The Hofstra Men's Basketball program signed seven high school players to national letters of intent during the fall signing period, it was announced today by Head Coach Tom Pecora.
The seven players include Chris Gadley (Amherst, NY/Amherst Central HS), Dane Johnson (Brooklyn, NY/Robeson HS), Greg Johnson (Harlem, NY/Holderness (NH) School), Vic Morris (Queens, NY/Cardozo HS), Sal Patricio (Queens, NY/Florida Prep Academy), Arminas Urbutis (Kaunas, Lithuania/Montverde (FL) Academy), and Greg Washington (Islip, NY/Florida Air Academy).
Chris Gadley is a 6-8 power forward from Amherst, NY (outside of Buffalo). He averaged 18 points, 12.5 rebounds and six blocks a game for Amherst Central High School last season, while earning fourth-team All-Western New York honors from the Buffalo News. He is ranked 21st among the best scholastic prospects in New York State by Insiders Report.
Dane Johnson is a 6-8 center at Paul Robeson High School in Brooklyn, NY, where he averaged 13 points and eight rebounds per game in 2003-04. Among his highlights last season were a pair of buzzer-beaters in big tournament victories. He had a dramatic follow-up dunk at the buzzer to upset top-seeded Grady High School in the second overtime at the Brooklyn Borough Championship Tournament. He also had a put-back at the buzzer to defeat Montclair (N.J.) in the East Orange Basketball Tournament championship game.
Greg Johnson, a native of Harlem, NY, has played the last three years at The Holderness School in New Hampshire, where he led his team to a New England Prep School Class C Championship last season. A 6-0 point guard, he averaged 14 points and six assists a game as a junior, while reaching the 1,000-point plateau in only two and a half years. He tallied 24 points in the New England Class C Championship game last season.
Vic Morris, a 5-11 point guard, averaged 18 points per game for Cardozo High School last winter, and was chosen the New York Public School Athletic League (PSAL) Preseason Player of the Year by Real Scout Basketball. He was an honorable-mention All-Queens selection by the Daily News last year, and is rated the fourth-best New York City prospect in the Class of 2005 by New York Hoops.
Sal Patricio, a 6-2 shooting guard, is playing this season at Florida Prep Academy after starring a year ago at Bryant High School in Queens. Patricio averaged 30 points per game at Bryant, while earning second-team All-Queens honors from the Daily News. He is rated among the top 30 senior prospects in the state of Florida heading into the 2004-2005 season.
Arminas Urbutis is a 6-9 combination forward who traveled from his native Lithuania last season to star at Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida. He averaged 17.5 points and 12.3 rebounds last season for Montverde, which enters the 2004-05 campaign ranked 21st in the nation by USA Today. Urbutis follows a similar path to Hofstra as current Pride junior forward Aurimas Kieza, who played at Florida Air Academy for one season after coming over to the United States from Marijampole, Lithuania.
Greg Washington is a 6-9 center who will be attending Florida Air Academy this season. He previously played at nearby Central Islip High School on Long Island, where he displayed the potential to be a solid shot blocker at the collegiate level. He was ranked among the top 300 recruits in the nation by Hoop Scoop, and was selected to represent Suffolk County in the Fourth Annual Coaches vs. Cancer All-Star game last summer.
?œWe are extremely excited about the addition of these seven fine young men to our program,?ť said Pecora. ?œWe feel like we have successfully addressed our recruiting needs for the next two years in one signing period. This is a rare recruiting class that provides both quality and quantity, and we expect all of them will have a tremendous impact at the collegiate level. Our entire coaching staff looks forward to having these seven young men join the Hofstra family.?ť
The Hofstra Men's Basketball team opens its 2004-05 season when it travels to Florida International on Sunday for a 2 p.m. contest. The Pride will then return to Hofstra Arena for its home opener on Wednesday, Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m. against La Salle.
