In three brief but uplifting seasons, Todd Bozeman has not only changed the culture of basketball at Morgan State, but he has also altered the itineraries of numerous Baltimore players.
Not long ago, there was an exodus of Baltimore's best high school talent, NCAA qualifiers and nonqualifiers both, for junior colleges, mid-majors and Division I programs across the country. Even those who went to junior college rarely returned to play here.
That's all changing.
Even before Morgan won two straight regular-season titles in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the flow of outbound talent had abated. Now, in the wake of the university's first NCAA tournament bid as a Division I school, the tide has definitely turned.
"I think the energy is there," Walbrook coach Kelvin Bridgers said yesterday. "If a kid wants to stay local and play competitive Division I basketball at a lower level, he can go there. Morgan is on fire."
Morgan's roster includes five players recruited from the city and one from Glen Burnie. The injection of local talent was part of the game plan that Bozeman, Morgan's third-year coach, used to resuscitate a dysfunctional program.
The Bears take a 23-11 record into tomorrow's South Regional opener against Oklahoma in Kansas City, Mo., the most wins since the school jumped to Division I in 1983.
"When Coach got the job, he said he wanted to recruit local kids," assistant coach Kevin McClain said. "He loves Baltimore kids because they're tough, hard-nosed kids who are going to compete with anybody."
One of Bozeman's first moves was to hire McClain (Dunbar), a Baltimore native who kept up with local talent while coaching at Casper (Wyo.) College and Manhattan.
Then Bozeman started planting his recruiting seeds in neighborhood gyms.
"I made sure I went around to all the rec centers and AAU coaches," he said. "It was important to let those guys know I really believe in the talent here and wanted to try to make sure we utilized it."
The first local the Bears signed was junior college point guard Jerrell Green (Southern) in 2006. That helped them get shooting guard Reggie Holmes (St. Frances) the same year.
In 2007, they added another junior college point guard, Jermaine Bolden (Douglass), 6-foot-10 Rodney Stokes (Old Mill) and two high school recruits who were redshirted, 6-8 Kevin Thompson (Walbrook) and 5-9 guard Desmond Thomas (St. Frances).
