by Alex Schwartz

With the late signing period nearly two weeks old, more and more class of 2010 prospects are coming off the board. Yesterday, Chris Fitzgerald of Northfield Mt. Hermon School (MA) selected George Washington and today Wayne Newsom of Piscataway (NJ) opted for Caldwell.

Chris Fitzgerald was a vital player on a Northfield Mt. Hermon School team that made a surprise run to the Prep National Championships title game, before falling short against Brewster Academy (NH). The New Englander made his choice to attend George Washington on Sunday, according to NMH Head Coach John Carroll. Fitzgerald also considered schools such as Cornell, Hofstra, and Quinnipiac, according to New England Hoops News. Fitzgerald, whose commitment was broken by Northstar Basketball via our Twitter page, joins Nemanja Mikic in the Colonials' 2010 recruiting class, per Scout.

The number 30 ranked player in Northstar Basketball's New Jersey Class of 2010 Fab 50, Wayne Newsom, took his name off the board today. Newsom, who garnered interest from a number of Division I programs, opted to stay in-state and attend DII Caldwell. He becomes the fourth player in the Fab 50 to pick a DII school, the second of which is headed to Caldwell. In addition, of the 34 players in the Fab 50 who have made their choices, Newsom is the twelfth who will not be playing DI hoops next year. In addition to the four going DII, one player is going DIII, three are going the JuCo route, three plan to attend prep school, and one will play FCS football.

Newsom, a 6'7 power forward, also considered Cheyney (DII), Norfolk State, Kent State, and Stone Hill (DII). The DII programs were the only ones to extend offers, though Newsom seems quite pleased with his decision. Asked how he picked Caldwell, he replied, "[It is] a good school, they were recruiting me since the beginning of the season, [they have] good coaches, a nice gym, and a lot of tradition and pride at their school."

How does the Garden State standout feel to have the decision behind him? "Good, real good. I work out with a chip on my back because I wanna go into camp this summer playing for big-time minutes. It's more than a game now. I have a lot to prove." Newsom, who will likely have an immediate impact due to his size and athleticism, went on to add, "I just think, overall, going to Caldwell will help my game and I will help them bring a 'ship back to Cougar Nation."

Note- photo is of Wayne Newsom and is from http://blogs.mycentraljersey.com/inthepaint/