McGrath Great Addition For Friars
Some basketball observors felt that college coaches should wait and see how Donnie McGrath, a 6-2 1/2 combo guard from JFK High School in Somers, NY, performs this summer before making a scholarship offer. There were some schools who were taking that philosophy into the summer.
But one school did not -- Providence College. And this might turn out to be a very smart move. McGrath has given indications this spring and summer that he is skilled and tough enough to play in a conference like the Big East.
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The Insiders Report has had a chance to see McGrath play on many occasions. McGrath played a couple of weekends ago for the New York Ravens at the Rumble in the Bronx on the campus of Fordham University.
McGrath, who was injured and did not play many minutes in the BABC Invitiational final the weekend before, impressed us with his play in the Rose Hill Gym. He seemed very confident in his shot and made good decisions when he was leading the transition.
McGrath did not take any bad shots. He seemed very focus on making sure his team got some touches when he handled the rock. It appeared McGrath also knew not to force the issue when pressed.
Too many times a guard tries to dribble through double and triple teams. McGrath was smart enough to throw over a press instead of wasting energy and perhaps turning the ball over.
McGrath's team got knocked out in the semifinals, a game McGrath and his mates would like to forget. But put aside that game, and McGrath had a solid weekend.
McGrath gave the Ravens a big boost in the quarterfinals against the Long Island Panthers. McGrath scored 15 points and hit a couple of big shots in the second half. He got his mates involved too. He recorded six assists in this game against stiff competition.
McGrath is also a good kid. He works hard. He has a good attitude and will fit in nicely at Providence College. This is a very good get early in the recruiting process.
We will continue to update you on McGrath this summer and continue to give you our thoughts as his game progresses.