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Oak Hill star `serious' about Charlotte 49ers
Oak Hill star `serious' about Charlotte 49ers
Top-ranked junior excels in scrimmage
LANGSTON WERTZ JR.
Staff Writer
LENOIR - Charlotte 49ers fans, get ready for Michael Beasley.
After his Oak Hill (Va.) team finished a high profile scrimmage with the Patterson School on Wednesday night, Beasley, the nation's top-ranked junior, went to his team's locker room at Hibriten High and said he was firm in his commitment to the 49ers.
"I'm serious as a heart attack," he said. "When 2007 comes, I'll be in uniform in Halton Arena."
Beasley is a 6-foot-9, 230-pound junior from Frederick, Md. He surprised recruiting experts when he made an early commitment to Charlotte, where his good friend and former AAU coach Dalonte Hill is an assistant.
The recruiting gurus -- and many fans -- were surprised a player of Beasley's caliber would choose Charlotte and the Atlantic 10, when he could play in one of America's glamour conferences.
Beasley has the game to play anywhere he likes. Against a Patterson team made up mostly of fifth-year seniors, he scored 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, both game highs. He also had five blocks. He's long-armed, left-handed and has great leaping ability, big hands, and the ability to shoot 3-pointers and dunk.
"Michael Beasley is an immediate impact player wherever he goes," national recruiting analyst Dave Telep said. "In the Atlantic 10, you can expect him to have an immediate impact and be one of the best players in the league by season's end."
Beasley said he wanted to play for his friend and, more than that, he wanted to play immediately.
"I wanted to get on the floor," he said. "My relationship with Dalonte is important and was a big reason, but I wouldn't say I wouldn't have gone there if he wasn't there. I really like Charlotte."
North Carolina-bound Oak Hill point guard Tywon Lawson, ranked No. 1 in his position in the country, finished with 21 points, 10 assists, seven steals and three rebounds Wednesday.
The Tar Heels are also getting the nation's top shooting guard in Pennsylvania's Wayne Ellington. He will play in the Bojangles' Shootout in December at Charlotte Latin.