July 14, 2010
• 2010-11 Roster
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Navy men's basketball coach Billy Lange has released the names of the Class of 2014 as seven commitments representing four different states have gone through induction ceremonies and have began plebe summer.
"It's a large class for us, but we have typically had large recruiting classes," said Lange, who enters his seventh year at Navy with a record of 81-95. "Sometimes the attrition at Navy lends us to bringing in a bigger class. Last year at this time, we didn't expect it to be this big, but as the year went on, it had to get bigger and bigger. We got very fortunate with this class and our staff worked very hard."
Five guards and two forwards comprise Navy's Class of 2014. Three of the players are from New Jersey and one each from Texas, Maryland, North Carolina and California. Including freshman J.J. Avila, this year's roster will have three players from the state of Texas. Since Lange's arrival before the 2004-05 season, he has brought in seven players from the talent-rich state, and each one of Lange's last five teams have had at least three Texas residents.
"Three things really come to mind with this class. One is that the players have outstanding perimeter skill. We have lost some really good perimeter players in the last three years and it was a primary goal to replenish our perimeter," added Lange. "The second thing that I think this class brings is tremendous quickness. They are all very good athletes. The third, and most underrated aspect of recruiting I think, is having a high basketball IQ. This is the smartest class in terms of basketball feel that we have brought in. They are very unselfish players and once they get adjusted to the collegiate game, you will see that more and more."
Navy posted a 13-17 overall record and finished in a fourth-place tie in the Patriot League with a 7-7 mark. Navy must replace Chris Harris, who finished his career as the school's fifth-leading scorer with over 1,600 points. Lange, however, does welcome back four starters and six letterwinners.
J.J. Avila • McAllen, Texas • McAllen • 6-7 • 240 • Forward A 2010 graduate of McAllen High School, Avila had a sensational high school career ... ranked as the 34th-best player in Texas, according to TexasHoops.com ... was named to the Class 5A Texas Association of Basketball Coaches all-state team, one of 20 players named to the squad ... averaged 21.6 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.6 steals as a senior ... a four-year varsity starter for McAllen, Avila departed as the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,865 career points ... high school coach Roy Swift was quoted as saying, "I have no reservation in saying he's the best player in this school's 100-year basketball history." ... in addition to all-state honors, also earned all-district accolades and team MVP honors ... was named Class 5A District 30's MVP ... was also recruited by the University of Texas-San Antonio, Wright State, Davidson, The Citadel, Colgate and Army among others ... recorded close to a 4.0 GPA during high school ... full name is Joseph John Avila ... born Oct. 11, 1991, in McAllen, Texas ... son of
J.J. Avila and Vicki Simpson.
WHAT LANGE SAYS: J.J. is a guy that we watched on film and immediately fell in love with his toughness. He is another guy that has an old-man's game to him and he has playground instincts and things you can't teach. His number one skill is his passing. Our guys are going to have to be ready when they are open, because he will find them. I think he provides some inside-outside presence and is a rugged rebounder.
Jacob Liebert • Alamo, Calif. • Monte Vista / New Hampton Prep (N.H.) • 6-3 • 190 • Guard A 2009 graduate of Monte Vista High School, Liebert spent the last season at New Hampton Prep (N.H.) ... led the 2009 Monte Vista team to the sectional title ... was a two-time all-conference all-academic selection ... full name is Jacob Andrew Liebert ... born July 16, 1990, in Athens, Ga. ... son of Carl and Army Liebert ... father, Carl, played on three NCAA Tournament teams from 1985-87 while at Navy.
WHAT LANGE SAYS: Has been to our camps and has a great legacy here with his father, who played on NCAA Tournament teams with David Robinson. He understands the history and tradition of the Naval Academy and Naval Academy basketball. He has gotten a lot better over the last few years. His body has changed and gotten stronger and we expect him to come in and push and be competitive and provide us with some energy. He is another kid that really knows how to play the game.
James Loupos • Skillman, N.J. • Montgomery • 6-6 • 185 • Forward A 2010 graduate of Montgomery High School, Loupos exploded onto the scene with an outstanding senior season ... led Montgomery to its first Section IV title in 2010, scoring 20 points with nine rebounds in the title game ... in the Section IV quarterfinals, took over the game with 18 points in the second half to lead Montgomerty to a come-from-behind victory over Rancocas Valley ... in the sectional semifinals, hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to push the game into overtime and to a 59-55 win over Colts Valley, while scoring 25 points with 11 rebounds ... averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds per game ... was an all-area selection and three-time team captain ... chose Navy over offers from Columbia and Vermont ... also lettered twice in lacrosse at Montgomery ... was a member of National Honor Society ... full name is James Peter Loupos ... born March 15, 1992 in Philadelphia, Pa. ... son of Peter and Debra Loupos.
WHAT LANGE SAYS: The first thing I think about with James is his attitude towards team play. Great teammate and is extremely unselfish. One of those guys that we have really enjoyed coaching like
Romeo Garcia,
Adam Teague and
Clif Colbert. He is a hybrid of positions. He handles it well enough to be a guard and shoots it well enough to be a wing, but has good low-post play and can play at the four as well. The way we play where we aren't really numbered outside of the point guard and our center, I think James will give us great versatility.
Isaiah Roberts • Pennsauken, N.J. • Woodbury • 6-2 • 165 • Guard
A 2010 graduate of Woodbury High School, Roberts lettered three times in basketball, twice in football and twice in track ... his twin brother, Jared, will join him at Navy on the basketball team ... led basketball team to a pair of South Jersey Group I titles and a 51-9 record over the last two seasons ... was a two-time first-team all-conference honoree and was all-county and co-county MVP as a senior ... shared player of the year honors with his brother from the Gloucester County Times ... earned State Group I game MVP honors scoring 19 points with six rebounds, the exact same totals as his brother ... helped football team to an 11-1 record as a senior and a South Jersey Group I title ... was a first-team all-academic all-star in football ... helped track team to the New Jersey State Group I title and was a first-team all-conference selection ... was a member of National Honor Society and the recipient of the Homestead Youth Association Scholarship ... full name is Isaiah E. Roberts ... born Nov. 7, 1991, in Vorhees, N.J. ... son of Darryl and Nicole Roberts ... brother, Glenn, played basketball at Coppin State, while cousin, Al Fisher, played hoops at Kent State.
WHAT LANGE SAYS: Isaiah is a slasher, attacker and scorer. Both he and Jared are tremendous passers as well. He plays with endless energy and what I like about him is that he got a lot better from when we started recruiting him to the end of his high school season in terms of his skill-set and scoring.
Jared Roberts • Pennsauken, N.J. • Woodbury • 6-3 • 175 • Guard
A 2010 graduate of Woodbury High School, Roberts lettered three times in basketball, twice in football and twice in track ... his twin brother, Isaiah, will join him at Navy on the basketball team ... played point guard while his brother played shooting guard ... led basketball team to a pair of South Jersey Group I titles and a 51-9 record over the last two seasons ... as a senior, served as the team captain and was a third-team all-South Jersey selection ... shared player of the year honors with his brother from the Gloucester County Times ... helped football team to an 11-1 record as a senior and a South Jersey Group I title ... was first-team all-conference and third-team all-South Jersey on the gridiron as a running back / defensive back ... helped track team to the New Jersey State Group I title and was a first-team all-conference selection as well as second-team all-South Jersey in the triple jump, long jump and high jump ... was a member of National Honor Society ... full name is Jared Kennan Roberts ... born Nov. 7, 1991, in Vorhees, N.J. ... son of Darryl and Nicole Roberts ... brother, Glenn, played basketball at Coppin State, while cousin, Al Fisher, played hoops at Kent State.
WHAT LANGE SAYS: Jared is an old-schooled, playground player. He has some of the old man flavor to it, and has a game that you can't teach. I am sure he spent a lot of time playing with his dad and learning his skills that way. Tremendous athlete and a tremendous winner, claiming titles in football, basketball and track. I think he can play some point guard for us as well as playing off the ball.
Brennan Wyatt • Greensboro, N.C. • Dudley • 5-9 • 154 • Guard A 2010 graduate of Dudley High School, Wyatt lettered four times as the starting point guard for Dudley ... led basketball team to four conference and region championships ... was all-conference four times and all-area twice ... national recruiting analyst Dave Telep called Wyatt "one of the best floor leaders in North Carolina, a pass-first point guard and a dangerous penetrator." ... averaged 12.3 ppg, 7.2 apg and 2.6 rpg while shooting over 82 percent from the free throw line as a high school senior ... high school team, Dudley, was ranked No. 23 in the national preseason poll by NorthStarBBall.com ... prepped with North Carolina-commit P.J. Hairston (Class of 2011), who is widely regarded one of the best rising seniors in America ... full name is Brennan Jaye Wyatt ... born August 7, 1992 ... son of James and Phyllis Wyatt.
WHAT LANGE SAYS: Played for a great high school program in Dudley which has produced a lot of great players. He brings us great shooting ability that will help stretch defense. Tough, competitive kid that plays much bigger than his size. He can take a hit and finish, can get after you some defensively and is a very hard worker.
Thurgood Wynn • Bethesda, Md. • Georgetown Prep • 6-3 • 175 • Guard A 2010 graduate of Georgetown Prep, Wynn lettered twice for the Little Hoyas ... led team to a pair of Jesuit Christmas Classic titles ... as a senior, was an All-IAC selection, the team captain, a member of the All-Amare Stoudamire Tournament team and a Washington Post Player to Watch ... averaged over 11.0 ppg for Georgetown Prep ... also lettered once in track ... was a teammate of Georgetown's Markel Starks, and a training partner of Indiana's Vic Oladipo, Duke's Josh Hairston and UConn's Roscoe Smith ... was a member of the Black Student Association, Student Government and a member of the National Center for Chidren and Camily ... also partook in a New Orleans service trip following Hurricane Katrina ... full name is Thurgood Mitchell Wynn ... born March 4, 1992 ... son of Jerome and Jackie Wynn ... father, Jerome, played basketball at Tuskegee.
WHAT LANGE SAYS: Thurgood is one of those players that we pride ourselves on as a staff, taking guys like
Greg Sprink,
Chris Harris and
Jordan Sugars. We got in early and saw things in Thurgood that we really liked. First off, he has a very high basketball IQ. He fits right in with what we want to do. He moves great without the basketball, is tremendous in transition and his defensive intensity might be the thing I like the most about him.
# GO NAVY #
