Seton Hall’s 2011 recruiting haul hasn’t garnered the headlines that St. John’s and Rutgers’ classes have.
But the Pirates may have gotten a steal in Aaron Cosby, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard from Louisville, KY who plays at Northfield (Mass.) Mount Hermon.
In back-to-back games this weekend against The Hun School and Blair Academy in the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament at Blair, Cosby dropped 20 and 28 points, respectively, and combined to drain 10 3-pointers in the two games.
After NMH drilled Blair 65-42 to win its fourth straight Coaches vs. Cancer event Sunday, Cosby is averaging 24.3 points and 5.5 assists a game.
“I think this is a steal [for Seton Hall],” said NMH coach John Carroll, whose team is a perennial New England powerhouse. “I think he’s one of the top guards in the country. He’s the best guard I’ve seen so far.”
With Jeremy Hazell, Keon Lawrence and Eniel Polynice set to leave the Seton Hall backcourt after this season, Cosby said head coach Kevin Willard told him to “Be ready to play both guard positions. Be ready to play right away.”
Cosby chose The Hall in June over Providence, Boston College, St. Louis, Northwestern and Indiana because he felt comfortable with Willard and his staff, who began recruiting him as soon as they left Iona in the spring.
“For me it was always the right fit with the coaching staff and the situation with their guards graduating,” Cosby said.
After last season ended, Cosby began spending several hours a day in the weight room and working on his shot.
“In the offseason I was working on my shot a lot,” Cosby said by phone. “I was working out two or three times a day on my shot, shooting pull-ups, 3-pointers.
“I knew I had to make a lot of shots [this year] and John had a lot of confidence in me to let me takes shots on the offensive end.”
Said Carroll: “I think he lost a couple little battles lost year and I think that motivated him to be the best guard around. He’s just a hoop junkie, he just plays ball all the time.”
Perhaps it’s in his blood. Cosby said his grandfather played at Cincinnati the year after Oscar Robertson departed.
Even though he’s from Louisville, Cosby wanted to play in New England to improve his game.
“I was just looking to play in the New England Conference,” he said. “I knew in order to get ready to play in college I had to play against better competition. I came on a visit and then I came here.”
And even though he’s from Louisville, Cosby never got any love from the Cardinals.
“They never offered me a scholarship,” he said. “I just went with who was showing me the most interest.”
Now he’s developing into a floor general at NMH, too.
“He’s a very, very good defender,” Carroll said. “He’s got an even keel temperament and he’s learned how to lead a team. Wherever he tells them to go, they follow.”
Cosby can fill it up from outside, but don’t call him just a shooter.
“I’m not strictly a shooter,” he said. “I can get to the basket, get in the lane, create for myself and my teammates. I can also knock down shots.”
And what’s his message for the Seton Hall fans?
“This year I’m just getting better and working hard,” he said, “and I’ll be ready to play in the Big East next year.”
(Photo courtesy NMH Blog)
