THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, December 11, 1995 TAG: 9512110106
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
Old Dominion could be on its way to a second straight first-rate recruiting class.
This year's freshmen are living up to their advance billing, and the two players landed in the early-signing period have coach Jeff Capel ``very excited.''
``We got the two players we wanted,'' Capel said. ``We only brought two players in and we got both of them. They compete, and that's what I like about them.''
Michael Williams from Thomasville, Ga., and Freddie Bryant from Watson, La., fill a need for depth at guard for ODU. When senior Duffy Samuels departs, only three guards will remain in the program.
Bryant is averaging 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists for his high school team through seven games, and has played basically every position on the floor, according to coach Ken Kraft. Williams is averaging 19 points, 3.5 assists and four rebounds while playing point guard through three games. Williams has yet to qualify under the NCAA's freshman eligibility guidelines but took the ACT Saturday.
Recruiting Williams required some detective work. Assistant Mark Cline saw him at a camp in Cincinnati last summer and called Capel to say he found the guard ODU wanted. Capel promptly headed for Las Vegas to see Williams play in a tournament.
``I fell in love with him when I saw him,'' Capel said. ``Hard-nosed kid, plays hard, very, very athletic. He plays above the square. He had 47 in the first game I saw him and I was immediately convinced we could not get him.''
Williams did not have a home phone, so at a time when coaches could call prospective recruits but not meet with them face-to-face, most coaches could not contact him. ODU was one of the first to get to him.
``We used some friends that were able to get a phone number of a grocery store around the corner,'' Capel said.
A friend got Williams there for the first call, and ODU's coaches developed a weekly time when Williams would be by the phone to take their call.
``The reason he went there was because they were in with him from the get-go,'' said David Bice, Williams' coach at Thomas County Central High.
A rundown of the Colonial Athletic Association recruiting picture after the early signing period:
American: Signed Charles Rooths, 6-5 F, Washington, D.C. (JC transfer); 4 scholarships left.
East Carolina: Signed Neil Punt, 6-9 C, Chaska, Minn.; no scholarships left.
George Mason: Signed Avery Carey, 6-5 G/F, Hagerstown, Md. (JC transfer); 1 scholarship left.
James Madison: Signed Jamar Perry, 6-4 G, Pleasantville, N.J.; Rob Strickland, 6-10 C, Pleasantville, N.J.; Chatney Howard, 6-4 F, Annapolis, Md. (JC transfer); 2 scholarships left.
UNC Wilmington: Signed Victor Ebong, 6-7 F, Omaha, Neb.; 3 scholarships left.
Old Dominion: Signed Freddie Bryant, 6-3 G, Watson, La.; Michael Williams, 6-1 G, Thomasville, Ga.; 1 scholarship left.
Richmond: 1 signee,. Signed: Marseilles Brown, 5-10 G, Hampton; 1 scholarship left.
Virginia Commonwealth: Signed Torrance Archie, 6-7 F, Jacksonville, Fla. (JC transfer); Mylo Brooks, 6-9 F/C, Bowie, Md. (JC transfer); Roderick Griggs, 6-10 F, Hueytown, Ala. (JC transfer); Robert Shelton, 6-4 G, Gum Springs, Va. (transfer from Ohio State); Simon Moore, 6-6 F, Hopkins, S.C.; 1 scholarship left.
William and Mary: No early signees, 5 scholarships left.
ELSEWHERE:
Virginia Tech signed one player in the early period, point guard Nathaniel Bailey from Johnson City, Tenn. Bailey, MVP of the Tennessee AAA state basketball tournament, led Science Hill High to a 37-3 record and two straight state championships.
Hampton signed four players. Norfolk State did not land anyone in the early-signing period.
Virginia Tech: Signed Nathaniel Bailey, 5-11 G, Johnson City, Tenn.; 2 scholarships left.
Hampton University: Signed Brian Banks, 6-8 F, Petersburg, Va.; Doug Belton, 6-5 G/F, Pittsford, N.Y.; Danamy Smith, 6-0 G, Fort Washington, Md.; Kenton Dunn, 6-8 F, Waldorf, Md.; no scholarships left.
Norfolk State: No signees. by CNB