UNC-Greensboro Recruiting
UNC-Greensboro head coach Fran McCaffrey is looking to add more depth to his 2002-03 roster. Here's a look at other players headed to the Southern Conference campus next year as reported last week by Jim Young of the Greensboro News-Record.
Rodney Blackstock, a 6-5 sophomore swingman at Howard College, a junior college in Big Spring, Texas, told Young that he plans to sign with UNCG during the spring signing period. Blackstock lived for several years in the Greensboro area and spent parts of his high school career at Dudley and High Point Central.
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"My family's back home and coach McCaffery has a good record with the things he's done with the program," Blackstock told Young.
Blackstock also hopes to reunite with Dwon Clifton, a childhood friend and former AAU teammate. Clifton has been looking into transferring from Clemson and has listed UNCG as his most likely destination. (For more information, please see the earlier story on Clemson's roster changes.)
"We were talking about it," Blackstock said, of linking up with Clifton at UNCG. "That was my whole idea -- me and him playing together. We've wanted to do that ever since we were kids."
Blackstock averaged 15.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game for Howard this past season.
In addition, UNCG added more help to its backcourt with the commitments of Winston-Salem (NC) Parkland High School teammates Ray Bristow and Mark Mason.
Bristow, who averaged 18 points and 5 assists per game for the Mustangs' 3-A state runner-up team, is a 5-11 point guard known for his quickness and tenacity. He had received offers from East Tennessee State and Furman and strong interest from South Carolina, Auburn and Virginia Tech.
"There's a good deal of interest," said Parkland coach Mike Pennington told young. "He's going to Greensboro with a pretty good sense of anticipation. He's been very impressed with everything so far."
The Spartans also were also impressed with Bristow's backcourt mate, Mason. The 6-0 guard averaged 13 points per game for Parkland.
"He's a big-time shooter," Pennington said. "He's the best shooter I've ever been involved with."
The Mustangs' backcourt duo committed to UNCG after making an official visit a week ago Friday. Young reported that while Bristow and Mason attracted a great deal of interest from a host of schools, few schools could accommodate their wish to play together. In order for UNCG to make the arrangement work, Mason will likely walk on as a freshman and receive a scholarship later, when the Spartans have room under their scholarship limit.
McCaffrey, who frequently has been among the list of coaches for open head coaching jobs, earlier received a commitment from 5-11 point guard Jamaal Brown from Chicago's Westinghouse High School. Brown had a stellar senior season that culminated in the Illinois Class AA championship and a standout showing this weekend in the Wendy's All-Star Shootout of Chicago versus New York all-stars at DePaul. Brown led Team Chicago to a 96-93 victory.
The Spartans will be losing one player from this season's roster, a season where UNCG went 20-11 (11-5 Southern Conference) with a trip to the NIT. 6-8, 250 pound sophomore forward Petros Tsampas has received a release from his scholarship and is looking to transfer.
Thanks to Steve Huntley for the tip.