by Alex Schwartz

We are quickly approaching the late signing period, which begins next week. There are still a number of talented players out there who have yet to decide on a school, whether they are high DI or low DIII players, or something in between. Over the past few days I've caught up with a trio of talented Garden State players, as well as the adviser of another NJ baller. Here's a rundown of how the quartet's recruitment is shaping up:

Mike McFadden '09 of Technology (NJ) is one of the top unsigned seniors in the state of New Jersey, and he is considering a wide array of schools. I caught up with the tough 6'7 power forward today, and he listed Jacksonville State, Rice, Boise State, Cleveland State, UMBC, Arkansas, Robert Morris, Bradley, Siena, Marist, and Indiana as the schools he is considering. McFadden claimed offers from all of those schools, except for Arkansas and Indiana, the two high-major programs on the list. Mike said, "I have medium interest for all of them except Cleveland State. I like them the most." He informed me that Cleveland State is "for now" his leader and also let me know that he "doesn't know" when he will commit. There had been some though that McFadden may have a stop gap between high school and the DI ranks, but he said he is "not really" considering going to a prep school or Junior College.

Reggie Coleman '09 of Trenton Catholic (NJ) had a great senior season that drew him the interest of some low DI schools, in addition to a plethora of DIII schools. It seems that the 5'8 combo guard will be headed to a DIII college next year, as he provided me with a list of five schools, all of which are DIII schools in the Northeast. Reggie, who does well academically at TCA, is considering Neumann, Gwynedd-Mercy, Delaware Valley, Rutgers-Camden, and Lesley. The first three are in Pennsylvania, while Rutgers-Camden is in NJ and the last of them is in Massachusetts.

Eric Halejian '09 of Ramapo (NJ) is a 5'11 guard who has flown under the radar, but that has not prevented some DIII schools from getting involved in his recruitment. A source close to Halejian has informed me that TCNJ, Ithaca, and Stevens Tech are amongst the DIII schools pursuing Halejian. The senior averaged 18 points per game this season, with a 4:1 assist to turnover ratio. Interestingly, his younger sister, Sarah Halejian, is regarded as one of the best sophomore players in the state of New Jersey.

I will keep you informed on the recruitment on all three of these talented players.