"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Sometimes, it takes a Virginia native to get one to
venture out-of-state.
class=SpellE>Kecoughtan Class of 2015 point guard
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Marcell
normal'> Haskett will be taking his talents
outside the Commonwealth and traveling a little less than four hours north to
class=SpellE>Emmitsburg, Maryland to play for Coach
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Jamion
normal'> Christian and the Mount St.
Mary's Mountaineers in the Northeast Conference.
style=>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The 6-foot-tall Haskett made
the call on Saturday while on a visit to the school.
style=> He was also offered by Hampton University and
drew interest from Old Dominion as well as Tennessee Tech.
style=> In the end, the relationship he built with
the coaching staff, most notably Christian and assistant
normal'>Donny Lind, turned out to play a major part in his choice.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"Coach Christian is a great coach and was very helpful
during the whole process of my recruitment.
He stayed on me the hardest and Mount St. Mary's has been on me from day
one since my sophomore year. They always
stuck with me," Haskett told VirginiaPreps.com.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"When I went up there, I met some of the players and a
lot of people that sold it to me. They
told me I can be really successful in their program, and he's the type of coach
I want to play for in college. We really
clicked and that's when I decided to make my commitment there."
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Christian, a former assistant at VCU when the Rams made
their famous run to the Final Four in 2011, played his High School Basketball
at New Kent. It was there that he won a
state title 14 years ago. His Mount St.
Mary's squad has gone 34-31 over the last two seasons, highlighted by a trip to
the NCAA Tournament this past March.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Mount St. Mary's is no stranger to luring players from
the Tidewater area with recent standouts such as Kelly Beidler
(Tallwood), Markus Mitchell (Salem) and Julian
Norfleet (Landstown), whom Haskett
got familiar with during his time there.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"I got to talk to Julian from Landstown
quite a bit and he told me that Coach Christian is someone that's going to help
and I can go to him when I have problems," said Haskett,
who played on the AAU circuit with Team Loaded 757 this summer.
style=> "That was one of the main things that helped
me. I know Coach Christian was under
class=SpellE>Shaka (Smart) at VCU where they won a lot.
style=> He likes to win and I like to win."
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The up-tempo style of play at Mount St. Mary's should
make for a rather seemingly smooth transition for the speedy playmaker.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"I like the defense that they play with their pressing.
style=> It's kind of like VCU where they do that 'Havoc,'
but they call it 'Mayhem.' It's similar
and I think it's going to be great. I
can get my points off of the defense and then facilitate for my team,"
class=SpellE>Haskett added.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"I think I can bring to their program that winning
attitude and the point guard abilities.
Coach Christian said he watched me in High School and AAU, and the thing
he liked about me the most was that I could facilitate, but I could score, too.
style=> He also liked my energy."
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Haskett
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
has a played a key role in Kecoughtan's success since
his freshman season. As a sophomore, he moved
into the starting lineup and averaged 8.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists
per game to help Kecoughtan achieve their second
straight State Tournament berth and a 25-6 overall record.
style=>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>With the Warriors having to replace Rajay
Bullock (Providence) and Greg Alexander (ECU), Haskett
turned into the go-to option and flourished at 21.5 points per game, tops in
the Peninsula District. In the team's
regional quarterfinal loss to Landstown, he poured in
a career-high 41 points. To go with his
scoring exploits, he averaged 5.1 assists and 3.2 steals per game to earn
Second Team All-State and First Team All-Monitor Merrimac Conference honors as
class=SpellE>Kecoughtan won 17 games.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"I think it's a good fit.
style=> They wanted him as much as he wanted to go
there, and I believe he'll have a good career there," remarked
class=SpellE>Kecoughtan Head Basketball Coach
normal'>Ivan Thomas, who pointed to Haskett's
defense as what separates him from most point guards.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"What I like about his game is he's a lockdown defender
as a guard. He can also score the
ball. But his strongest attribute is his
ability to defend any point guard with his quickness.
style=> That's going to serve him well.
style=> He's just beginning to scratch the surface of
what he can do."
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>In each of Haskett's three
seasons at Kecoughtan, the Warriors have been ranked
in the Top 10 in the state and been one of the top contenders.
style=> Completing his career there with a Championship
before heading off to the next level will be the goal.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"We've got Damian Knowlin
coming back and we've got Taqwain Drummond (from
Woodside) coming over. I've been to VCU
for two years and then last year lost to Landstown.
style=> Of course, no one likes to lose, but I don't
want to lose again in the playoffs," stated Haskett.
style=>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get my team
back to VCU, and as long as we get everybody on the same page, we'll have an
opportunity to get back to where we were, get further than we were last year
and possibly win it all."
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";text-decoration:none;text-underline:
none'>Matthew Hatfield
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>
href="http://www.virginiapreps.com">
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>VirginiaPreps.com
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, part of the Rivals.com
href="https://www.twitter.com/hatfieldsports">
normal'>
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>Hatfield's Twitter page
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> for more sports related updates,
href="http://www.suffolknewsherald.com">
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>Suffolk News Herald
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
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text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, and don't forget to listen to him
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";text-decoration:none;text-underline:
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style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>,
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