Marty Seidlin had 10 calls from Sunday night to early yesterday afternoon, all with the same theme: "What the hell did he see in La Salle?"
Seidlin is the basketball coach at Cardinal Gibbons High in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "He" is his star point guard, 6-3 Sam Mills.
Mills had offers from Georgia Tech, Miami, Auburn and Mississippi State, among others.
"He had 30 to 40 offers at the highest level," Seidlin said
Yesterday morning, Mills faxed a signed letter of intent to La Salle.
"They love the coach," Seidlin said of Mills and his family. "He was honest with them. [Mills'] dad is a physical therapist. They liked the idea that John is PhD. They thought [La Salle] reminded them of the high school."
The coach would be Dr. John Giannini. If you go back a year, many of the same things were being said when Glen Mills big man Aaric Murray signed with La Salle. Like, how did that happen?
It is well known in recruiting circles that Giannini works really hard. He was close to some very good players several times. Now, he is closing the deal.
"Sam is a great addition to our program," Giannini said in a statement released by the school. "He is a highly talented guard with a great work ethic and a very impressive academic record. He received recruiting attention from various basketball powers as well as elite academic institutions. He saw an opportunity to make an immediate impact on a talented team at La Salle."
So, how good is Mills?
"His first step is major, major college," Seidlin said. "He can get into the paint with the best point guards in the country.
"Last year, we played against Brandon Knight, probably ranked No. 1 [at point guard], Kenny Boynton, starting at Florida. None of those teams could stop him from getting into the paint."
Mills was at another school for ninth and 10th grade where he did not get a chance to play much behind some very good guards. He blossomed when he went to Gibbons last year.
"The kid has flourished," Seidlin said. "He's become almost a super."
The smaller school atmosphere really appealed to Mills and his family.
"He said, 'I'd rather go where I feel comfortable in the environment of a smaller school with a terrific coach and a chance to win,' " Seidlin said.
Last season was the first for coach and player.
"I held him back," Seidlin said. "He averaged about 17 a game. It could have been 30."
This season, with a younger team around Mills, Seidlin may want him to score 30.
