Monday, July 20, 2009

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Bahamian standout offered D-I scholarships By SPORTS WRITER ~ For the Guardian: When Mikhail Mclean left The Bahamas with his family to reside in Houston, Texas, his dream was to obtain a basketball scholarship so that he could get a free college degree. That dream is already coming to fruition, as the 6' 7", 215 lbs. small forward was recently offered a full basketball scholarship in a major NCAA Division I program. Rutgers University was the latest school which came knocking on the door of the young Bahamian standout. Moving to Houston with his mother Olivia Mclean and father Leroy Mclean, and attending Second Baptist High School for the last three years, Mikhail has been a model student who has made the honor role every year. He has become one of the most pursued small forwards in the United States. He has been nurtured by NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon and former Bahamian Olympian Frank Rutherford through the Frank Rutherford Elite Athletic Development program in Houston. Since the turn of the century, Rutherford has continually helped young Bahamian men and women achieve academic excellence and college degrees, while at the same time, pursuing their athletic goals through their God given talents. "People quite often complain that former athletes don't ever come back and give back to the young people of The Bahamas, but that simply can't be said about myself and this program," said Rutherford through an e-mail. With this being the biggest college recruiting month (July) on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit, almost every NCAA Division I coach will be looking to recruit and sign young basketball talent. Mclean, a long athletic small forward who has a deadly mid-range game, is a tenacious perimeter shooter and a solid post defender. The former St. John's College student has also been offered basketball scholarships by Penn State University, Tulane University and Rice University. Mclean was also invited to the Reebok Camp this month, where the top 100 players in America will assemble in Philadelphia under the watchful eyes of 400 NCAA Division I college basketball coaches. With the similarity to fellow Bahamian basketball player Dwight Miller, who was the Most Valuable Player of the Reebok Camp in 2007, Mclean is projected to have at least 30 major Division I basketball scholarships by the end of the summer. "The Bahamas can again be proud that another young Bahamian is taking his place on the stage of excellence," Rutherford continued. "Mikhail is a gifted, highly intelligent, and mature young man who The Bahamas can look forward to doing great things in the future," he added. As for Rutherford, he continues to make huge sacrifices and look out for the well-being and success of young Bahamians, such as Mclean. Wednesday, July 1, 2009