Dereon Seabron was not a name on Minnesota's radar a month ago. But fast forward to the second week of October and things appear to be moving quickly between the prep schooler and the Gophers.
Seabron graduated from Lake Taylor High School in Norfolk last May. At that time all of his offers were of the mid-major variety. They consisted of ones from Robert Morris, Central Connecticut State, Norfolk State, Towson, Radford, Mount St. Mary's, Coppin State, and Hampton.
Instead of choosing one of those programs, Seabron opted for Massanutten Military Academy in Portsmouth, Virginia instead.
That move has already paid off. Since his enrollment in August, he has picked up offers from Minnesota and Virginia Commonwealth, as well as visits from Maryland, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Georgetown, North Carolina State, and Tennessee.
We spoke with Chad Myers, the Head Coach at Massanutten, Thursday night. Seabron may not be a household name yet, but Myers got us caught up with his point guard. He started by describing how Minnesota got involved.
"They came here and visited on the opening day of the September live period. We have eight Division I players on our roster, so Ed Conroy came to check them out. Several scouting services had been here beforehand, so the word was put out about them.
Dereon is one of the most underrated players in the country. After Coach Conroy saw him he told me that everything he had heard was pretty much true. He came through a second time just to make sure his scouting report was correct. It was, so he had Coach (Richard) Pitino come in. He did and he liked him so well that he immediately offered."
Just about every Minnesota fan would like to know what Conroy and Pitino's scouting reports were. Coach Myers was able to give us an answer.
"Dereon is unique. He is 6-foot-6, and he is a true point guard at that size. With his size and length, he sees over guys. He can advance the ball up the floor. In high school he was a good scorer and rebounder, but he is a playmaker first. He makes plays for the other guys. He can also guard the other team's guards. With his size and wingspan, he can switch off ball screens late in the shot clock. He can guard multiple spots."
The other obvious question is how can a player like this have fallen through the cracks in high school. As before, Coach Myers was able to supply us with the information.
"He played some local AAU in Norfolk. Toward the end, he played some on the national level
and got seen, but still not at a high level. Some coaches knew about him."
Myers expects more offers to roll in this season. Mannasnutten plays an aggressive schedule and in fact opens up with Oak Hill next Tuesday night. Besides having games, Seaborn has more on his busy plate. He took an official visit to VCU last weekend, and will take his second starting tomorrow at Minnesota. These are the only two visits that he has scheduled.
Interestingly enough, with a full basketball schedule combined with late college interest, one would think that Seaborn is a lock for the Late Signing Period next spring. Myers says that is not definitely the case.
"Dereon is looking for the right place. He wants to go somewhere where he can have the ball in his hands. He is looking to fill the point guard role. If he finds that right fit, he could go early. But he is not going to rush it."
The Gopher Report will have more on his visit as well as his season opener versus Oak Hill toward the middle of next week.
Seabron graduated from Lake Taylor High School in Norfolk last May. At that time all of his offers were of the mid-major variety. They consisted of ones from Robert Morris, Central Connecticut State, Norfolk State, Towson, Radford, Mount St. Mary's, Coppin State, and Hampton.
Instead of choosing one of those programs, Seabron opted for Massanutten Military Academy in Portsmouth, Virginia instead.
That move has already paid off. Since his enrollment in August, he has picked up offers from Minnesota and Virginia Commonwealth, as well as visits from Maryland, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Georgetown, North Carolina State, and Tennessee.
We spoke with Chad Myers, the Head Coach at Massanutten, Thursday night. Seabron may not be a household name yet, but Myers got us caught up with his point guard. He started by describing how Minnesota got involved.
"They came here and visited on the opening day of the September live period. We have eight Division I players on our roster, so Ed Conroy came to check them out. Several scouting services had been here beforehand, so the word was put out about them.
Dereon is one of the most underrated players in the country. After Coach Conroy saw him he told me that everything he had heard was pretty much true. He came through a second time just to make sure his scouting report was correct. It was, so he had Coach (Richard) Pitino come in. He did and he liked him so well that he immediately offered."
Just about every Minnesota fan would like to know what Conroy and Pitino's scouting reports were. Coach Myers was able to give us an answer.
"Dereon is unique. He is 6-foot-6, and he is a true point guard at that size. With his size and length, he sees over guys. He can advance the ball up the floor. In high school he was a good scorer and rebounder, but he is a playmaker first. He makes plays for the other guys. He can also guard the other team's guards. With his size and wingspan, he can switch off ball screens late in the shot clock. He can guard multiple spots."
The other obvious question is how can a player like this have fallen through the cracks in high school. As before, Coach Myers was able to supply us with the information.
"He played some local AAU in Norfolk. Toward the end, he played some on the national level
and got seen, but still not at a high level. Some coaches knew about him."
Myers expects more offers to roll in this season. Mannasnutten plays an aggressive schedule and in fact opens up with Oak Hill next Tuesday night. Besides having games, Seaborn has more on his busy plate. He took an official visit to VCU last weekend, and will take his second starting tomorrow at Minnesota. These are the only two visits that he has scheduled.
Interestingly enough, with a full basketball schedule combined with late college interest, one would think that Seaborn is a lock for the Late Signing Period next spring. Myers says that is not definitely the case.
"Dereon is looking for the right place. He wants to go somewhere where he can have the ball in his hands. He is looking to fill the point guard role. If he finds that right fit, he could go early. But he is not going to rush it."
The Gopher Report will have more on his visit as well as his season opener versus Oak Hill toward the middle of next week.
