PHOTOS: Campbell early signees
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell University head men's basketball coach Kevin McGeehan has inked a pair of highly-regarded players during the 2013 early recruiting period. Six-foot-1 guard Troy Harper of Philadelphia, Pa. and 6-foot-5 forward Curtis Phillips of Memphis, Tenn. have signed national letters of intent and will join the Fighting Camels program in 2014.
"Both young men have played for great high school coaches who have produced loads of college players," said McGeehan, who is in his first year in charge of the Fighting Camel program. "They have played with other great players and have an understanding of how important every piece is to the puzzle of winning. Both are outstanding young men who we are ecstatic to have joining our program."
As a junior at Neumann-Goretti High School, Harper averaged 7.3 points per game, playing alongside Miami signee J'Quan Newton, for Coach Carl Arrigale's team that finished 23-6 and won its fifth-straight Philadelphia Catholic League title.
The Saints are ranked eighth nationally in the Student Sports FAB 50 pre-season poll.
"Troy is an excellent athlete with explosiveness; he has a good sense for the game as well," said McGeehan, who is a native of the Philadelphia area. "He has played at Neumann-Goretti on state championship and nationally-ranked teams, so he has faced high level high school competition. I think he will thrive playing for us with space and freedom to make decisions and read what the defense gives him."
Harper selected Campbell after considering offers from Manhattan, Towson, Boston University and Niagara.
"Troy is going to mature, get taller and he's super, super athletic," said Neumann-Goretti head coach Carl Arrigale. "He can run and jump and will make some great plays. He has a good attitude and likes to be in the gym, so he's going to improve. He's a good kid, a good person, can shoot the ball and really get off his feet. He has a ton of untapped potential and I expect him to have a really good year for us."
A 6-foot-5 small forward, Phillips can guard either back court or the small forward position, according to his coach at White Station High School, Jesus Patino. He is one of four players on the Spartans team to sign with Division I programs this fall, joining Leron Black (Illinois), Chris Chiozza (Florida) and Davell Roby (Saint Louis).
"Curtis is an excellent shooter with good size," said McGeehan. "He has a great understanding of the importance of defense and how to play team defense. Curtis also has played at the highest level of high school competition as his team is currently ranked number-five nationally."
During his junior year, Phillips averaged 11 points and 7 rebounds for the Spartans, who finished 22-6 overall. White Station is ranked as the nation's fifth-best team this season, according to the Student Sports FAB 50 poll.
"Curtis is versatile and a very good shooter," said White Station coach Jesus Patino. "He's a utility man and is always on the floor. He's a borderline high-major player and I think Campbell really got a steal when they signed him."
According to Patino, Phillips considered UT-Martin, Jacksonville State and Northern Arizona before deciding on Campbell.
Coming off a 73-66 win Tuesday at Appalachian State, Campbell (2-0) returns to action Saturday with a 7 p.m. tip at NC State in PNC Arena. The Camels host NC Central Monday night (7:00) at Gore Arena.
