Recruiting Profile: Adrian Rich

In the third and final installment of the 2015-16 recruiting profile, we'll take a look at Adrian Rich, a 6'2 guard from Fishburne Military School. Though Fishburne is located in Waynesboro, Virginia, Rich is a resident of Fuquay Varina, North Carolina. He previously attended Village Christian Academy in Fayetteville where he lettered for three years and earned conference player of the year honors in 2013-14, averaging 21 points and 6 rebounds per game and leading the team to a 17-6 record.

Rich committed to the Institute last May. He is listed as a point guard, and, along with Niles Tate, is one of just two "true" point guards on the roster (though Eleby and QJ saw extended action at that position last season). In his senior year with Fishburne, Rich averaged 15 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds per game. He broke numerous records at Village Christian, including the all-time career record for points and assists as well as the single-game record for points (42).

Rich was selected to the All-conference team three times and was also named to the All-state and All-region teams.

He is very lean (170 lbs), but has great speed, can finish at the rim, and has a smooth three-point stroke. Rich is also not hesitant to attack the basket and draw contact, and is a very quick decision maker. He can create his own shot, which is something that the Keydets will need to have this season.

Depending on how Rich looks in practice, he should see some playing time competing with QJ and Julian for a starting role. Rich, being the only natural point guard among the three, has that advantage, but also lacks the game experience that QJ and Julian, now juniors, have. In any case, Rich provides the depth at guard that VMI did not have last year, especially late in the year with the absense of QJ. If he bulks up a bit, he should find himself in a starting role for years to come.

Recruiting Profile: Austin Vereen

One of two early commits from last season, combo guard Austin Vereen should see significant playing time in his first year on post. Vereen comes to VMI from Maret High School in Washington, D.C., a traditional baskteball powerhouse that went 22-5 last season and won the Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) regular season title. Maret has posted three consecutive 20-win seasons, all of which Vereen was a part of.

Vereen is a 6'4 combo guard, but mostly plays the two. He averaged 14.0 PPG, 10.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 assists in his junior year, leading Maret to a regular and postseason championsip. He was named to the 2014 DMVelite All-DC third team and was a Hoop Group Fab Frosh All-Star and MVP. Vereen also played on the Mid-Atlantic Select AAU team. He was actually recruited by Duggar in the early signing period back in August of 2014. Baucom noted his ability to play on and off the ball, and said he was an excellent shooter.

Vereen continue to impress in his senior season at Maret. He was to the DC Athletic Association All-State Team, the 2015 MAC All-Conference Team, and was a 2015 Capital Classic DC All Star. During his career, Maret won three straight MAC championsips and was a state runner-up in 2014. By the time he graduated, Vereen ranked in the top three all-time in Maret history in points, rebounds, and assists.

Even as a sophomore, Vereen averaged 8.8 points before a torn ligament in his wrist ended his season. He received interest from the likes of Xavier, Winthrop, and Gardner-Webb, among others, before he chose VMI.

Vereen's ability to cut to the basketb and make quick passes on a dime is impressive. Though he saw some time as a wing-forward in high school, he should be used primarily as a shooting guard at the college level. Vereen may back up Tim Marshall on the bench, and could be rotated with QJ and Julian for a starting spot. With the graduation of three guards from last year's team, our backcourt will look significantly different from a year ago. No starting spot is safe, save for that of QJ's. I expect Vereen to be one of our better freshman in recent memory.

Highlights

Recruiting Profile: D'Andre Mahaffey

Over the next several weeks I'll be previewing all three of our incoming Rats - starting with small forward D'Andre Mahaffey.

Mahaffey comes from Cedar Shoals High School in Athens, Georgia. Standing at around 6'6 and 190 lbs., he is a very versatile forward who can attack the basket and dunk at the rim. He is the first player under head coach Dreco Thomas, who took over in 2011, to sign a letter-of-intent. As a freshman, Mahaffey averaged 9.6 PPG and led Cedar Shoals to Region 8-AAAAA title. He had interest from Divsion II-Valdosta State (also located in Georgia), as well as Elon, Tennessee Tech, and VCU. His coach noted that he has maintained a 3.9 core GPA.

Mahaffey's production increased as a sophomore, averaging 12.8 PPG (2nd on team), 10.4 RPG (1st), and 1.4 SPG (3rd). In his junior season, he peaked with 18.3 points and 7.4 boards per contest, leading Cedar Shoals in both categories, and was named to the 2014 8-AAAAA All-Region Team while landing a spot on the 2014 GACA Junior North All-Star Team.

Coach Baucom, who recruited Mahaffey as an early-signee, noted his athleticism and ability to play multiple positions. He has a very slow but smooth three-point shot, but can use his long wingspan slash to the basket and draw contact.

Given our lack of size, we should see Mahaffey play at the 3 or 4, alongside Trey and Armani. With Hinton's departure, Mahaffey will get significantly more time than previously expected, but will have to earn it. With Anglade at center, Weethee should be the starter at PF along with Iruafemi as his backup.

Highlights

2014 Recruit: Jon Elmore

Being the son of a VMI Hall of Famer who is one of only three men to have a jersey hanging in the rafters of Cameron Hall comes with some difficult shoes to fill. How about replacing a man who is arguably the greatest point guard in VMI basketball history? Ask West Virginia-native Jon Elmore and he'll probably tell you he's up to the task.

In our final installment of the 2014 recruiting preview, we feature Jon Elmore, an early signee who committed in November of 2013. Jon is notable through his dad, Gay Elmore, who was a two-time Southern Conference Player of the Year in the late 1980's. Gay amassed 2,422 career points, a VMI record that stood for 20 years until some guy named Reggie Williams broke it. Elmore the elder, along with Williams and Ron Carter, are the only basketball players to have their jerseys retired by the school.

Case in point, Jon has big shoes to fill. Luckily for us, it seems he got his father's genetics. Jon is a 6-3 point guard from Charleston, West Virginia who averaged a team-leading 19.5 points this past season for Christ School in Arden, North Carolina. He was also first in assists per game (4.5), first in steals (3) and second in rebounds (5). In his junior year Jon averaged 13 points and 6 assists. Christ School went 17–15 in 2013-14, which included a 7–2 record in league play (they were 31–6 the year prior).

Per his Keydets.com bio he was ranked as the 8th-best player in North Carolina, although I couldn't find any confirmation on that. I did see, however, that according to 247sports.com, Jon is the 19th best player in the state. He is certainly no scrub; according to Coach Baucom, Jon received 22 Division I scholarship offers and decided to continue his family legacy. "The coaching staff is awesome, they had at least one coach at every game this summer," he said. "My brother is there and it has been a dream of ours to play college basketball together." Jon will join his brother Ot, who was redshirted as a freshman last year and thus did not see any playing time.

VMI bound 🏀💵✊
— Jon Elmore (@elmore33) June 22, 2014

Although I cannot say the same for his brother, there is little a doubt in my mind that Jon will be the starting point guard next year. Pair him up with the lethal Brian Brown at shooting guard and you've got quite a 1-2 punch. I'm expecting big things from this kid.

2014 Recruit: Fred Iraufemi

I'm still not sure how to pronounce his name, but any 6'7 power forward who can block five shots a game and get a triple-double in points, rebounds, and blocks is a keeper.

Today we're looking at Fred Iruafemi, the Middle Creek HS star from the Raleigh suburbs who is his school's all-time shot blocking leader. Fred has taken advantage of his 6'7 frame, great timing, and athleticism to lead his team in all (yes, all) major statistical categories this past season. He veraged 12.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.8 steals, and 5 rejections a game for Middle Creek in 2013-14, and swatted a school record 14 shots in a state playoff game. He managed to set a single-season mark with 132 blocks this year, and if he hits the weight room, it looks like we've got a handy replacement for D.J. Covington.

The Middle Creek Mustangs were 16–10 this year, no doubt in part due to Fred's rim protection ability. But he can also work the offensive end quite well; Fred had a triple-double against Garner-Magnet HS (the first in school history) with 20 pts/15 rebs/12 blocks, and had a 19/12 against soon-to-be state champion Apex. Fred's also second all-time in Middle Creek history with 8.2 boards/game and second in FG shooting (55%).

Never mind his stats, though; I was thrilled with his character. If you attend a game of his you will see him swat shots back and forth, but you will not see him gloat about it. "We have to finish out the possession. If we don’t go down and score, the block is pretty much wasted," he said. "I'm getting my team involved. I’m not caring much about myself, just winning the game." His coach, David Kushner, questioned his boisterousness as a sign of a lack of leadership, but I tend to disagree. The numbers speak for themselves. "They have a winning tradition and after I graduate from VMI I will be set for life...Coach Baucom and I are cool, we text often." I can imagine.

Fred and his Brother Rat Armani will be in a chess match for the starting lineup come October. With his physique and body size I can't see Fred getting a ton of playing time, and I don't know if he's capable of replicating what Covington brought, but if he gets bigger in the preseason and adjusts to Division I size, hopefully he'll prove me wrong.

2014 Recruit: Armani Branch

Over the next couple of days I'll be analyzing our recruiting class for the 2014-15 season. First on the list is dynamic 6'7 small forward Armani Branch out of Carrollton, Virginia, near Hampton.

Branch comes to VMI from the Genesis Academy in Lynchburg. He committed to the Institute in late January. As a senior at Genesis (who went 17–12 and was 34th best in the state) last year, Armani played in 24 games and led the team with 14.4 point per game. He was also second in blocked shots with just under 2, second in steals with 2, third in rebounding with 7.1 boards per contest. Duggar commented on Armani and said that "Armani is a skilled wing who can attack the basket but also shoot the three." Not so sure about that last part. Although he shot over 58% from the floor, Armani made less than 13% from 3-point land (and we know how much that matters).

But at 6'7, his three-point shooting won't be a priority (although it'd be nice if he can get it up into the high-20's range after his Rat year). Another weak spot was his free-throw shooting, which was an insufficient 54%, near last on the team among those qualified. Free-throw shooting has cost us several games in the past two seasons, and Armani needs to get that fixed if he wants to contribute.

But let's focus on the positives. In the Bull City Classic Championship on November 30, Armani shot 6-of-8 from the floor, had three steals, and notched a double-double w/ 12 points and 12 boards in a win over Hillside HS. Against the top-ranked Quality Education Academy he netted 25 points and 8 rebounds, and on January 24 scored a 23/11 against Charis Prep. If there's any indication, he's excited to come here.

1st night and I love my school already #VMI
— Armani Branch (@OftenSleptOn) June 22, 2014

Got that work in 🏀🏀🏀🏀 pic.twitter.com/nWjbCc5R0W
— Armani Branch (@OftenSleptOn) June 22, 2014

Armani may (and I mean, may) figure into the starting lineup this year at forward/center with Covington gone, but more likely I'd expect Anglade to get that role with Watson and Branch rotating at forward. Eleby and Weethee will get some more playing time as well, especially if either grows an inch or two, so we'll be stacked at the forward position come November. I'd like to see from Armani somewhere around 7/4 average, and will be happily surprised if exceeds that.

(see Armani's full stats here)