Best of the 757

The Best of the 757, in conjunction with recruit757, is pleased to announce the dates for its 6th Annual Showcase Series, which will include three events – football, baseball and basketball.

The football combine and showcase will be held on June 1 at Christopher Newport University in Newport News. The Aug. 17 baseball showcase will take place at Harbor Park in Norfolk and the basketball showcase will kick off Oct. 13 in the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton.

Athletes can register now at http://www.bestofthe757.com.

“There are more than 55,000 high school athletes from more than 50 high schools in the 757 and this area continues to be a breeding ground for producing top athletes,” said Suzanne Culotta, of the area code that covers the seven cites of Hampton Roads, Virginia. Culotta is the 2013 director of the series.

“For an athlete to be named top in any category, knowing they are competing against so many talented student-athletes, really gives them the right to proudly say they are truly the Best of the 757 in their sport for 2013.”

The Best of the 757 event series profiles the area’s top athletes in the noted sports by bringing them together to compete in a series of athletic tests and then work with top area high school coaches in a showcase to gain new skills and show off their sport and position specific abilities.

Awards are given to an overall top athlete in each sport and top athletes in each tested skill, as well as an All Camp team.

recruit757 is a scouting and video service for colleges who turn to the region to look for quality athletes.

"recruit757 has worked for years on highlighting the best attributes of the football players, programs and coaches in the 757, with an eye toward getting more colleges to recruit here and offer more scholarships,” said Andy Hilton, owner and director of recruit757.

“The Best of the 757 has grown to be synonymous with excellence in measuring and promoting the quality of talent that is so prolific here in the Hampton Roads area. Together, we'll be able to promote scholarship and athleticism in a way that will benefit local student-athletes like never before.”

px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; "> More than 130 football players who have competed in previous Best of the 757 combines, including 35 who signed letters of intent in early February, have gone on to play college football for, among other schools, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, University of Maryland, East Carolina University, Old Dominion University, Christopher Newport University and the College of William and Mary.

Troy Williams, Anthony Barber and Devon Hall, top basketball player recruits in the nation who have signed with Indiana, North Carolina State and the University of Virginia, competed in the 2011 basketball showcase.

Athletes must register to participate in each showcase. Registration fees for the football and basketball showcase start at $50. The baseball showcase event registration ranges from $75 to $95, depending on how early athletes register.

Each athlete receives an official Nike SPARQ event t-shirt, their results and photos posted on the Best of the 757 web site and recruit757.com and a goodie bag with items from sponsors.

ABOUT THE 757: 
The Tidewater or Hampton Roads region of Southeastern Virginia is known collectively as "the 757" because of the area code that links together a series of cities that’s become a breeding ground for some of the world's finest athletes. The 757 is generally regarded as a top region for college recruiters. Moreover, there is a tremendous pride within the Hampton Roads community and support of athletes who compete in and are from the 757.

Professional athletes that have come from the 757 include basketball’s Alonzo Mourning, Allen Iverson, and JR Reid; baseball’s BJ Upton, Justin Upton and Michael Cuddyer; football’s Bruce Smith, Plaxico Burress, Ronald Curry, Aaron Brooks, DeAngelo Hall, Michael Vick and Tyrod Taylor.

Hampton Roads is home to 1.3 million people and the 757 has more than 50 schools with roughly 55,000 athletes. Officially, the 757 includes the cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Portsmouth, Newport News, Williamsburg and Suffolk.

Entering the Best of the 757 Football showcase at Christopher Newport University (co-sponsored by VirginiaPreps.com), Grassfield running backVincent Lowe was performing well on the camp and combine circuit.

The Class of 2014 speedster captured the Fastest Man award at the NUC combine held at Bethel High School in April and was named one of the top performers at the camp.

But the performance turned in by the 5-foot-8 running back at the event was astonishing as the rising junior recorded a 4.22 forty, a 3.63 shuttle, a 35.3 vertical and a 32.7 power toss giving him a spectacular SPARQ rating of 120.7 far outdistancing the second-best performance of the day (Donte Haynesworth from Hanover High School scored a 98.6 SPARQ).  

Kim Black
Offer #1 came in from Old Dominion University for Vincent Lowe

Lowe's forty and shuttle time each ranked as the best turned in at the event featuring 170 participants and his vertical was the third-best on the day.  Though only 166 pounds, the Grizzlies star showed incredible strength as his power ball toss placed him just outside of the top ten.

The performance caught the eye of college recruiters as well as the Old Dominion Monarchs recently offered a scholarship to the running back, his first.

Splitting time in the backfield with fellow rising junior Isaiah Harper last season, Lowe rushed for 936 yards and ten touchdowns on 112 carries.

In the offseason, Lowe stays sharp running track and he excels there as well placing second in the state's indoor track meet in the 55 meters with a 6.43 time and took first in the American Legion Nationals 60 meter race with a time of 6.88.

"Each has tremendous speed and Vince won the region in track," says Grassfield coach Marty Asprey.  "I know that complement each other really well, and to be honest, we've always had a two-back system every since I started here at Grassfield.  We like that one can slash and cut in Vince and the other can cut and get North and South like Isaiah."

Due to their physical similarities and incredible speed, Lowe has drawn comparisons to former Oscar Smith Tiger and current Virginia Tech Hokie J.C. Coleman.

"J.C.'s my buddy and we train together.  He pushes me as hard as he possibly can," says Lowe.

While his speed is the asset that gets him noticed right away, Lowe is not content to just rest on just one attribute as he continues to push himself to new heights.  

"It's all about working out hard for me, taking mind over matter and not letting my body tell me I can't.  I was doing some research recently for a paper and it told me that your body can do a lot more than your mind actually thinks or what your body thinks.  I live by that and when I'm feeling like I can't do it anymore, I press harder."

"Meet Virginia" is not just a campy, adult pop song.

For the first time since the class of 2003, a single state is responsible for three of the top six players in the Rivals100, and it isn't a traditional power state such as Florida, Texas, or California.

Meet Virginia: an up-and-coming state in football recruiting.

Top prospect Da'Shawn Hand is joined by fellow five-star players Quin Blanding of Virginia Beach (Va.) Bayside at No. 4 in the nation and Andrew Brown from Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar Smith at No. 6, highlighting a second straight solid class from the commonwealth. The talent level is not only improving, it is getting deeper.

John Harris coaches Hand at Woodbridge (Va.) High. He said those three players are the exception to the rule but that the improved product throughout the state has been a group effort.

Quin Blanding is one of three players from Virginia in the top six of the Rivals100 for 2014.

"Those top kids are just special, and I don't think there is much anyone can say about why they happen to all be from Virginia; they just are," Harris said. "We are getting better coaches on this level, and that is a result of better communication with college coaches. We are all learning what they want and how to get the kids better prepared, so I think that has pushed the fringe guys into the fold and the next-level kids up to the fringe.

"The kids are more committed to getting better and doing what they need to do, and you are seeing that with the recruits. They are getting better and more prepared to compete and stack up nationally."

The class of 2014 from Virginia boasts four other players inside the Rivals100.

Defensive end Jalyn Holmes of Norfolk (Va.) Lake Taylor is ranked No. 30; defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi of Virginia Beach (Va.) Ocean Lakes is No. 37; quarterback Caleb Henderson of Burke (Va.) Lake Braddock checks in at No. 65; and offensive lineman Steven Moss of Fredericksburg (Va.) Chancellor rounds out the group at No. 89.

Richard Morgan is the head coach at Oscar Smith. He said he is impressed by the improvement as a whole and especially the three players in the top 10.

"We have had guys that I thought could just go and contribute right away from Virginia before," he said. "I remember thinking that about Percy Harvin and Phillip Sims, but all three of those guys have the talent, the size, the ability and the mentality to step right into college football.

"It is rare for this state to have three guys in one class ready to do that, and I have no idea how they all got to that point."

Morgan has had Brown in his program for only one season. Brown played at Chesapeake (Va.) Indian River before a June transfer.

Morgan said the 6-foot-4, 300-plus pound monster has been one of the hardest-working players since his arrival.

"It is a credit to his father," Morgan said. "Andrew has been humble since he got here and really soaked up the coaching. His technique has improved dramatically. It was a quick flip of the light switch when he first saw what we did here and realized it was another level than he was used to, and he didn't take too long to get acclimated to the new demands."

Harris said that humility is something Brown and Hand share.

"Da'Shawn is just the genuine article. He has no ego," Harris said. "He gets excited to get an A on a test; he is fun loving. He is so mature that sometimes I forget he is just 17. And he is so humble that sometimes I forget I am talking to the best football player I have ever coached."

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

At the start of the evaluation process, the class of 2014 has the edge on the two best historical classes in Virginia history -- relative to the start of the Rivals100 with the class of 2002.

The class of 2002 had five players inside the Rivals100 and four of the top 27 players were from the state. The group was led by Marcus Vick, Kai Parham, Michael Johnson and Ahmad Brooks, all five-star players. Rounding out the players in the rankings was Anthony Martinez, who was a four-star at No. 91.

The recently signed class of 2013 is the closest in competition with 2014 because it had six players in the Rivals100 with Derrick Green, Jonathan Allen, Christian Hackenberg, Taquan Mizzell, Wyatt Teller and Holland Fisher nationally ranked. Green, Allen, Hackenberg, and Mizzell were five-star players, while Teller ranked No. 59 and Fisher No. 83.

With plenty of time, evaluation and re-rankings in the future, there is sure to be movement and these three classes will jockey for final positioning, but right now it looks like the class of 2014 may be the cream of the crop.

WHO STANDS TO GAIN FROM THIS CLASS

The in-state schools of Virginia and Virginia Tech did not land any of the highest-ranked players in the class of 2013; Green signed with Michigan, Allen with Alabama and Hackenberg with Penn State. Virginia kept Mizzell, and Teller and Fisher went to Virginia Tech, making the first season on the rise a victory of sorts.

Bud Foster's presence could help Virginia Tech get No. 1 overall prospect Da'Shawn Hand.

Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell said he believes this cycle could be even better.

"The way the ties are set up with these kids, I think that most of them stay in state," Farrell said. "Last year the best three guys were not even listening to staying in the state, and this year the best three, I think, want to and will."

Blanding attends the same school where Mizzell played, and that figures to make him a natural lean to Virginia.

Oscar Smith has been a split decision, sending as many kids to Virginia as Virginia Tech, and Morgan has also had a share of players sign with Maryland. The initial belief, though, is that Brown is extremely interested in Virginia and would be likely to stay home.

Hand recently named a top five, and it included Virginia Tech. He has said on record that he has always had an admiration for Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster and wants to play for him.

Farrell said that, even as the trend of great players wanting to play with other great players grows, he doesn't think Hand will be a class changer the way Robert Nkemdiche was for Ole Miss.

"Da'Shawn will make his decision and go with it," Farrell said. "I don't think he is a kid that is going to recruit other players. He doesn't want to influence other kids to go with him because he wants everyone to make the choice that is best for them."

Farrell said what would be best for the in-state teams would be a better product on the field.

"This year did not go the way Virginia or Tech wanted it to go," he said. "While I do think that those kids want to stay home, the fact of the matter is, if those schools don't show improvement it will open the door for other programs to get a wedge in and pry them out of the state."

- See more at: http://virginiapreps.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1474299#sthash.EYSrCqX2.dpuf