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[> [> [> Re: today is the day.... -- LARRYL9797, 09:07:57 05/19/06 Fri

NB Herald article:
Blue Devils get stronger with signings
By: Matt Straub
05/19/2006
Email to a friendPost a CommentPrinter-friendly
NEW BRITAIN-By the time last season was over, the needs of Central Connecticut's men's basketball team were evident. The Blue Devils rose to second in the NEC with phenomenal outside shooting, but lacked a slasher that could work his way through defenses.
The Blue Devils worked hard underneath, but it was clear Obie Nwadike could have used some consistent rebounding help, and that CCSU lacked an defensive presence in the post who could block some shots and alter even more.
Head coach Howie Dickenman knew what his squad needed, and the list of incoming players for next season he and his staff have signed reads like a wishlist.
Central lost a chunk its shooting prowess with the graduations of Lenny Jefferson and Justin Chiera, so the Blue Devils signed Joe Seymore, a 6-3 lefty swingman out of Hodgson High School in Newark, Delaware.
As a senior Seymore led his team to the semifinals of the state tournament by scoring more than 18 points per game. He was an All-State selection this year.
"Seymore is a prolific 3-point shooter," Dickenman said. "He has a push shot more than a jump shot he elevates on. He has a strong body and his history is that he has always improved every year. He's a good teamate and a real classy kid."
With Chiera and Jefferson gone and soon-to-be junior Tristan Blackwood now a proven shooting threat, Central was in need of a true point guard. Dickenman thinks he's found one in Dannie Powell, a junior college transfer who was an all-state player in high school in Stratford.
Powell, a 6-0, 175 pound guard, spent the last two years at Carl Albert State College in Poteau, Oklahoma after a stellar high school career that saw him collect numerous accolades. Last season he averaged 10.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists over 28 games and made nearly 80 percent of his free throws.
"He's a floor general," Dickenman said. "He may very well lead our team in assists next year. He'll be given the opportunity to lead our team next year and play the point... He makes free throws and has a tendency to drive and kick. I think Dannie has more of a penetration type of game."
That will allow Blackwood to sit back and rain threes, but he is expected to play point guard when he tries out for the Canadian Olympic team this summer, so he will come back to New Britain without having forgotten how to handle the ball.
Another swingman joining the fold is Mitchell Bouie from Chicago. The 6-2, 200-pounder was named the MVP in the postseason Blue-Red all-star game which featured the top seniors in the Chicago area after scoring 21 points in the game and 18 in the second half. He also has championship experience, as his U17 AAU team won a national title a year ago.
"You can always use someone like that," Dickenman said. "He has good strength and good athleticism."
The biggest shortcoming for the Blue Devils last year was size, and Dickenman hopes he and his staff have solved that problem with the additions of Alen Redzic and Piankhi Hutchinson.
Redzic is a 6-6, 235 pound forward who played in 2003-04 and 2004-05 at Jacksonville College in Jacksonville, Texas before sitting out last season. The native of Yugoslavia, who like Powell will arrive as a junior, played at John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx and is the strongest of the newcomers.
"We added an inside power player in Alen. He's 6-6 and a very muscular 235. "He's a player who has something to prove. He hasn't gotten a lot of respect in the places he's been."
What seemed to draw Dickenman to Redzic more than anything else is his attitude.
"He's an 'I'll show you type of player'," Dickenman said. "He had a decent junior college career and he feels like he has more to show than the opportunities he's been presented with in the past. He wants to show that he's better than advertised."
Hutchinson was regarded as one of the top shot blockers in New York City last season. At 6-7 and 205 pounds, he helped lead Carnasie to the PSAL semis last season. A native of Trinidad, he averaged eight rebounds a game in the PSAL playoffs.
"He's long, but he didn't get much notoriety," Dickenman said. "He's someone that will grow with the program. He's a very fast runner and has the ability to block shots. He needs to work on his back to the basket moves but I think he's a player that has only played for a few years and he has a real positive attitude."
The five recruits are joined by Jeremy Myers, 6-1, 180 pound, guard from the Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland who signed earlier this year. With the departures of the two seniors and two other post players <b>(Jermaine Middleton has transferred to George Washington and Jason Hickenbottom is expected to move to a Division II school in the Philadelphia area)</b>, there is room for players to earn time, but Dickenman doesn't make promises to incoming players or returnees.
"I don't care who plays. I don't pick the team they pick the team. Teams are made (during the season) players are made (during the offseason)," Dickenman said. "Playing time will be earned by how hard they work in the offseason."

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