RU Looks, Two Others Offer Beckford

Brian Beckford, a 6-foot-6, 190-pound power forward/small forward from Christ the King High School in Middle Village, New York, is a member of the class of 2004 whose recruitment is still ongoing.

Beckford told RivalsHoops.com that he has received interest from Rutgers, St. Peter's, and Quinnipiac. St.Peter's and Quinnipiac have offered. An assistant from St. Peter's was on hand to see Beckford total 15 points and six assists in Christ the King's 69-57 victory over All Hallows on Tuesday night.

Beckford is hoping to receive more attention in some upcoming tournaments.

"We're playing in some big tournaments coming up, so hopefully I can get some more exposure," said Beckford. "We go to the Tournament of Champions in Missouri this week, and we'll be at the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton (on February 8th)."

Beckford is a spindly forward with an interesting package of skills. He's more of a finesse player who is a very good passer and sees the floor well. Beckford is very long and handles the ball well for his size. He has good foot speed and seems more effective in transition than in half-court situations.

Beckford's jumper runs hot and cold, and he is guilty of being somewhat passive at times. He's a little bit of a tweener, but is a nice glue player who can help a team in different ways.

Beckford attended the Nike Camp in Indianapolis this past summer, and competes on the AAU circuit with The SONDAY Express team, coached by Christ the King assistant Artie Cox.

Christ the King, coached by Bob Oliva, has produced a number of big name players over the years, among them Miami Heat forward Lamar Odom, Erick Barkley, and Omar Cook. Christ the King grads currently playing Division I basketball include Jave Meade(Holy Cross), Japhet McNeil(East Carolina), Mitchell Beauford(Stony Brook), Rob Barrett (Central Connecticut), and Justin Marshall(Iona).

Beckford currently carries around an 85 average in the classroom. He has scored 1000 on the SAT.

-- Denny Conroy contributed to this story