Stony Brook Men’s Basketball has signed three highly talented recruits to National Letters of Intent to join the Seawolves for the 2012-13 season, head coach Steve Pikiell announced Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. Coming to Stony Brook next fall will be guard/forward Ryan Burnett (Richmond, Va./Benedictine), guard Carson Puriefoy III (Wenonah, N.J./Bishop Eustace Prep) and forward Jameel Warney (Plainfield, N.J./Roselle Catholic).
“I am incredibly thrilled to bring in as talented a group of student-athletes as Stony Brook has ever seen,” Pikiell said. “Adding Carson, Jameel and Ryan to our roster is indicative of how far our program has come. Each player was my No. 1 recruiting target at his respective position, and I’m very happy to bring each of them into the Stony Brook family. With these student-athletes, plus our current outstanding group of players, we are prepared to annually compete for the America East Championship, a statement we were not able to make when I first got here.”
Warney is an outstanding basketball player from Roselle Catholic High School and the AAU team NJ Hot Shots, which current Seawolves star Bryan Dougher played on. He is a 6’7, 220-pound power forward with polished offensive skills around the rim and the ability to block shots and grab rebounds in the post. As a junior at Roselle Catholic, he averaged 17.5 points and 13.4 rebounds and 3.4 blocks. He was named the No. 5 recruit in New Jersey in the Class of 2012 by EKB Scouting Service and was the 49th best forward recruit in the nation according to ESPN.com.
“Everyone here at Roselle Catholic is excited for Jameel because it’s a great fit for him academically and athletically,” Roselle Catholic head coach Dave Boff said. “He’ll be one of the best defensive and rebounding players in the conference the day he steps on campus, and he’ll continue to get better as he grows.”
“Jameel is a great kid with a lot of passion for the game,” NJ Hot Shots head coach Mike Heller said. “He’s a great teammate with a great work ethic. He chose a school that fits him well athletically and academically, and he’s going to lead Stony Brook to good things.”
Puriefoy is a 6’0, 165-pound point guard who is attending Bishop Eustace High School in Pennsauken, N.J., and playing for the Gymrats AAU team, the same team current junior Leonard Hayes played for. He averaged 21.4 points per game during his junior season. He is a great scorer, but also is a pure point guard with excellent ballhandling ability and does not commit turnovers. Puriefoy’s father, also named Carson, was a three-year starting point guard at Bucknell, where he captained the team as a senior and is still fifth all-time in career assists.
“Carson has been a pleasure to coach,” Bishop Eustace head coach Bob Falconlero said. “He’s like another coach on the court; he understands what we’re trying to do. He’s a great athlete, a great scorer and a fundamentally sound point guard. He will do great things at Stony Brook.”
“Carson is a great kid, a great leader and has great knowledge of the game,” Gymrats head coach Rick Barrett said. “He can see the floor, get to the basket and score at will. What’s most impressive is that he has eliminated turnovers from his game and protects the basketball. He is going to be great at Stony Brook and will be a great asset on that team.”
Burnett is a 6’4, 175-pound wing who is at Benedictine College Prep in Richmond, Va, a program that historically sends multiple student-athletes to Div. I institutions and won the state championship in 2011. Over the last few years, alumni include Ed Davis (North Carolina) and Bradford Burgess (VCU). Burnett also plays AAU basketball for the Virginia Assault. He is a long and versatile guard/forward with a knack for getting to the basket aggressively and scoring. He also uses his length to be disruptive on the defensive end.
“Ryan is a great kid and one of the hardest workers I’ve ever had on the court and in the classroom,” Benedictine head coach Sean McAloon said. “His best basketball is definitely ahead of him.”
“Ryan is a great kid, one of those you enjoy having out there on the court,” Virginia Assault head coach David Kontaxis said. “You wish you could have a team full of guys like him. He is offensively talented and just starting to scratch the surface of his talent. He is going to do very well at Stony Brook.”
All three student-athletes will matriculate at Stony Brook next fall and join the 2012-13 roster. The 2011-12 Seawolves open the season this Friday, Nov. 11, at Indiana at 7 p.m., live on the Big Ten Network. The home opener is Sunday, Nov. 13, vs. Mount Ida at 2 p.m. For tickets, visit GoSeawolves.org/tickets or call 631-632-WOLF.
For more information on Stony Brook Athletics, please visit GoSeawolves.org and follow the Seawolves on Twitter at SBAthletics.
