THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 11, 1994 TAG: 9411110835
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 43 lines
For Old Dominion, the recruiting news just keeps getting better.
And bigger, literally.
The Monarchs picked up a surprise fourth recruit in the early signing period Thursday when Cal Bowdler, a 6-foot-10 forward from Rappahannock High who attended the prestigious Nike camp last summer, signed a national letter of intent. Bowdler had also visited Richmond and was supposed to visit Virginia this weekend. Bowdler decided to cancel when the Cavaliers told him they would like him to attend a year of prep school at Fork Union Military Academy or wait until the spring to sign.
``I didn't want to do that,'' said Bowdler, whose father graduated from U.Va. ``I would have liked to have had a chance to play in the ACC.''
Bowdler surprised the Monarchs when he told them Wednesday he wanted to come to ODU. He joins a list of signees that includes highly regarded 6-9 center Reggie Bassette from Richmond and 6-5 swing player Radee Benson from New Jersey, as well as 6-8 power forward Skipper Youngblood from North Carolina.
``Bowdler could turn out to be the best of the four,'' said recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons of Lenoir, N.C. ``I'm going to predict by his sophomore year, he's going to be the guy there.''
Bowdler is a wiry 210 pounds and still developing. He said he averaged 16 points and 9 rebounds as a junior for Rappahannock, a Group A school on Virginia's Northern Neck. He also played last year for Boo Williams' AAU team.
With the signing of Bowdler, who visited ODU a month ago, the Monarchs have filled all their available scholarships.
Gibbons rates Bassette the nation's 53rd-best high school senior, Benson 122nd and said both Bowdler and Youngblood are right around the 150 mark.
``This is a big-time recruiting year for Old Dominion,'' said Gibbons, who said all four recruits could play together in a big lineup. Bowdler is regarded as capable of playing either forward spot. by CNB