Nov. 12, 2003
ATLANTA – Laying the foundation for one of the nation’s top recruiting classes, Georgia Tech signed four high school players to letters of intent Wednesday, head coach Paul Hewitt announced.
All four are ranked among the nation’s top 100 seniors in various recruiting services. The class includes 6-9 Ra’Sean Dickey of Clio, S.C., 6-1 Zam “Buck” Fredrick, Jr., of St. Matthews, S.C., 6-5 Anthony Morrow of Charlotte, N.C., and 6-7 Jeremis Smith of Fort Worth, Texas.
“Our assistant coaches did a great job of recruiting and signing all four of these young men,” said Hewitt. “They all have solid academic backgrounds and fill some very specific needs in our program as we look forward.”
Fredrick, who goes by the nickname “Buck” and is the son of former South Carolina star Zam Fredrick, Sr., is a combination guard from Calhoun County High School. He is ranked 63rd nationally by Bob Gibbons and Van Coleman on their Hoopmasters.com website, who describe him as a “profilic scorer” with a “quick first step.” They rate Fredrick No. 15 among players at his position. Fredrick, also rated No. 68 nationally by Clark Francis, No. 90 by TheInsiders.com and No. 126 by Rivals.com, averaged 32 points and eight assists per game as a junior.
Morrow, a wing guard from Latin High School in Charlotte, is ranked 54th nationally by Hoopmasters.com, and No. 11 at his position. His Latin team won the state independent school championship in 2003 (26-1 record) and he was named independent school player of the year after averaging 24 points and eight rebounds per game while shooting 51 percent from the floor. Morrow also is rated No. 99 by TheInsiders.com and No. 122 by Rivals.com. He is considered by Gibbons and Coleman to be an excellent shooter from mid-range out and an excellent athlete.
“Zam is an outstanding (4.0) student and a great shooter,” said Hewitt. “With Marvin Lewis graduating this year and B.J. Elder looking to move on, we needed to add shooting to the program, so from an athletic and academic standpoint, he is a perfect fit. Anthony Morrow is another outstanding shooter with size who attended one of the best high schools in North Carolina and played on a state championship team.”
Smith, a forward, averaged 24.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game as a junior in leading Dunbar High School to a 37-1 record and the class 4A state title in 2003, along with a final No. 7 national ranking in USA Today. He was named most valuable player in the state tournament after posting 26 points and nine rebounds in the title game and was an all-state selection. Smith is ranked as high at 41st nationally by Rivals.com, and No. 55 by Gibbons and Coleman (12th among forwards).
Dickey, a power forward from Marlboro County High School in Bennettsville, is rated the No. 53 prospect in the nation and No. 14 at his position by Rivals.com. He is also rated No. 58 by Gibbons and Coleman in Hoopmasters.com, 10th at his position, No. 42 nationally by TheInsiders.com, No. 42 by Clark Francis in Basketball Times and No. 28 by Mike Sullivan in The Sporting News. He averaged 16 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots as a junior, and has helped his team to a 53-3 record the last two years. Gibbons and Coleman write that Dickey “uses his size well to shield defenders and dominate the glass. Nice touch on short jumpers. Great footwork in the low post. Good use of spin moves. Scores with both hands.”
Hewitt said, “Jeremis Smith is a very rugged, do-everything forward. He brings a brand of aggressiveness and hard-nosed basketball to our program. He won a state championship last year and scored 26 points against Kendrick Perkins of Beaumont Ozen, who is now in the NBA. In my opinion, he’s probably a little underrated. In my mind, he is clearly one of the top 25 high school players in the country. Ra’Sean Dickey is a power forward with great hands and great footwork. He has potential to be an outstanding player in the ACC.”
