Late signing day quiet for Valpo--The Post-Tribune
April 13, 2006
By Mark Lazerus / Post-Tribune staff writer
The first day of the late signing period passed without a meaningful fax at the Valparaiso men’s basketball office.
No worries. Yet.
“I’m not sweating too bad yet,” assistant coach Bryce Drew said. “In another week, if I don’t have any news for you, I might be sweating a little more. April’s a lot different than the fall. In the fall, everyone’s gung-ho. Now, people have a long time to sign.”
Valparaiso has five scholarships to offer, and snagged only one player in the early signing period — 6-foot-3 swingman Keaton Frye, from Davenport, Iowa. And even his commitment could be in jeopardy, as he weighs the option of attending a prep school next season.
The Crusaders lose their top five scorers — Dan Oppland, Ron Howard, Mohamed Kone, Seth Colclasure and Ali Berdiel — to graduation. Still, Drew was relatively unconcerned, and expects to receive some letters of intent in the next few days.
“We have a few guys to sign,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll have some news in the next week. I don’t think we’re going to use all (five scholarships). We have a very strong junior class, so we want to save some of those.”
Drew also shrugged off the idea that recruiting the bulk of the incoming class in the spring implies a weaker class.
“Obviously your selections are fewer, but there are a lot of quality players out there from all levels,” he said. “There are still McDonald’s All-Americans available. Signing late isn’t a sign that a player’s not a good player. Some are just more patient.”
Head coach Homer Drew arrived in Spain on Wednesday to recruit “a few big kids,” Bryce said. He also will spend some time with his daughter, Dana, and her husband, Casey Shaw, who plays pro ball in Europe. Bryce said he didn’t expect his father to come back from Europe with any letters of intent in hand just yet.
On the domestic side, there’s the issue of Frye, who doesn’t even turn 18 for about two months. Despite signing with Valparaiso in November, Frye is considering attending a prep school next year rather than go straight to college.
“We’ve been talking to him all year,” Bryce Drew said. “He’s very young for his age. He should only be a junior in high school right now. We’ve talked to his parents, and obviously they want him to have a successful college career and be mature enough to handle it when he does get to college. We’ll keep talking with him about it, but nothing will be decided until into the summer.”
n PELLER SIGNS: Chesterton senior Kelly Peller made it official on Wednesday, signing a letter of intent to play basketball at Valparaiso.
Peller, a 5-11 guard and the Post-Tribune Player of the Year, was a second-team All-State selection this season. She scored more than 1,000 points at Chesterton and averaged 17.2 points per game as a senior.
“Kelly is a great competitor who has a passion for the game,” said VU coach Keith Freeman in a news release. “She is a great fit for Valpo and we look forward to working with her the next four years.”
Contact Mark Lazerus at 648-3140 or mlazerus@post-trib.com
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