When Anthony Latina became the Sacred Heart head coach in late May, one of his first tasks was to fill the scholarship opened up when De’Aires Tate unexpectedly transferred. It appears the Latina can cross that goal off the to-do list.
A source has indicated that Eyimofe “Mofe” Edukugho, a 6’6″ power forward who last played at Erie Community College, has verbally committed to Sacred Heart. The athletic, yet undersized Edukugho was a Division II JUCO All-American selection this past preseason, yet he tore his ACL in his first game this past November. Prior to the injury, Edukugho had an excellent freshman season with Erie, establishing an impressive nose for the basketball on the defensive end, among other talents.
Realistically, Sacred Heart never would have had a chance to procure a JUCO talent like Edukugho if it wasn’t for the ACL injury he suffered last year. Still, this may prove to be a savvy gamble by Latina and his staff, should Edukugho return to the level he exhibited before the knee injury. Edukugho and sophomore Tevin Falzon now give Latina two high ceiling bigs, with each possessing three years of eligibility. Throw in 6’11” redshirt freshman Cole Walton, and you have a young frontcourt with upside.
In addition, reports out of Fairfield indicate that Evan Kelley and Chris Evans are both healthy after each missed last season because of lingering knee issues. Both are enrolled at Sacred Heart for the summer session, and have been working out on campus. Kelley and Evans will be absolutely needed if Latina wants to begin his Sacred Heart career on a positive note.
Edukugho is likely the final piece to the 2013-14 Pioneer roster. He joins 6’0″ combo guard Leo Vincent, 6’5″ wing De’Von Barnett, and 6’2″ guard Jordon Gleason as Sacred Heart’s latest recruiting class. The current depth chart shakes out like this:
PG: Phil Gaetano, Leo Vincent
SG: Steve Glowiak, Jordan Gleason
G: Chris Evans, Evan Kelley (will likely fill in at all three guard positions)
F: Louis Montes, Eyimofe Edukugho, De’Von Barnett
C: Tevin Falzon, Mostafa Abdel-Latif, Cole Walton
We’ll have more on the Sacred Heart recruiting class in the weeks to come.
You can follow Ryan on Twitter @pioneer_pride
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