JMU Looking For a Few Hidden Gems

JMU recruit, Arman Marks.

The spring signing period officially began today for basketball recruits. JMU has verbal committments from 2 players, Arman Marks and Kenyan Pittman, who are expected to sign their letters of intent. Much like the 2010-2011 Dukes basketball team though, these guys don’t appear to be quick starters. There has been no announcement that either player has signed his offer yet. Thankfully, basketball recruiting isn’t like football recruiting where programs pretty much expect to have their entire class in order by the end of signing day. Barring something extraordinary happening, it sounds like these guys will be suiting up for Coach Brady in the Fall.

The Dukes already received an official commitment from Enoch Hood during the Fall signing period. With only 3 scholarships available for next season, Hood, Marks, and Pittman should make up the entire class. All three guys have flown relatively under the radar, without any of them receiving too much hype. They might actually be the only recruits in the country without Youtube highlights. That’s OK though. While the CAA is definitely on the rise, recruiting at this level is more about finding the hidden gems with upside, than signing blue chips.

Enoch Hood is a 6″8 power forward from Norfolk, VA, who received a scholarship offer from VCU among others. That sounds much more impressive today than it would have a few months ago. He didn’t put up dominant offensive numbers, but he’s described as a real energy guy who can control the paint with his athleticism. The Dukes have guys who can score the ball, so if Hood can play solid defense and hit the boards, he could push for minutes immediately and make an impact.

Kenyan Pittman is another big man. The 6’10” center/power forward from Burgaw, NC. His father played for fellow CAA school, UNCW, but Marks declined his offer from the Seahawks to come play for the Dukes. He sounds pretty similar to Hood, which is a good thing. The fact that he mentions his rebounding, running the court, and blocking shots before talking about shooting, makes me think that he’s the sort of guy Brady sorely needs. The Dukes definitely lacked players who were willing to get their hands dirty and scrap down low. If Marks and Hood even just do that, they’ll be great additions.

Arman Marks rounds out the recruiting class. He’s a 6’4″ guard who played high school ball at Eastern High School in Georgetown, KY. He’s described as the best outside shooter on a team that included players who signed with Butler, Bradly, and IUPUI. If Eastern High School sounds familiar, that’s because it’s where the Dukes’ Chad Jackson played. That might be what has me most excited about this class. My assumption is that JMU would have no shot at Marks, if Jackson wasn’t fully committed to the program. Combine that with the fact that Brady has been known to leverage Julius Wells and Devon Moore’s connections in Ohio to get Humpty, Goins, and James Millen, and it seems like the guys on this roster fully buy into Coach Brady and his system. That’s definitely an encouraging sign.