Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Future Rutgers QB Tom Savage of Philadelphia Cardinal O’Hara and Notre Dame-bound RB Theo Riddick of (Sommerville) Immaculata will be among the big-name stars on display Thursday night in the Big Time Football Showcase at Rutgers Stadium.
Some 270 of the nation’s top prep football players, including Saddle Brook LB Steve Beauharnais, who holds an offer from Rutgers, and many other Passaic and Bergen stars, will compete in the event. It is open to the public (for a fee) and highlights will be simulcast on CBS College Sports TV (formerly CSTV).
Among those coming with offers from Rutgers are Verona LB Carlo Calabrese and Union DE Michael Larrow, “whom Lemming calls the biggest sleeper in the state.”
College coaches are not allowed to attend the event because of a new NCAA rule, but can watch the players run the 40-yard dash and participate in various positional drills on TV.
sb”What’s unique is it will help the kids get recognition,” said recruiting expert Tom Lemming of CBS. “College coaches will be watching. It will be televised all over the country. It’s a real good collection of the top kids in the East, especially New York, New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania.”
Chris Melvin, Chuck Mound and Nick Lubischer, who did such a great job putting the Elite College Combine together over the past few years, helped make this event after the NCAA rules changed.
Check below for a list of the Passaic and Bergen kids invited. And come back on Thursday for my feature story on the Big time Showcase.PASSAICBrendan Murphy – Passaic ValleyDan Farley – DePaulJames Jurowicz – DePaulTJ Kowal – DePaulShakim Phillips – DePaulDanny Deighan – LakelandTyler Johnson – LakelandDante Burton – Paterson CatholicMaurice McDonald – Paterson CatholicChris Fonti – Wayne HillsBryan Ogden – Wayne HillsSam Stallard – Wayne ValleyBERGENRob Eckrote – Bergen CatholicBrett Knief – Don BoscoTrace McDermott – Don BoscoMatt Strizak – Don BoscoRyan Cobb – Don BoscoPat Murray – Don BoscoDillon Romain – Don BoscoMalcolm Bush – HackensackPhillip Bigelow – Queen of PeaceRoss Krautman – RamapoDylan Reid – RamseySteve Beauharnais – Saddle BrookGabriel Hernandez – St. Joseph
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.