With all due respect, Upstate New York does not produce much top-level college basketball talent.
The northern climes of the Empire State brings us wine, apples and ingenuitive ways to displace snow. But Syracuse has gone to another region of the country, down the eastern seaboard, to stockpile its hoops stars.
Baltimore has given the Orange some of its greatest names ever.
Carmelo Anthony begat Donte Greene who begat C.J. Fair (who hopefully begets Josh Selby).
Yet, SU will have to now battle with a new kid on the Inner Harbor block named Derrick Kellogg.
The name should sound familiar; he was a part of UMass’ annual tournament teams in the mid-90s and a longtime John Calipari protege at Memphis.
He’s taken over the Minutemen and staked a flag in traditionally Syracuse territory.
The Fizz asked him what region he’s trying to own on the prep scene¬†(hit the 38:30 mark).
“At some point I’d love to be the school in Massachusetts and this area that everybody, and especially student-athletes say, that’s where I wanna go. I don’t think we’re there yet.”
We’ve done a fantastic job in the Baltimore/DC area. The one kid we’ve signed this year is from DC. We have four or five guys on our roster so at some point half of our team is gonna be from the Washington DC/Baltimore corridor, where they play some of the finest high school basketball in the country.”
Mike Hopkins and Rob Murphy probably don’t have to look over their shoulders yet. Those two guys are rolling 7s and 11s on the recruiting trail these days. But a state school desperate to jump back into the big time with the shadows of Coach Cal (and his vacated Final Fours) in tow is never something to take lightly.
