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Tracking the College Basketball Stars of the Future
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ECU &
C-USA Hoops
Recruiting Report
Friday, June 18, 2004
By Thad Mumau
Special Correspondent |
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Philly backcourt firepower on
the way
©2004 Bonesville.net
Darryl
Schofield thinks East Carolina got a real bargain in Marvin Kilgore.
"He was
definitely underrated and under-recruited," said Schofield, the basketball
coach at Philadelphia (PA) Lutheran Christian Academy. "Marvin is going to
surprise some people and turn some heads."
If you’re
thinking the Philadelphia Lutheran-ECU connection sounds familiar, you are
correct. The Pirates signed Kilgore’s teammate, 6-10 center Charles Bronson,
back in November.
"That played a
part in Marvin’s decision," Schofield said, "but the main thing is that he
will have an opportunity to play right away at East Carolina. The chance to
start as a freshman is most intriguing."
Kilgore, a
6-3, 190-pound left-hander, spent his entire senior season at point guard
and can also play the two spot. He averaged 24 points, six assists, five
rebounds and four steals for 29-3 Lutheran Christian, while shooting 54
percent from the floor, close to 60 percent behind the arc and 87 percent
from the foul line.
"This kid can
really shoot it," Schofield said. "Most of his points came on jump shots
after the ball was reversed, and he hit a lot of medium-range jumpers. He
worked very hard on his jump shot after his junior year, and it paid off.
"We knew
Marvin could take the ball strong to the basket; he has always done that.
So, in pre-season practice, I told him to eliminate that from his game and
work on shooting off the dribble and coming off screens. He worked extra
hard, and now he can score a whole lot of ways.
"He dominated
Vincent Banks (the Laurinburg, NC, Institute shooting guard who signed with
Cincinnati) and did whatever he wanted to do. Marvin physically took over
the game and scored 28 points."
Kilgore, who
had season highs of 36 points and 11 assists, has a 40-inch vertical jump.
His leaping ability combines with his strength to help him frequently finish
over taller defenders with either hand.
"He’s not your
typical point guard," Schofield said. "He has gained 10 or 15 pounds since
September, and his body is in excellent condition. So, he’s ready mentally,
athletically and physically. He doesn’t mind taking or giving punishment.
"Marvin is
going to play both guard positions in college. He handled the ball well for
us, and he’s a good passer who finds the open man."
According to
Schofield, Kilgore received scholarship offers from St. John’s, Georgetown,
Creighton, Miami, James Madison, George Mason and Delaware in addition to
ECU. He visited Greenville, Miami and Creighton.
"His last
visit was to East Carolina," Schofield said, "and that sealed it. He really
liked the campus.
"Billy Herrion
and (Bucs’ assistant Dino) Presley recruited Marvin. I had been telling
Presley about Marvin all season. So, Billy came up to an open gym in April
to watch him work out, and it took him all of three minutes until he said,
`I’ve got to have him.’
"Marvin
improved 100 percent after last summer. He wasn’t on anybody’s list then,
and most of the college coaches signed guards in the fall. Then, when they
saw him during the season, they wished they had gotten him."
Kilgore
graduated with a 3.1 grade-point average and is qualified for freshman
eligibility.
He is the
sixth member of the Pirates’ 2004 recruiting class. The others, in addition
to Kilgore's Lutheran teammate Bronson, are Jonathan Hart, 6-7 small forward
from Roselle (NJ) Abraham Clark; Josh King, 5-11 wing guard from Trinity
(NC) High School; Mike Castro, 6-8 power forward from Cumberland (MD)
Allegany Community College; and Tom Hammonds, 6-4 wing guard from Rockville
(MD) Montrose Christian Academy.
 Kilgore,
Hammonds, Hart and King were added in the spring.
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02/23/2007 02:41:52 PM |
