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Elijah Brown, a 6-foot, 4-inch forward from New Jersey, was the first to sign his national letter of intent to become a Clipper next season. He is currently spending a post-graduate season at The Robinson School, which will help prepare him for the collegiate game.
Five-foot, 6-inch guard Julianne Wilkinson, who currently stars at Red Hook High School and on her AAU team, has also been signed by women’s coach John DeSio.
According to men’s coach Brian Sodney, Brown’s season facing increased competition with The Robinson School will greatly benefit him as a member of the Clippers. The school provides a nine-month program that is designed specifically to prepare young men for collegiate sports. According to the school, more than 100 scholarship athletes have come out of the post-graduate basketball program.
Sodney said that Brown has a natural feel for the game, and a knack for finding the ball in big spots.
“Elijah made a big impression on our staff this summer with his ability to win the basketball in tough spots,” he said. “He has a nose for the basketball and gets a ton of steals and rebounds using his frame. Our staff was really impressed by his confidence.”
Wilkinson, who has a career average of 23 points per game, has scored more than 800 points and recorded nearly 150 steals and 100 assists. Last season, she was her team’s leading scorer, and was a deciding factor in the Lady Raider’s 11-7 record, which was good for an appearance in the Section 9, Class A tournament.
As a junior, Wilkinson was named to the New York State Sportswriters Association’s Class A-All State eighth team.
“We followed her this past summer on the Triple Threat Elite AAU team under Coach Jeff Hackett,” DeSio added. “She is an excellent guard who creates her own shot.”
Both Brown and Wilkinson will report to Concordia in August to kick off the 2014-15 season.
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