• Georgia Southern's underrated class

  • By Mike LaPlante, ESPN Recruiting | May 13, 2010 1:34:43 PM PDT
After taking over a Georgia Southern program that was in disarray, coach Charlton Young and his staff have quickly changed the culture and expectations surrounding the program by recruiting C-USA/SEC level players that should immediately impact the program.The incoming 2010 class is talented, deep and arguably the best in school history. The charismatic Young, a Hall of Famer at Georgia Southern, went out and signed two quality power forwards in 6-foot-7 Marvin Baynham (Miami/Norland) and 6-8 Sam Mike (Atlanta/Columbia) who will help anchor the interior. However, Young scored biggest on the perimeter with 6-3 combo guard Trey Bussey (Lithia Springs, Ga./Lithia Springs), 6-2 shooting guard Jelani Hewitt (Oakland Park, Fla./Northeast) and 6-8 small forward Eric Ferguson (Statesboro, Ga./Winchendon School)."We are working hard to get the program into the upper echelon of the Southern Conference, compete for championships and have a team that could advance within the NCAA tournament," said Young who has quickly developed a reputation as a sharp game tactician. "We believe this class will lay the foundation for future success."Hewitt and Ferguson will have the competition taking notice that Georgia Southern is back in the hunt for conference championships. Hewitt, who is a John Salmons-type, is a high level player that spurned A-10/C-USA programs to play for Young and should be an impact in the Southern Conference."[Hewitt] is such a competitor," said Young. "He loves the fact that he will play with other good players and he is excited about the future of Georgia Southern basketball."Ferguson has NBA potential and may be one of the biggest steals in the country because he could easily contribute as a freshman to many ACC/SEC programs. "[Ferguson] has continued to improve and has taken his game to another level. He gives us a high major wing with size that will cause matchup problems for opponents," said Young.You would think that most programs would be satisfied with this recruiting haul, but Young, who had a reputation as one of the top recruiters in the country during his days at Georgia Tech and Auburn, is still focused on trying to land one more prized recruit in the late signing period. "If I get who I am going after, look out," said Young.

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