “He visited Pitt over the summer and will return to Pitt after this year. He is a Big Time Player and very excited about joining the Pitt family.”

Also returning in the backcourt is 6-foot point guard James Beatty out of Wilmington (NC). Last year while running the show Beatty showed he could hit from three-point range (40%) and distribute the rock, proving his coach’s prediction that he would be recruited at a high level.

“James Beatty’s top schools as we speak are Cincinnati, Baylor, Providence, and Nebraska.

Entering the backcourt mix this season is Rico Pickett, a transfer from Alabama, and Dwan McMillan, who recently was ruled ineligible after originally committing to South Florida.

“I think Dwan is going to be great with Pickett and Beatty in the backcourt,” coach Eisele remarked. “He (McMillan) played for St. Benedict’s his last year and was scheduled to help South Florida as a freshman.

A recent addition making this Miami-Dade a very dangerous team in the hunt for a title at the NCJAA level is one of the NBE Basketball Report’s picks as a 2008-2009 Potential Big East Break Out Player in Marquette transfer Trevor Mbakwe. We have always liked Mbakwe’s potential, not coach Eisele will benefit from having him on his squad.

“He will play a year with us and then go back Division One,” Eisele said of Mbakwe. “He is a great addition.”

It is not that often that a team puts together that much talent in the JUCO ranks. Miami-Dade CC is a team to watch this season, you just might find several familiar names on the squad.

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