Top Juco Point Guard Picks Duquesne

Veteran point guard, Martin Osimani (right), a 6-3, 205 pound sophomore at Miami-Dade Communtity College, committed to the Atlantic 10's Duquesne University yesterday. His recruitment is an example of why the phrase "recruiting never ends" is tatooed on so many coaches' foreheads.

When the new year started, it looked like Duquesne's recruiting for the 2003-04 season was over after Coach Danny Nee had received signed letters in November from a couple inside players, Kieron Achara, a 6-10 Scottish center from Maine Central Institute, and Sean McKeon, a 6-9 combo forward from the Philly area, and Jack Higgins, a 6-6 multi-position player from Pittsburgh, transferred from Cleveland State after his fall semester at the Horizon League school.

But then Derek Ahearn, a 6-10 juco transfer from Palm Beach C.C. and DeMatha High School, decided that Duquesne wasn't for him and withdrew from school. Ahearn unfortunately has been plagued by injuries throughout his career.

So that opened a roster spot. And with just freshman Bryant McAllister as the Dukes' point guard this season, it was clear that help in that area was needed. Osimani more than fits the bill.

Martin Osimani, a native of Montevideo, Uraguay, spent two years at Champagnat Catholic High School in Miami, FL, with Coach Gaston Rodriquez where he was named to the All-State team after averaging 13.8 points, 10.8 assists and 8.2 rebounds as a senior while shooting 56.2 percent from the field, 34.0 percent from three-point range and 78.1 percent from the free throw line.

As a prep, Osimani was recruited by schools such as Florida State, Duke, North Carolina State, Iowa, Georgia Tech, UCLA, Mississippi State and UTEP before selecting Rich Majerus' Utah Utes. But things didn't work out for Osimani at the Mountain West school. "Martin's game is to push the ball up the court and Utah wanted to play more of a half-court set offense." Osimani averaged just 1.2 points, 1.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.3 steals in limited action that season and decided to head elsewhere for his sophomore campaign. Academics weren't an issue -- the Uruguayan native was named to the Mountain West All-Academic team that season.

Some times things do work out just right. Coach Gaston was starting his second season at Miami-Dade. How better to get your game and psyche together than with a trusted coach?

This season, Osimani averaged 8.3 points, 7.0 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 steals for the 18-12 Sharks who lost to powerhouse Okaloosa-Walton in the state semifinals. Osimani's performance was good for 10th nationally in steals and 19th in assists among NJCAA Division I schools.

Osimani chose the Dukes over Texas A&M, UNC-Asheville, Rutgers, South Florida, Ball State and Nebraska. He visited Texas A&M and UNC-Asheville before making an official visit to Duquesne this past weekend. That was it as Osimani has accepted the Pittsburgh school's offer.

Coach Gaston said, "Martin is an old-style point guard. He will push the ball, penetrate and distiribute and can hit the three from NBA range. He plays excellent defense, including off-the-ball. He's a much more complete player than when he was in high school."

This season Osimani was able to play to his strengths as the above stats indicate. He also has been a member of the Uruguay National teams since 1998 and will be competing with his fellow countrymen again this summer.

"Playing on the national team has been great for him," said Rodriguez. "He gets an opportunity to play against top players from across the world, including the USA team."

Rodriguez said that the Uruguayan team also likes to push the ball but plays more sets in the half-court than his junior college team. "There's a lot more passing than dribbling," he added. That sounds like a perfect fit for Duquesne as Coach Nee generally wants to run when it's there but also emphasizes team play on both ends of the court.

"Martin brings a lot of intangibles to the game," Rodriguez pointed out. "He's a leader on and off the court and makes sure everyone is working as best as they can."

Photo: University of Utah Sports Information Department