BU Arms for the Future

by Seth Orensky

Monday was a day off for Boston University students, but head coach Patrick Chambers stayed busy, signing three more recruits to bring the class of 2010 to five. Chambers, in his first five months at Boston University, has brought in an astounding eight players for next year’s team including five recruits all rated 70 or above by Scouts Inc. The most remarkable thing about the class is that seven of the eight players are either originally from Philadelphia or played their college ball in Philadelphia while Chambers was coaching at Villanova.

The star of the five recruits according to Scouts Inc. is Travis Robinson, a 6-5, 185 small forward whose strengths include scoring above the rim, great defense and rebounding. Robinson was rated an 89 and schools such as Providence, a member of the Big East, and Penn State, the reigning NIT Champions, were heavily recruiting him. Does anyone else see the similarities between Robinson and junior guard John Holland (’11)? If Robinson can bulk up and be a more consistent three point shooter, the two players, identical in height and weight, could wreak havoc against the rest of America East and provide Terriers fans with plenty of SportsCenter, “Top 10-worthy” dunks.

Robinson is joined at BU by Friends Central High School (Philadelphia, PA) teammates Dominic Morris and Henry Gaskins. The three players, according to Gaskins, are “brothers,” and they made the decision official on Monday as a joint group. Morris a 6-8 power forward was rated an 86 by Scouts Inc and will bring the Terriers a big body presence in the paint offensively and defensively. The third member of the triumvirate is Henry Gaskins a true point guard at 5-9. Gaskins will likely serve as a backup to the sole member of this year’s recruiting class B.J Bailey but his sound ball handling skills will surely come in handy. His addition shows that Coach Chambers is trying to avoid the mistakes of former Coach Dennis Wolff, who had to run his offense through shooting guards the past two years (particularly senior Corey Lowe) because he had only undersized point guard on the bench.

The two recruits who round out Chambers’ potential starting lineup are Anthony Mayo and Mike Terry, two more Philly high school players. Mayo, another 6-8 bruiser, will provide the Terriers with a huge defensive force inside as his offensive game develops. Mike Terry rounds out the class the shooting guard is noted for his slashing style and toughness on both ends of the floor.

Chambers’ first recruiting class seems to send a message to fans and the rest of America East: BU is not only going to be a major player in recruiting, but the team’s style of play will not be the same. Unlike in years past, the guards Chambers brought in are not noted for their three-point shooting ability but instead for their ability to run an offense and get to the basket. Driving to the basket was nearly non-existent the past two years, as Wolff preferred to watch his team launch threes from twenty five feet rather than to set up the offense and attack the basket. That will change under Chambers. The other big difference is that this team will be deeper and bigger: bringing in Mayo and Morris creates a strong front court to go along with sophomores Jake O’Brien (’12) and Jeff Pelage (’12).

In adding eight players (transfer students included), Coach Chambers can institute his new system much faster with all but four of the players next year being players he selected. Terriers’ fans - get ready for a fun ride. If Chambers continues to use his connections in the Philly area to bring in bigger and better recruits, the potential for conference dominance is limitless.