Soph commits to Bearcats
La Salle's McElroy gives oral pledge
By C. Trent Rosecrans
Post staff reporter
On Friday, La Salle High School sophomore Danny McElroy told Lancers head coach Dan Fleming he wanted to commit to the University of Cincinnati. Fleming, in his 17th year as head coach at La Salle, had never had a sophomore who wanted to commit so early, so he told McElroy to take the weekend to sleep on it.
The 6-foot-7 forward came back Monday and told Fleming he still wanted to be a Bearcat, so the two called UC coach Mick Cronin and gave him the word he was committing.
"The only thing I told him is when you give your word, you have to be positive," Fleming said.
McElroy, 16, gave his word that in two years he'll sign with the Bearcats. Oral commitments are non-binding and players cannot sign binding scholarship players until their senior year of high school. Cronin and his staff are prohibited from commenting on McElroy until a binding letter of intent is signed, which will be in November 2008 at the earliest.
Current Ohio State point guard Jamar Butler of Shawnee Central High School in Lima, Ohio, committed to the Bearcats after his freshman year of high school and then signed with Ohio State. There are no rules restricting the recruitment of committed players, although Fleming said McElroy called several other schools Monday to tell them he was going to be a Bearcat.
According to Dave Telep, Scout.com's national recruiting analyst, McElroy is the seventh sophomore to commit to a Division I school.
"It's definitely a very, very early commitment. To the average person that's outlandish," Telep said. "But they tend to be special circumstances. This is a very unique situation. It's someone everyone is convinced will be a high-major player. Every one (of the seven) has a unique tie to the program. When you get one this early, it's a regional recruit that has some ties to the school. He's regarded as one of the elite prospects in the state in 2009; I can see why Cincinnati wants to tie him up."
Cronin is a La Salle graduate; his father, Hep, is an assistant at the school and Fleming was an assistant when Mick Cronin was in high school.
Recruiting analyst Clark Francis of Hoop Scoop has McElroy rated as the 46th-ranked sophomore in the country and had him as one of the top 30 players overall at this summer's adidas camp.
McElroy's commitment could also have a positive effect on future recruiting.
"(Mick Cronin) can go to every junior in the country and tell them McElroy has committed and that if they come to UC, they're not going to be all by themselves," Francis said. "It's certainly a selling point. I think it's important because you need to keep the top kids at home."
McElroy,16, averaged roughly six points and 5 1/2 rebounds a game for the Lancers last season as a freshman, Fleming said. La Salle went 15-9, and McElroy was the only freshman on the team.
The Lancers return all their players from that squad and while McElroy has improved, Fleming said not to expect huge numbers from McElroy in any of the next three years.
"He's playing on a team that has other terrific players;he's not the only guy," Fleming said. "At no time will Dan average 25-30 points if we're going to be good. In this league (Greater Catholic League), if you have just one guy, they're going to stop you. This is a team game;Dan's a part of it. (Senior guards) Bobby Austin and Sean Hennessy are going to score too. Nobody in this school is going to average 30 points."
His potential, though, was apparently enough to garner looks from UC, Xavier University and Dayton. McElroy has chosen the Bearcats for now.
"This will relax him; he's not trying out anymore," Fleming said. "All he's got to do is be part of our team and improve and take care of his schoolwork and he knows what he's going to be doing for the next seven years."
