The Classes of 2010 are taking shape at Harvard and Dartmouth with some recent additions, two of whom could be immediate impact players next season. Harvard brought in a pair of guards and a forward, while Dartmouth has added another point guard and center.
Harvard received a commitment from Lithuanian wing Tomas Balcetis out of the Holderness School in New Hampshire and could wind up being a steal for the Crimson. Balcetis had visited Stanford in September and reportedly was offered a scholarship by Richmond back in 2004, but recruiting interest appeared to wane during his senior year, which was good news for Harvard. The 6-5 shooting guard is regarded as a talented spot-up shooter — something the Crimson definitely could use after shooting just 31.6 percent from the arc in 2005-06.
Local prospect Doug Miller of Winchester also committed to Harvard after involvement with Brown and Dartmouth. The 6-7 power forward joins Duxbury’s Pat Magnarelli as Massachusetts natives in Harvard’s recruiting class, giving Frank Sullivan four in-state products on his roster next season.
The Crimson coaches also added depth to the class with 6-3 guard Alek Blankenau out of Lincoln Southeast High School in Nebraska. Blankenau played on a team with 6-11 Texas recruit Matt Hill, and was named Second Team All-City after a senior season where he averaged 13.2 points per game, largely on the strength of 53-of-121 (44 percent) shooting from three-point range.
Dartmouth got a big commitment from 6-9 Kurt Graeber of Fullerton JC. Graeber played on a Fullerton team that went 37-0 last year after starting out as a walk-on at Arizona State. The JuCo transfer projects as one of the better frontcourt recruits in the league this recruiting year and will be immediately eligible at Dartmouth — a program with a need at center.
The Big Green staff also locked up a commitment from a second point guard: Brandon Ware out of Dallas. The 5-11 Ware joins Colorado recruit Robby Pride as point guards in the Big Green’s recruiting class after opting for Dartmouth over some lower-level WAC and HBCU interest — including from former Penn assistant Gil Jackson at Howard.
