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Tracking the College Basketball Stars of the Future
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Hoops
Recruiting Report
Sunday, March 6, 2004
By Thad Mumau |
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Transition muddies picture
on Florida target
©2005 Bonesville.net
Carlos Monroe
really likes East Carolina, but it remains to be seen if the main reason is
his association with Bill Herrion and the defunct Pirates’ coaching staff.
That, of
course, will be a factor in the Bucs’ basketball recruiting as it relates to
the class of 2005.
Herrion, who has
been forced out under pressure from ECU athletic director Terry Holland,
wound up his tenure as coach of the Pirates with a
Saturday night loss at Tulane.
Up until the
story broke about Herrion’s impending departure, Monroe was considered a
strong candidate to wear purple and gold next season. And he still might do
that.
“I really
don’t know what effect the coaching change at East Carolina will have on
Carlos’ decision,” said Drew Gascon, an assistant coach at Cape Coral (FL)
High School, where Monroe is a senior. “He hasn’t said much about it.
“I do know
that he has been really high on East Carolina. That’s where he was leaning.
After what has happened, though, I don’t know what he is thinking.”
Monroe, a
6-7, 235-pound power forward, has had other things on his mind this season.
He missed Cape Coral’s first 13 games because of academic problems. And he
hasn’t displayed a lot of motivation in some of the 13 games in which he has
played.
He is
averaging 20 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and two blocked shots per
game for Cape Coral, which meets St. Petersburg Boca Ciega in the 5-A
regional semifinals.
Monroe threw
in 22 points and pulled down 17 rebounds vs. Port Charlotte in the first
round of the state playoffs. He grabbed 19 boards against Miami Palmetto in
January.
“Carlos has
been very consistent,” Gascon said. “He hasn’t had 30 points in a game this
year, but he’s always around 20, and he always gets a dozen to 15 rebounds.
“He has good
low post moves. The best one is a drop step to the basket. That’s his
signature move, a real power play. He’s a power-type player. He has a nice
touch around the basket, and he goes out and hits an occasional
three-pointer.
“But he isn’t
going to play on the wing; he’s a four. His mid-range game is not bad for a
guy his size; he shoots it pretty well up to 15 feet. He likes to pass the
ball, and he’s one of our better passers. He recognizes double-teams and
finds open teammates. He has had games where he got five or six assists.
“Teams have
been zoning us a lot,” Gascon said, “and Carlos’ opportunities inside are
very limited. There are two and three people around him all the time. He can
put the ball on the floor and go past most people his size. If he gets the
ball on the perimeter, he goes right to the hoop.
“He is as
quick as anybody his size that we have played. And he runs the floor well …
at times. He gets up and down the court pretty well most of the time.
“Just like he
plays good defense at times. It depends on if he wants to or not. If he is
motivated, he is an outstanding all-around player. He’s not always
motivated.”
Other schools
showing interest in Monroe include Virginia Tech, East Tennessee State,
Tulane, LaSalle and Marshall.
East
Carolina’s lone November addition was
6-8 power forward Dwight Burke of
Newark (NJ) St. Benedict Prep.
Looking to
bulk up inside, the Pirates have been courting still another power forward,
6-6 ½ David Neal of Arlington (VA) Bishop O’Connell. Georgetown, George
Washington, St. Bonaventure, Princeton, American and St. Louis are also in
the picture.
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02/23/2007 02:42:27 PM |
