Men's Hoops Recruiting Class Lauded by ESPN.com
Group features a Parade All-American and Kentucky's Gatorade Player of the Year
Joe Jones' first recruiting class at BU consists of four players

Joe Jones' first recruiting class at BU consists of four players

June 11, 2012

ESPN.com article |  Summer update interview with Coach Jones

Player articles: M. Watson |  J. Papale |  N. Dieudonne

BOSTON - Featuring a Parade All-American and the state of Kentucky's Gatorade Player of the Year, the Boston University men's basketball team's incoming freshman class has been recognized by ESPN.com as one of the best at the non-BCS level.

The America East's Terriers were just one of two in the Northeast alongside Temple and one of 12 overall to be graded in an article examining the top classes from teams in non-BCS conferences. The 12 schools came from the following leagues: Atlantic 10 (3), Conference USA (2), Mountain West (2), America East (1), Colonial Athletic Association (1), Horizon League (1), Missouri Valley (1) and the Western Athletic Conference (1).   

Entering his second year at the helm, head coach Joe Jones and his staff were credited for making a big splash by signing point guard Maurice Watson Jr. (Philadelphia, Pa.), who currently ranks No. 91 in ESPN's top-100 poll. Watson is a 5-foot-10 and 165-pound guard from Boys Latin H.S. He netted 2,356 career points, the second most in the Philadelphia Public League, finishing ahead of all-time greats like Wilt Chamberlain. In his final season, he averaged 21.8 points and 7.5 assists in leading the Warriors to a 25-7 record and the PIAA Class AAA state semifinals.


 

 

Showing the diversity in the four-player class, the 6-foot-7, 210-pound Nathan Dieudonne (Crestwood, Ky.) guided Trinity High School to its first state basketball title this past season to earn Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Kentucky. Adding to his trophy case, Dieudonne was also chosen as Kentucky's Mr. Basketball, becoming the first player from a private school in 50 years to receive the award. He had 12 points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots against Scott County in the final to finish the season at 14.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.4 spg and 1.3 apg.

Receiving over 20 Division I scholarship offers, the sharpshooter John Papale (Wallingford, Conn.) was recently named New Haven Register and NEPSAC Class A Player of the Year and one of the nation's top 25 three-point shooters by ESPN.com. Standing 6-foot-3, he shot 51 percent behind the arc as a sophomore and set a NEPSAC record at Choate H.S. by hitting nine treys in a half as a junior. In his final season, he averaged 19.5 points per game on just over 13 shots per game along with six rebounds and four assists. He shot 52 percent from the floor and 45 percent from the 3-point line and is the leading scorer at Choate with 1,310 points in just three seasons.

Justin Alston (Washington D.C.) rounds out the class. A 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward from Archbishop Carroll, he averaged 11.4 points per game last season and became a consistent double-double machine down low, highlighted by a 19-point, 10-board performance in his final regular season game. Serving as senior team captain, he was invited to the Capital Classics All-Star Game and was a Maryland All-League Honorable Mention selection.

The four men join a program that returns seven players from last year's squad that went 12-4 in America East play for a third-place finish. Though BU lost the contributions of AE Player of the Year Darryl Partin, it features an All-Conference Second Team honoree in D.J. Irving, who became the first Terrier since 1990 to lead the league in assists.