Flowers Blossoms Into a College Prospect

By Josh Barr
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 17, 2006 12:45 AM

It was important for John Flowers to be noticed on the basketball landscape. That is why the 6-foot-7 junior forward transferred from Thomas Stone to St. Mary's Ryken prior to this season.

Flowers had to sit out the first part of this season because of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference transfer rule, but since joining the Knights' lineup last month, Flowers has had quite an impact, averaging 18.1 points.

Last Friday, when St. Mary's Ryken played at Good Counsel, University of Maryland Coach Gary Williams was among those in attendance, watching as Flowers made another move toward blossoming as a top prospect

"At first it was kind of nerve racking," said Flowers, who scored 17 points to lead the Knights to a 60-56 overtime win after they trailed by 20 in the first half. "I had never played in front of a top Division I coach before. I was nervous at first. I just had to play my game."

The next day, Flowers went to the Maryland-Duke game at Comcast Center.

That was Flowers' second on-campus visit this month. On Feb. 4, Flowers made the trip to Morgantown to see the Mountaineers beat Cincinnati. It was on that visit, he said, that Coach John Beilein made a scholarship offer. Flowers said he also already has offers from La Salle, St. Joseph's and American. He hopes to visit St. Joseph's and George Washington in the coming weeks.

Flowers said that right now his favorite schools are Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Michigan and Texas Tech.

"I have a great coach [Danny Sancomb] that is on the phone for me, sending out tapes, working hard everyday and he's helping me," Flowers said. "I'm playing hard, working hard, keeping my grades up and doing everything I can to help him sell me."

Flowers said that all of the attention has been exciting and it is something he has looked forward to since before high school. Basketball runs in the family; his mother, Pam, was a three-time all-American at Louisiana Tech in the early 1980s and his older brother, Nathan, was two-time all-conference at Thomas Stone.

As for making a college decision, Flowers wants to have things finalized by the fall.

"I'll definitely choose a college by the early signing period," he said.

Dorman Comes Home

Quarterback Harold Dorman led Potomac (Md.) to the Maryland 2A final in 2003 and took a scholarship to Alabama A&M. He redshirted as a freshman then earned offensive MVP honors in his first game this past season, rushing for 53 yards and scoring the go-ahead touchdown in a 27-14 victory over Tennessee State in the John Merritt Classic.

That was the only highlight, however, for Dorman and now local fans will once again have a chance to watch the talented player.

Frustrated with a lack of playing time, Dorman recently transferred to Bowie State, where he will compete for the Bulldogs' starting job.

"Harold was tired of not playing and didn't want to waste his time doing that," Potomac Coach Eric Knight said. "They wanted to move him to receiver. He called me and said, 'Coach, I want to play. I'm tired of sitting.' " Bowie State and Virginia State offered scholarships, Knight said, and Dorman chose the Bulldogs to be closer to home and have a chance to play soon.

"I think it's a good move for Harold," Knight said. "If he could have sat out another year, I could have had him something real nice [on the Division I-A level] but I understand what he wants to do."

The Bulldogs also signed four local high school players: defensive lineman Ryan Brooks and quarterback Davon Gray of Douglass and offensive lineman James Hardaway and defensive back William Johnson of Gwynn Park. Kicker John Riley, from Eleanor Roosevelt, transferred from Cheyney University.

At Potomac, Knight said that cornerback Ollie Thomas signed with Towson and quarterback James Nickens, who started on the Wolverines' consecutive state title teams, likely will sign with St. Augustine's College in Raleigh, N.C.

Linebacker Adrian McLeod and running back Antoinial Coles expect to attend Hargrave Military Academy for a year of prep school as they need to improve their college board scores, Knight said.

Two Sign

Among football players recently signing letters-of-intent, Lee quarterback Greg Jones signed with Bucknell. He rushed for 905 yards and nine touchdowns this past season, his second as a starter.

Also, Riverdale Baptist center Mike Lacey signed with Hampton. It was quite an accomplishment, former Riverdale coach Kervin Wyatt said, as Lacey dropped 60 pounds over the past year. At 6 feet 3, Lacey went from 375 pounds as a junior to 315 pounds by the start of this past season.

"He did a heck of a job," said Wyatt, who recently resigned after five seasons at the Upper Marlboro school. "Just hard work. Running track, serious dieting. He just wanted it really bad."