When Todd Bozeman became the men’s basketball coach at Morgan State a little more than a year ago, he promised to do everything he could to keep local players from heading out of state.
Bozeman appears to have kept his word after Morgan announced that Walbrook forward Kevin Thompson recently signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Bears in the fall. The 6-foot-8 Thompson averaged 17.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game at Walbrook, which he helped win the Class 4A state title in 2005.
“Kevin Thompson is an efficient scorer who can play in the low post, shoot and pass the ball,” Bozeman said. “He’s the type of player who will help change the culture here.”
Thompson is not the only local player heading to Morgan, as St. Frances guard Desmond Thomas already signed with the Bears in the fall. Thomas, a guard, led St. Frances to a 22-10 record and played in the Charm City Challenge all-star game earlier this spring.
“Desmond is the point guard we are looking for,” Bozeman said. “I really like the way he carries himself and the leadership he displays on the court.”
Those two Baltimore players will be joined by 6-foot-5 swingman Ameer Ali. Ali, a Philadelphia native who attended Progressive Christian Academy in Prince George’s County, averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds a game as a senior.
Bozeman said one trait that all of his recruits share is that each comes from a prep program with a winning tradition, something that is important to him, as he tries to develop a positive atmosphere for a program that has not had a winning year since the 1988-89 season. Morgan went 13-18 last season, 10-8 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
“The goal is to bring in guys who are winners,” Bozeman said. “Even though I came in late last year, I felt we were able to do that. The key is to get everyone to mesh together and build on last season. I don’t see any reason why we can’t be in contention for the MEAC title if a few things break our way.”
