Top college coaches on hand for Hargrave basketball practice

CHATHAM — The sound of grass bending underneath the rough and tumble of football players was broken by the sounds of basketballs swishing through nets and players’ shoes squeaking after making hard cuts.

Hargrave Military Academy’s post graduate basketball program began showcasing its talent over the past two days with big name college basketball programs on campus to scout and recruit some of the best prep talent in the country.

More than a dozen schools were represented, including Florida International University as new coach Isiah Thomas was on hand. Thomas has yet to coach a collegiate game, but has one of the best recruiting classes for the 2010 season.

Dominique Ferguson, a 6-foot-8 forward, has already committed to play for Thomas at FIU.

“It’s actually great for us to have this opportunity to watch them in practice,” the former Detroit Pistons point guard and NBA Hall of Famer said. “When you get a chance to watch them in practice, you see how they interact with their teammates, you see how they interact with their coaches — if they can accepting coaching. It’s a great format for us.”

The players worked up a sweat during fast-paced drills that were designed to acclimate the former high school players to the college game. The coaches and scouts watched with earnest and looked for some of the similar things Thomas was looking for.

Last season, six Hargrave players signed with major Division I schools on the first day of the signing period. That number could be higher this season as many have already committed or are on the verge of committing. Former NBA all-star Shawn Kemp’s son, Shawn Kemp Jr., has committed to the University of Alabama.

“It’s a big thing for our post-grad program and also just for the community,” Hargrave post-grad coach Kevin Keatts said. “You’ve got some of the biggest colleges coming around and then you’ve got some of the biggest college coaches coming around. It’s good for our kids because it gives them the opportunity to play in front of some of these colleges and earn a scholarship. And it’s good for Hargrave also.”

American University coach Jeff Jones, who manned the sidelines for the University of Virginia for eight seasons, continues to make the trip to Chatham to recruit.

“When I was at Virginia, we obviously developed a strong relationship with (former coach) Scott Shepherd, when Scott was here and before him with Mike Burns,” Jones said. “It’s always been a good spot to know that you’re going to get good kids who are going to play the game the right way. It’s something we’ve continued since moving up to American.”

Hargrave has 14 players on its roster and look to add to the 34 players that have gone on to play in college in the past three years.

“I think it shows that our program has some of the best prep talent in the country,” Keatts said. “It also shows that we got a really, really good school. Obviously, college coaches want to make sure the kids can make it academically at their place and be able to survive socially. I think it says a lot about Hargrave in general and it says a lot about the post-grad program.”