Early last month when most of the CofC fan base was either settling into their class schedule or fixated on the start of football season, Coach Wojcik and the basketball program quietly rounded out their three-scholarship freshman class of 2014 with wing Evan Bailey and forward Nick Harris. Both players vocally committed to the program and will join Donovan Gilmore on campus next summer.
Evan Bailey is a 6-6 sharpshooter who is ranked as the 10th best player in the state of Ohio by ESPN. As you can see from the video above, his specialty is his outside shooting. Knocking down open shots from the perimeter was an inconsistent trait of the Cougars last year and the graduation of Nori Johnson and Anthony Thomas will leave an open spot on the wing for Bailey to contribute as a shooting guard or small forward.
In addition to his scoring ability (he averaged 18 points and 8 rebounds last year), Jackson High coach Tim Debevec says Evan is a capable defender at a number of positions and rebounds the ball very well for a perimeter player. However the best asset Evan has working for him, according to scouts as well as his report cards, is his intelligence. He carries a 4.4 GPA, scored a 29 on the ACT and turned down scholarship offers from Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Bucknell and Davidson to play for the Cougars. A history of recruiting high-character players was one of the reasons Doug Wojcik was hired as the Cougars' head coach two years ago. With Canyon Barry and Joe Chealey already on the roster, the Cougars could possibly roll out a stout Science Olympiad backcourt in 2014.
Nick Harris was the last player to commit to the program shortly after word began to spread about Evan Bailey. Nick is a 6'10, 220 lbs power forward from Atlanta who will be enrolling in the Doug Wojcik School of Big Men. Like many of Wojcik's pupils over the years (including most recently Glen Pierre and David Wishon), Harris is still growing into his long and lanky frame and will be asked to bulk up before he arrives on campus. But if the CofC coaching staff can mentor him the way they did with last year's bigs, Harris should have his best basketball in front of him.
He's already an accomplished defender due to his size and athleticism but his head coach at St. Pius X, Aaron Parr, also lauded the way his rising senior's offensive game has come together. "He can play with his back to the basket but he's also got a good mid-range shot... and a good jump hook in the post" according to Parr. Nick chose CofC over Miami of Ohio, Western Carolina and #DunkCity (FGCU).
All three 2014 prospects seem like natural Doug Wojcik type players. Evan and Nick are smart, cerebral defenders with enough versatility on offense to carve out a role on the team. Donovan Gilmore also seems to be an athletic freak for his age and could find himself in a role similar to the one Theo Johnson played last season; a hustling, shot-blocking, flying-in-for-rebounds forward off the bench.
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