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Mike Preston: Former New Town multi-sport star Brandon James ready to turn the corner at Maryland | COMMENTARY

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Mike Preston: Former New Town multi-sport star Brandon James ready to turn the corner at Maryland | COMMENTARY


If College of Maryland soccer coach Mike Locksley hasn’t heard about Brandon James, he’ll quickly. James may even knock on Lockley’s workplace door and introduce himself.

Almost a month in the past, James was granted a full scholarship to run monitor and discipline at Maryland. The coronavirus pandemic and a hamstring harm compelled him to overlook his closing two years of eligibility at Morgan State, however the Terps made him a proposal, together with Nebraska and Louisville, when he entered the NCAA switch portal.

James by no means performed highschool soccer, however he’s extraordinarily athletic. He can stroll into virtually any basketball gymnasium, break some ankles and pump in about 20 factors. At New City Excessive College in Owings Mills, he performed level guard for the basketball workforce and averaged almost six objectives as a lacrosse midfielder earlier than he concentrated solely on indoor and outside monitor as a senior.

Oh, and earlier than he gave up these different sports activities, he did play receiver for the soccer workforce for a day or two till his monitor coach, Jordan Davis, suggested him to not take part. However even after watching one apply, assistant soccer coaches from Maryland and Morgan State bought him out of sophistication to speak about taking part in for his or her packages.

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“Brandon was all the time a freak athlete who may play any sport he selected to play and excel,” stated New City athletic director Preston Waters, a former beginning cornerback at West Virginia. “He all the time had that kind of pace which transferred from sport to sport, which finally gave him a bonus. Along with his IQ, you simply needed to put him able the place he may succeed.

“We’ve all recognized folks with straight-ahead pace, however as soon as you set them in pads, it’s like they’re working in quicksand. I feel he might be one heck of a receiver.”

However let’s not soar to this point forward.

At New City, he was the state indoor champion within the 300 and 500 meters and received state outside titles within the 200 and 400. He has a private better of 10.5 seconds within the 100, 21.1 seconds within the 200 and 47.8 seconds within the 400. The pandemic and a protracted hamstring/knee harm shortened his profession at Morgan, which ended Saturday at commencement with a bachelor of science diploma in advertising, however Maryland will permit him to earn one other diploma in psychology.

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In keeping with James, 22, it was simply time to depart Morgan.

“The pinnacle coach and I had been having some variations, and Maryland, as a result of it’s a much bigger faculty with extra services and assets, would permit extra alternatives,” he stated. “Beforehand, I by no means actually thought I had an opportunity to completely heal myself, however now I’m working, lifting and sprinting with none issues or discomfort.

“When Maryland first began recruiting me, they got here somewhat tender as a result of I used to be form of an at-risk athlete. However I went to the NCAA Regional Championships after I was a freshman [at Morgan], in order that they know I can do it.”

But it surely wasn’t all the time about instances and distances. Terps assistant monitor coach Garfield Ellenwood liked James’ angle.

“He had run some good instances out of highschool, and I felt like there was extra within the tank the place he may undoubtedly enhance,” Ellenwood stated. “As soon as I had a dialog with him, I actually appreciated him. He had a confidence about him that you just search for in sprinters. I noticed loads of myself in him, knew this was my kind of athlete.”

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It’s known as being cocky.

Some may name it confidence, however James goes over the road. But that’s a part of what of what makes him profitable. Whereas taking part in lacrosse at New City, James by no means got here off the sector. He was a part of a dying breed within the sport, a two-way midfielder who performed each offense and protection. The one time he rested was when he was moved to assault.

“I simply bought tired of it,” James stated when requested why he stopped taking part in lacrosse. “In lacrosse, it’s a must to handle your pace, you don’t must go full pace on a regular basis. I all the time knew that I used to be quick, however I didn’t know I used to be that quick.”

Ask James about his future objectives, and he spits them out with none hesitation.

“I wish to go professional in monitor, go to the NFL, get a gold within the Olympics, within the 200-meter sprint,” he stated. “Once I come out in 2024, it is going to be time for the following Olympics, and I wish to be prepared for it.”

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Ellenwood stated the 2024 Olympics in Paris are a chance.

“Along with his confidence and background, something is feasible,” Ellenwood stated. “I feel loads of athletes, perhaps not the ‘A’ [level] child, however that ‘B’ or ‘C’ child, have that ‘A’ drive and wish to develop, then the Olympics is a chance, so I can’t say he can’t be the following.”

James wasn’t all the time so goal-driven, however acknowledges his father, Glenn, stored issues in perspective and motivated him. If his father hadn’t instilled the arrogance, he wouldn’t have been in a position to play a number of sports activities.

Changing into so goal-oriented didn’t kick in till his senior 12 months, which is why James goes again to New City to talk to athletes about working onerous.

“I inform them the method, and also you simply can’t be common,” he stated. “Everyone needs to go to a Division I school, however they don’t all the time wish to put within the time and work. There have been instances after I may get lazy, however not one of the scholarships and the accolades would have come if I weren’t prepared to do the work, which I did in my senior 12 months.

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“Onerous work is the simple half now. Self-discipline, that’s actually nothing anymore.”

That self-discipline is what James is hoping will get him to a professional monitor profession, the Olympics and the NFL. He stated he not too long ago posted a 38-inch vertical leap and a broad soar of 11 toes, 1 inch with out coaching. As compared, school soccer gamers spend months getting ready for the NFL scouting mix. For instance, Ravens rookie cornerback Damarion Williams, a fourth-round draft pick of Houston, had a 34.5-inch vertical soar and a broad soar of 11-8.

Rookie working again Tyler Badie, a sixth-round decide from Missouri, recorded a vertical soar of 33.5 and broad soar of 12-1.

It’s extremely unlikely Maryland’s monitor officers would ever permit James to play soccer as a receiver or a kick returner, however it wouldn’t be shocking if the 6-foot, 160-pound James had some kind of NFL professional day, particularly if participates within the Olympics.

“He has all the time been an athletic freak who can do no matter he needed,” Waters stated.

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