Talent Scouts Flock To See Super Sophs

 (Zachary Harrison/PressBox Preps)

By: Keith Mills

Sean Mosley of St. Frances, Henry Sims of Mount St. Joseph, Troy Franklin of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Jamar Briscoe of Cardinal Gibbons are having outstanding senior years, and Isaiah Fillmore of John Carroll, Derrious Gilmore of Lake Clifton and Andrew Fitzgerald of Owings Mills headline a strong junior class. But it's Baltimore's sophomores that are turning the heads of both college basketball recruiters and local fans.

Led by Roscoe Smith of Walbrook, Eric Atkins of Mount St. Joe, C.J. Fair of City College and Jonathan Graham of Calvert Hall, the area is loaded with talented 10th graders already receiving a tremendous amount of interest from local and national colleges.

"It's a great class," said Mike Daniel, former coach at Towson Catholic and current coach at City College.

Here's a breakdown of four of the area's super sophomores.

C.J. FAIR, City College

Fair is the 6-foot-8 son of Carl Fair, who played for Charlie Moore at Lake Clifton. The younger Fair reminds Daniel of a young Carmelo Anthony.

"If he had Carmelo's mean streak, that 'I'm not going to get beat' mindset, we'd be talking about him the same way right now," said Daniel, who coached Anthony at Towson Catholic for three years. "But he's very good. He has a great feel for the game. He can do a lot of the same things Carmelo could do when he was that age."

Fair, a major weapon away from the basket, can shoot and put the ball on the floor and go by his defender.

"He's a very tough matchup," said Daniel, who won 320 games and four Catholic League championships in 20 years at Towson Catholic. "Someone is going to get a very good player."

Maryland is one of many schools interested in Fair, who has teamed with fellow sophomore Jordan Lathan and 6-foot-7 James Carmon, an All-State defensive lineman in football, to help the Black Knights win 10 of their first 12 games.

ERIC ATKINS, Mount St. Joseph

Pat Clatchey has coached some outstanding players in his 16 years at Mount St. Joe: Danny Whye, Will Thomas, Brian Johnson, Louis Birdsong, Dino Gregory and now Atkins -- though Atkins is the only one to start as a freshman.

"There was no doubt he could handle it," Clatchey said. "He was out there last year with Henry [Sims] and Dino Gregory, and there was no doubt who was in charge."

Atkins is an extension of his coach on the court, unfazed by the responsibility of being the Gaels' point guard.

"We think alike," Clatchey said. "He knows exactly what I want in certain situations. You never really know how young players are going to react, but from Day 1 he's been just outstanding."

The 6-foot-1 Atkins is thin, yet deceptively strong. While he can shoot from anywhere, it's his lightning-quick first step and driving ability that gives opposing defenses fits. He rarely makes a bad decision and has the maturity of a college senior.

"He's really poised," Clatchey said. "Sometimes you forget he's a 10th grader. He makes all the right decisions."

ROSCOE SMITH, Walbrook

Maryland has already made an offer to the 6-foot-7 swingman Smith, who has turned into a triple-double machine for coach Kelvin Bridgers. In last week's 58-41 win over Forest Park, Smith scored 16 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and blocked 10 shots.

"Roscoe can really play," Daniel said. "He's tough, and he can score."

Smith is the third Division I prospect at Walbrook in the last four years. Velmar Coleman and Rodney Spruill are both now at Towson University after helping the Warriors win the Class 4A state title in 2005.

JONATHAN GRAHAM, Calvert Hall

At 6-foot-8, the son of former Dunbar and Maryland standout Ernie Graham is one of the area's most talented big men. Under first-year coach John Bauersfeld, Jonathan Graham plays quite a bit with his back to the basket, posting up opposing defenders with a quick first step and soft touch around the basket. When he gets to college, his quickness and shooting touch may mean a move outside.

"He can score, and he has great range," Daniel said. "I think he is a big-time player."

It's impossible to argue that. With his dad at courtside for virtually every game, Graham has handled the fame of his last name with a strong work ethic and polished game that make him an extremely attractive college recruit. Maryland is interested in the talented sophomore, as is Georgetown.

"He works hard and he's getting better," said Ernie Graham, Maryland's all-time single game scoring leader (44 points vs. N.C. State in 1978). "I keep telling him hard work is the key to everything."

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Along with that foursome, Jason Sharp Jr. of Lake Clifton, Donte Holmes of St. Frances, Justin Jackson of Digital Harbor and Justin Kuntz of Cardinal Gibbons make this year's sophomore class one of the best in years.

"There are so many kids now who play a lot of big games by the time they're freshmen," said Bryan Moorhouse, who played at Cardinal Gibbons, coached under Ray Mullis and eventually took over the Crusaders’ program when Mullis passed away. "AAU and summer leagues. By the time they get [to the high school level] it's not that overwhelming."

Issue 3.5: January 31, 2008