Maryland, Georgetown battling for local recruit Moses Abraham

Last spring, Boncore said he became friends with Maryland assistant Rob Ehsan, who was recruiting some of the players Boncore looked after. As soon as Abraham arrived, Boncore informed Ehsan of his new prospect, and on Nov. 28 -- the day after Maryland returned from playing in the Maui Invitational -- Ehsan came to see Abraham work out.

Well regarded as a personable recruiter, Ehsan quickly developed a bond with Abraham. According to Boncore, of the all the college coaches who have recruited Abraham, the player feels comfortable talking to just four of them: Ehsan, Indiana Coach Tom Crean, Tennessee assistant Steve Forbes and former Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr.

On an unofficial visit to College Park in mid-December, Abraham walked on the court at Comcast Center with assistant Chuck Driesell and freshman forward Jordan Williams. Driesell asked Abraham how high he could jump. In jeans and a jacket, Abraham leapt up and hit his elbow on the rim of one of the baskets.

Ehsan remained in close touch with Boncore and Abraham over the following weeks, making it clear from his standpoint that the Terrapins wanted Abraham to sign with them. But Boncore expressed frustration at times when Maryland assistants said they would bring Coach Gary Williams to Progressive Christian games and then not come.

"I'm waiting for Williams to sit down and really say something," Boncore said Feb. 16. "We'll see what happens. Rob is saying one thing, too. So I'm trying to figure out exactly where he's coming from. I mean, I'm a huge Maryland fan. But man, I cannot figure them out. I just don't understand their modes of operation."

Abraham said he became enamored with the Comcast Center fans and their crude chants while attending three Maryland home games with Boncore this season. After Maryland's 92-71 win over North Carolina on Feb. 7, Abraham met briefly with Gary Williams.

This past week, Boncore said Abraham asked Ehsan if he would be a head coach anywhere next season. In a text message, Boncore wrote, "The kid is sad cause he wants to play 4 rob."

A Hoyas father figure

Progressive Christian Athletic Director Renard Phillips said he has never seen Georgetown publicly flaunt its interest in a recruit like the Hoyas coaching staff has with Abraham. Phillips, who also serves as the under-17 coach for the nationally known AAU program D.C. Assault, alerted the Georgetown staff of a workout in which Abraham and a few of the school's other players would be participating in on the day after Abraham arrived in the U.S.

On Nov. 25, Abraham practiced at Progressive Christian with Jordan Goodman, who orally committed to Georgetown on March 2, and a few of the school's other players. Georgetown coaches, including David Cox, a former D.C. Assault coach, were in attendance.

"Through some friends of the program, just the schools that we know, everyone was looking for a big," Phillips said. "And then once they came in and saw him that pretty much started a buzz about him."

Phillips described Abraham as "super athletic" and noted that Abraham's wingspan and his feel for the defensive side of the game set him apart from other players in his class.

"The way he chases shots and blocks shots, he's able to time it and he doesn't go into the offensive player," Phillips said. "He knows how to use his body to just gauge and go get the basketball instead of just going into the guy. His timing is just exceptional, in my opinion."