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Citadel BB Coach Praises FUMA's Program
In an article appearing in the Charleston, SC Post and Courier, Citadel head basketball coach Ed Conroy describes his 18 years of recruiting experience at Fork Union Military Academy and sings the praises of FUMA's basketball program and head coach Fletcher Arritt.
http://www.charleston.net
Prepped and ready: Fork Union a valuable stop for Citadel duo
By Jeff Hartsell (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Twice a year, Citadel coach Ed Conroy makes a pilgrimage to the rolling hills of central Virginia, to the campus of a military school that sits on 650 acres in the middle of nowhere, halfway between Richmond and Charlottesville.
He goes to watch the basketball team at Fork Union Military Academy practice.
"I've been going up there for 18 straight years, at least once in the fall and once in the spring," Conroy said. "I like to go up there in the fall for one of their first practices to see how they look, and then go back in the spring because there's always at least one player who surprises me with how much they've developed."
Fork Union, founded in 1898, is a college preparatory boarding school and an increasingly popular stop on the college recruiting map. Conroy found two of his current Bulldogs, freshmen Austin Dahn and Phillip Pandak, at Fork Union, and at least eight current Southern Conference players put in a year at Fork Union before going on to college.
"That year is invaluable to all the players that go through there," Conroy said. "And to a man, they will tell you that. And the main reason is the coach up there."
That coach is Fletcher Arritt, who himself played at Fork Union and has been the team's coach since 1970. Arritt has sent 52 players to Division I colleges since 2000, including seven from last year's team that featured Dahn, Pandak and College of Charleston freshman Donovan Monroe. Arritt is the subject of a documentary film in the works called "The Passing Game."
"He's one of the best coaches in the country and a tremendous influence," Conroy said. "In their year under them, they become part of that program for life."
Dahn, from Columbus, Ohio, and Pandak, who is from Richmond, both decided to go to Fork Union to improve their skills and increase their chances at a D-I scholarship.
"My high school was not a big basketball school and I didn't get a lot of exposure," said Dahn, who has started all 14 games for the 5-9 Bulldogs and is averaging 10.4 points. "Fork Union gave me the opportunity to be seen by a lot of coaches."
Basketball is a year-round sport at Fork Union, with practices starting in August and finishing in May, long after the season has ended.
"Coach doesn't let up at all, even after the season is over," said Pandak, who is averaging 5.4 points off the bench. "He wants to make sure that from the day you get there until they day you leave, you get better every day."
Said Dahn, "My all-around game got so much better. Every day, we'd run ball-handling drills, shooting drills, passing drills. Then after the season is over, we scrimmaged for an hour and a half every day. It's pretty intense."
Fork Union also produces its fair share of football players, including names such as Vinny Testaverde, Dexter Coakley from Wando High School and Eddie George. And the school's military setting makes it a good stop for future Citadel cadets.
"It's definitely hard," Pandak said. "It's isolated from everything, out there in the middle of nowhere. But it helps you get a lot better. I'm glad I went there."
Posted by CPT Dan Thompson, Monday, January 21, 2008 11:08 AM
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