By JACOB POLACHECK
Sean Durugordon, the 6-foot-7 small forward from Putnam Science (CT) Academy, told ZAGSBLOG Monday that he is targeting a commitment for “early next year”.
“Probably the beginning of the winter is when I’ll start narrowing my list down,” Durugordon said. “I’ll look to make a commitment probably early next year.”
Durugordon, the 6-foot-7, 216-pound wing from Putnam Science (CT) Academy, received his most recent offer from Georgia on Sunday, during a Zoom call with head coach Tom Crean and assistants John Linehan and Steve McClain.
“[Coach Crean] started off the call, offering me the scholarship, saying how he definitely wants me to come to Georgia to fulfill my dream of going to the NBA,” Durugordon said. “I watched a lot of film on their game, talked in-depth about their offense and defense and they told me that I could fit in. They told me a lot about their culture there, what they really do there as a program, how they recruit guys.”
“They don’t only recruit guys on their basketball skills, but also as a person too,” he said. “We talked a lot about that and how they loved me as a person, not just as a basketball player.”
Durugordon is also set to meet with coaches from VCU on Tuesday via Zoom.
“I’ve been talking with coach [Brent] Scott a lot and coach [Mike] Rhoades for a while now,” he said. “They really believe I can come in there and have an immediate impact.”
Durugordon picked up an offer from VCU on May 26.
“They really love my game,” Durugordon said. “Coach Scott and I text a lot, almost everyday, just telling me about how he can get me to the NBA and how their program will really support me, help me develop my game and reach my potential.”
“Coach Scott actually came to one of my workouts early in my season this year and liked me a lot,” he said. “They’ve also been watching a lot of film on me. Coach Rhoades, coach Scott and myself have just been building that relationship for a month and a half now.”
Durugordon will also meet with Iona head coach Rick Pitino and staff on Wednesday.
“Coach Pitino is a legendary coach and I think he is building something special there at Iona,” he said.
Durugordon has not yet received an offer from Iona.
In addition to Georgia and VCU, Durugordon says that Hofstra, DePaul, Penn State and South Florida are among the schools in contact the most. He broke down each school:
Hofstra: “They’re my hometown school, about 20 minutes from me. I’ve actually been in contact with Hofstra for about two years now. They recently offered back in April, but we’ve been talking for the past two years now, really building a relationship with coach [Speedy] Claxton. I recently talked with their head coach, coach [Joe] Mihalich. They’ve just been talking to me a lot, trying to build that relationship. They’ve been saying I could come there, stay in my hometown and really make a name for myself. They can also really develop my game because they know I want to make the NBA. They’re saying they can get me there if I continue to work. They’ve been saying I could come there and be the hometown hero.”
DePaul: “They’ve been talking to me since December. Coach [Mark] Hsu has been talking to me throughout the season, checking in on me and stuff like that. They’ve been watching a lot of film on me. They offered me back in April and ever since then me and coach Hsu have been talking a lot about how they can use me, develop me into a pro and also how their player development over there is good. They have a coaching staff that has really bought into developing players. I actually hopped on a Zoom call with him a couple weeks ago and went into detail, watched film on their game style, seeing how I can play, seeing how I can fit in and learning about their system. After that, I got on a three-way Facetime call with him and coach [Dave] Leitao and talked a lot about how they could use me and how they like my game. They really want me to come to DePaul.”
Penn State: “Coach [Jim] Ferry and I recently got in touch about a month ago. He’s really good friends with my AAU coach, so they’ve been talking a lot about me. He’s watched a lot of film on me, saw me work out a few times. They offered at the beginning of May, coach Ferry offered me. He hasn’t given me a time yet, but he definitely wants to get me on a call with coach [Patrick] Chambers soon and really go more in-depth about their program.”
South Florida: “They’re another school that recently got in the mix, about a couple weeks ago. My first time talking with coach [Tom] Herrion, that was when he offered me. He had heard a lot about me, saw film on me and offered me on my first call. He really explained to me about their program, the type of kid they’re looking for to uphold the culture there and they really see me being a good fit there with my game and how well I can defend.”
Durugordon has also been hearing from schools such as Creighton, St. John’s, Missouri, Rutgers, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech, Iona, Xavier, UConn, East Carolina, Temple and Georgetown.
Texas A&M and Providence have also shown interest.
Durugordon said he’s looking at four factors when making his decision.
“Number one, the relationship with the coaching staff and especially my relationship with the head coach,” he said. The relationship with the head coach really matters to me because that’s who I’m going to be playing for so I definitely want to know about him and how he thinks of me. I really want to feel comfortable with the whole coaching staff prior to me committing.”
He is also factoring in his communication with each school.
“Another thing that I’m going to value a lot before I commit is just throughout the recruiting process, how much were they contacting me, texting me every day, giving me phone calls and just being accountable throughout the recruiting process,” he said. “If they said they were going to call me tomorrow and they did, then they’re being accountable to their word, stuff like that. That matters a lot to me because it shows they’re on top of their work, being noble and staying with their word.”
Durugordon mentioned fit as another key factor in his decision.
“I’ve been going over film, seeing what type of system they run,” he said. “Seeing that they value a position less system [is important], because I’m the type of person that can play all over the floor. I’m looking for a team that is not so set on ‘oh you’re a shooting guard so you’re just going to shoot’. I’m looking for a system where I can play all over the floor, being a playmaker, playing in the post if I have a mismatch. I’m looking for that system too.”
Although he has not taken any officials visits yet, Durugordon says that his visit is a key factor his decision.
“I definitely want to take an official visit to the school before I commit to see the culture and the atmosphere of the school,” he said. “I want to see if I can see myself walking through the school and if I can be comfortable for the next however many years I’m staying there.”
Durugordon spent the 2019-20 season with Canterbury School (CT), averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 40 percent from three-point range. He led his team to a 25-2 record, ending on a 19-game winning streak to win the NEPSAC Class B Championship.
On May 4, Durugordon announced his intentions to transfer to Putnam Science Academy for the fall.
In the meantime, he has been working on his game from home.
“I’ve been working with my AAU coach a lot,” he said. “I’ve been working pretty much every day on my game, just waiting for gyms to officially open back up. I’ve been working outside pretty much every day, putting in work.”
Although Durugordon is listed as a small forward, he prides himself on his ability to play the 1-4 positions.
“I’m just an all-around player and can do everything on the floor,” Durugordon said. “Anything a coach needs me to do, I can do.”
This article has been updated.
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