[cthomer5000]

GUARDS: FIRST LOOK

I decided I might as well just right these up in real time here, as if they were a 'real' scouting report.

State: North Carolina

Our Southeast Region Scout, Dean Thornton, has a reputation as a 'terrific' offensive line scout. Here's to hoping that reputation is for real, because we need to find an immediate starter at guard.

I start my scouting in state, where my intern has come up with a rough list of 9 players worth even thinking about. Thornton and I immediatley whittle that list down to a realistic 5, the bottom 4 are not (in our opinion), Division I talents.

G Mack Moorthy
rank by position (state/national): 1/36
overall rank: 10/336
scout evaluation: 72 of 100
style: mauler (run blocking strength, very low consistency)
thoughts: Hailing from Cary, NC just 7 miles away, Moorthy is solid, red graded player. I'd expect we'll see a distinctly strong run-blocker, and a so-so pass protecter given his strengths and consistency. He come from a solid high school program (65 preperation).
academics: 2.90, 975 from a high school of dubious quality (20) could be a red flag. we may end up wasting a fair amount of time keeping him on the field
final thought: may be a bit out of our league and comes with minor academic concerns

G Shane Sanderson
rank by position: 2/61
overall rank: 19/529
evaluation: 67 of 100
style: finesse (pass blocking strength, very low consistency)
thoughts: 83 miles away, meaning some of our closer rivals may take away our "proximity" strength. Comes from a 'good' high school program (44), so he likely won't be starting as a true freshman. coded blue
academics: 2.84, 1077 from a very good (61) high school. should not be an academic concern
final thought: not likely to be a freshman starter, but looks to be worth pursuing. he shouldn't need an extra academic time, so he can focus on weights and film. Since we need impact and depth, we should at least give him a phone call.


G O.J. McCombs
thoughts: too big an academic risk (borderline from poor high school), and a 55 grade from a lousy high school (28) doesn't exactly inspire me. I think he'd be a classic wasted scholarship, so I suggest we ignore him, or puruse him as a walkon (very unlikely).

G Harry Patterson
thoughts: outstanding academics, but a very serious question mark in athletic skill. He's rated 53 from a crap school (13). Not worth a scholarship.

G Myron Makuch
thoughts: He's flying red flags at full mast. his lousy academics probably make him worthless as a walk-on, too.


NC summary: 2 guards worth pursuing, and 1 may be out of our league.