UD BASKETBALL
Flyers looking to add JUCO point guard
Sunday, April 27, 2008
DAYTON — The departure of Brian Roberts leaves the University of Dayton basketball team with two backups dueling for the starting point guard job, but coach Brian Gregory is looking to beef up the competition by adding a junior-college player capable of running the show.
Rob Lowery, a first-team Division II JUCO All-American from Forestville, Md., made an official visit to UD this weekend. He's also visited Fresno State and Central Florida.
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The 6-foot-2, 165-pound sophomore, who will have two years of eligibility left, averaged 18.2 points and nine assists per game while leading Cecil Community College in North East, Md., to a 31-1 record last season. He made 75 3-pointers, connecting at a 41-percent clip.
Cecil C.C. averaged 100.9 points per game.
"He was the fire to our team, our catalyst, our most consistent player and a high-energy guy," coach Bill Lewit said. "He's an overall tremendous playmaker."
Gregory can't comment on unsigned recruits, but he reportedly also met last week with Jeremie Simmons, another first-team Division II JUCO All-American from Mott Community College in Flint, Mich.
The 6-2, 170-pound Simmons, who averaged 21.1 points and five assists per game and led Mott to its second consecutive national title last season, made a recent visit to Ohio State.
"I like Simmons a little better," said Bret Swanson of the recruiting service JUCO Junction. "Lowery, to me, plays at one tempo, a 94-foot tempo. Simmons is able to control it more. ... But Rob is very talented."
In a JUCO all-star game in Arizona last week, Lowery had 19 points, eight assists and six 3-pointers.
"He's really a much-improved shooter," Lewit said. "He was a great penetrator when he got here, and we tried to diversify his game more. ... He can really stretch defenses. He made himself difficult to guard."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
