I think it was when we signed Reggie Keely that Bornacat said that John Groce goes after winners. He liked players who had won big at the HS level, feeling that they knew how to claw and scratch and win. Winning is also contagious, I think he said.

For a while, we went for under-the-radar type players. No more. The players we seem to be targeting are top flight players who have been winners.

Ben Roderick--Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Ohio, led Columbus area in scoring, took his team all the way to the state Final Four in his senior season.

Lunden McDay--Comes from a winning program where he ran the point. This year, his team went to the state championship game. He has seen success.

Marvin Price--As a sophomore, was the Baltimore Player of the Year, leading his team to the Baltimore City and Maryland State titles. He left the team his junior year and the team floundered, apparently not making the playoffs. He returned his senior season, and again led his team to the Baltimore City and Maryland State titles.

and possibly...

Zane Meeks--Plays for Brewster Academy, who just won their sixth National Prep Title in nine years. This is a program that only knows how to win, with a winning percentage of nearly .860 in the last thirteen years.

I'll own that. In 2008 there was one guy with 2 rings from State Finals in the locker room. The next year rings from Seton, Centennial, Princeton etc got recruited and winning in March became a culture. I don't think I knew about any success Keely had on the tourney trail. THough he came out of a good program I thought at the time with Horne, Kinney, DJ, Bassett that he and Ivo were the guys that would be the weakest links in that incoming class but would buy in to the groupthink. Walt came later, as voracious as his appetite for winning was he never made it out of sectional with Conley and Oden there. Similar to guys like McRoberts and Dom James he played in ultra competitive sectionals. Walt, Bassett and Tommy all lost to Oden and Conley at various stops on the tourney trail in March. Success in March fuels the inner fire...once you been there you want to get back. Nothing like it.

I was on 1990 intramural championship team.

was a rock solid 0 star recruit. had some speed, leaping ability, ball control skills. FT skill. poor FG % outside of fast breaks and had no ability to create own shot.

thankfully the bobcat senior football players adopted my sophomore carcass as an act of kindness. #NightTrain

taught me how to win. ha!