UAlbany men's basketball recruits 2007/2008

Anthony Raffa, point guard

Anthony Raffa is a 6-foot-1, 175-pound point guard from Strathmere, N.J. (Wildwood Catholic H.S.). Raffa was the second-leading scorer in the Cape Atlantic League at 22.7 points per game. He also ranked among the league leaders in assists (3.0 pg), steals (3.3 pg) and free throw percentage (.715). As a junior, he was voted first-team All-Cape Atlantic League National Conference. Raffa led Wildwood Catholic to New Jersey 's Non-Public Class B final, the program's first appearance in the championship since 1988. The Crusaders, who went 22-8 overall, also captured the South Jersey , sectional and CAL National titles. Raffa averaged 11.0 points per game as a sophomore.

"He is our point guard of the future and a fierce competitor," Brown offered. "He led his team to the state championship game and played at the prestigious ABCD summer camp last year. He is fearless and can flat out make plays, so we have high expectations that he will have a postive effect on our program from day one."

Billy Allen, swingman

Billy Allen is a 6-foot-6, 210-pound swingman from Hamilton, Ohio (Hamilton H.S.).
Allen was named to the 2005-06 Associated Press Division I All-Ohio squad in the honorable mention category. He averaged 17.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists when he was chosen to the All-Southwest District second team. Allen, who posted a triple-double in one game as a junior, also earned a spot on the All-Greater Miami Conference squad. He contributed 12.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in his sophomore campaign, and was the sixth man on Hamilton 's 2003-04 Division I state championship team.

"He understands the game as a coach's son," UAlbany head coach Will Brown said. "He is a big-time shooter and plays every position on the floor for his high school team. His versatility, shooting ability and physical make-up will allow him the opportunity to make an impact as a freshman."

Albert Turley, forward

UAlbany received an oral commitment on Wednesday night from 6-foot-7, 270-pound forward Albert Turley of Westfield High School in Houston, according to Westfield coach Larry Brown.

Turley averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and a city-leading 4.2 blocks per game for Westfield, which finished 25-11 in Class 5A, Texas’ highest division.

“He’s a big kid and he’s got a lot of upside,” Larry Brown said. “He’s a great kid and he’s got good hands. His future is ahead of him. He’s a great character person.”

Larry Brown said Turley had scholarship offers from McNeese State and Southeastern Louisiana during the early signing period but decided to wait.

Larry Brown said Purdue, Arkansas State and New Mexico were scheduled to see Turley tonight, but he expected Turley to stick by his decision.

“He liked the (Albany) kids,” Larry Brown said of Turley’s visit to UAlbany .“Coach Brown did a tremendous job recruiting him. They’ve been in the (NCAA) tournament the last couple of years and they have a definite need for a big (player). It was just a good fit.”

Josh Martin, guard

We finished up our 2007 recruiting class with the addition of Josh “SCRAP” Martin from Simon Gratz HS in Philly. Josh is a tough hardnosed city guard who has a great feel for the game. He won a state championship as a junior and lost in the city final as a senior. Simon Gratz has a history of sending players to the Division 1 level. NBA players Aaron McKie and Rasheed Wallace played at Simon Gratz. Josh had offers from several programs and we were fortunate to be the university that he decided to attend.

We are excited about the potential of the 2008 Great Danes! It was very important to me that we continued to recruit and sign quality people. The young men in this class will have an impact on our program over the next four years. They will work hard and represent our program and university in a positive manner!

Jerel Hastings, small forward

Jerel will be transfering from Lon Morris CC, TX. Jerel is an excellent athlete who has that special ability to draw fouls. He does a great job of attacking the basket. He is an excellent offensive rebounder and finisher. Jerel is a good mid-range shooter and can defend four spots on the perimeter.

Lon Morris CC won the region championship and advanced to Hutchinson, KS where they finished 6th at the NJCAA National Tournament. He was the teams 2nd leading scorer, leading rebounder, and leader in FT’s made and attempted. He can do a little of everything.

He played high school ball at Dallas South Oak Cliff HS and won a state championship as a senior. He signed with Stephen F Austin University and had a rough freshman year because of injury. He tore up his knee and had surgery during the early part of his freshman season. He missed 9 games as a result of the injury and came back too quickly. He was 100% this past season and was the best player on a very talented Lon Morris CC basketball team.

Robert Moores, guard

The UAlbany men’s basketball team filled its final scholarship for next season with the commitment of 6-foot-2 guard Robert Moores of Pratt (Kansas) Community College, Pratt coach Trevor Rolfs confirmed Tuesday night.

Moores, a Chicago native, averaged 13.9 points per game and shot 41.9 percent from 3-point range for Pratt, which was 24-8 overall as a member of the Jayhawk Community College Conference.

Rolfs said Moores can play both guard spots and fill UAlbany’s need for perimeter scoring following the departure of guards Jamar Wilson and Jason Siggers.

“He’s got good size for a point guard - at 6-2 he’s very long,” Rolfs said. “He handles the ball extremely well. He’s a very tough kid mentally and physically. Probably what sets Rob apart from a lot of point guards is that the best part of his game is that he’s a very good 3-point shooter.”

Moores spent two seasons at Pratt, but redshirted his first year, so he’ll have three seasons of eligibility remaining at UAlbany. That’s more than the usual two seasons a school gets from a juco transfer.

Rolfs said Utah State and Northern Colorado also were “heavily involved” with Moores but had yet to offer him a scholarship.

Moores visited the UAlbany campus last weekend and signed his national letter of intent on Tuesday.

Asked why Moores chose UAlbany, Rolfs explained, “They’re an established program in a good conference and they’ve been to the NCAAs the past two years. He just felt comfortable with their system and what they’re going to want him to do.”

Tim Ambrose, guard 2006 Recruit, eligible this coming year.