John Hegarty Commits to Portland!!!

Sketchy source, but I'm 99.9% sure it's true. Scroll 3/4 of the way down to the headline "RI Hawks Class of 2008" and the first line is John Hegarty - Commited to Portland:

http://www.eteamz.com/RIHawks/index.cfm?subsite=238560&CFID=9767199&CFTOKEN=63185798

Hegarty came on an official visit last weekend and apparently liked what he saw and committed.

He is listed at 7'0, 350lb, though I've heard he may even be bigger than that now. A true monster. He originally committed to Rhode Island out of high school in 2006, but ended up doing two years of prep school outside of Boston.

Here is a good recent article that tells a bit about him:

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/SPORTS/802270364

He's had some issues with his weight and motivation, but also has great test scores and is an excellent student, not to mention his class president.

Here are some other links about him:

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/recruits/player/139/John-Hegarty.php

http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=2&c=560111&ssf=1&RequestedURL=http%3a%2f%2fscouthoops.scout.com%2f2%2f560111.html

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/player?page=evaluation&recruitId=45123

That kind of size is just unreal... think John Bryant as a freshman. If he can shed some weight, he could turn out to be a terrific player... I've heard he's got soft hands around the hoop and good footwork. Plus, he's been playing with and practicing against a consensus lottery pick (John Riek) for two years, which can only have helped his ability to use his skills rather than just his size.

Just think of our post rotation... Kramer, Luke, Robin, Jasonn, and now Hegarty. Wow. That's a lot of size and a lot of fouls... I can see us becoming a very physical, post-oriented team that will be able to pound it into the paint offensively and force other teams to shoot jump shots on the defensive end. And Reveno is the perfect coach for a kid like this... I like how Rev has recruited to his strength of developing post players.

And just think... Jasonn is going to be in Portland all summer working on his game and continuing to improve his conditioning, and I've heard he's already in much better shape now than he was at the end of last season. If Brad Scott (the new strength and conditioning coach) can work with Hegarty the same way he has with Jasonn, this could turn out to be a terrific signing.

So yeah... I'm pretty excited. With some luck, other WCC teams and fans will remember Hegarty the same way we remember Brad Millard and Jamoke Horton!

Wow, this guy is BIG!

Sounds like a bit of a risky signing, but if he can get his conditioning up... look out!

He could be the next Ron Reis (or was it "Reese"... from SCU... he was an absolute monster... who went on to a short-lived pro wrestling career!)

If anyone can work with Hegarty, its Rev. I like this recruit!

who's going to be the other recruit to come in...

By my count, this week two slots were freed up.

'I can't wait. It looks t me like Rev has realized he has to make some real progress next year, and with the last couple of gets, he just might.

Things just got interesting....

I wouldnt be surprised if we sit on the one remaining scholarship... we wont have any more to give next year (no seniors next year), and we have made offers to a couple talented guys in the Class of 2009...

now, if a Tinsley or Sim type player came along, that would be a different story... but I just dont see us not signing anyone in the next recruiting cycle (Class of 2009).

Agreed that things are starting to get interesting...!

According to Rivals, we have four offers out for 2009:

Mike Moser, SF, Grant, Portland
Larry Richards, PG, Roosevelt, Portland
Brandon Smith, PG, De La Salle, Concord CA
Cameron Wilhite, PG, Pueblo South, Pueblo CO

Scout lists two more:

Darius Morris, PG, Windward, Los Angeles
Andrew Brock, PG, Eisenhower, Rialto CA

Looks like a lot of PGs, which makes sense since Ito and Campbell will both be junior next year.

But Mike Moser would be awesome and fill a need at SF too.

A class of Richards and Moser would be AWESOME - I would love to see us get some local kids - but we've only got one to give, and it would seem to me like Moser would be the better get.

I found some pics online of Hegarty... yeah, he takes up a lot of space under the hoop.... (credit to the South Coast Today newspaper website and Rivals.)

PilotNut, you are a genius!!! Way to find those pics!

Um...... he's HUGE.

If Hegerty can get off the floor, he's going to shake the CC when he lands !

Stone -Thanks for the scoop. He's HUGE...

One of the links said he was considering Portland STATE. Are we sure he committed to Portland and not PSU?

Yeah, I noticed that too. But, Stonehouse usually has the facts. Good news on TJ Campbell , one of the current Pilots played with him recently and said he's the "real" deal. Starting PG in 08-09???

The site that noted PSU is incorrect... it is indeed UP that he committed to!

Sweet...

Mesa- If you haven't seen TJC's tape, it's a must. He sure looks like the "real deal" to me. No question in my mind he starts over Ito.

Re Hegarty, he's committed but when does he sign. There is a date isn't there that the signing period ends ?

This year the late signing period is April 9 to August 1.


Nat'l Letter .org

Check that, that's for most sports. for basketball the last date is May 21.