Laurel Players Have High Hopes With MEAC Basketball

This has been a challenging season for the men's basketball team at Howard University.

Howard has been stung by injuries to several of its top players. But help appears to be on its way.

"We had MASH unit there for awhile," said Laurel resident Keith Coutreyer, the associate head coach under Kevin Nickelberry with the Bison.

 Four prep standouts plan to attend Howard next season, including players from Largo (Brandon Bailey), Gwynn Park (Brandon Ford) and Gonzaga (Oliver Ellison).

Coutreyer, the former Laurel High boys basketball coach, is in his first season as an assistant at Howard after two years as an assistant at Hampton, also in the MEAC.

He helped recruit two of his former Laurel High players to Hampton: guard Chris Tolson and center Milade Lola-Charles, both whom are juniors for the Pirates.

Howard improved to 6-20 overall and 4-9 in the MEAC with a 59-50 win at home Saturday over Florida A&M.

"We had a great recruiting class," said Coutreyer. "We are bringing in four freshmen. We think we are going to be very good" in the future.

Coutreyer made the drive from Hampton to his home in Laurel several times during his two years in the Tidwater area of Virginia.

"Now it is a 30-minute ride to work. That was a big reason for the move for me. I loved working down there," he said of Hampton.

Tolson, a guard, came off the bench in 19 of the first 26 games this year and averaged 14.5 minutes and 3.5 points per game with 11 assists. Lola-Charles came off the bench 23 times in the first 26 games and averaged 7.0 minutes, 1.4 rebounds and 0.7 points per outing.

Hampton won 78-76 in double overtime on Saturday against Bethune-Cookman and improved to 19-7 overall and 9-4 in the MEAC. Tolson and Lola-Charles both played as reserves on Saturday.

Howard will host Hampton on March 3 in the regular-season finale. The MEAC tournament begins March 7.

"They have three guys who can score the ball very well," Coutreyer said of Hampton's Darrium Pellum, Kwame Morgan (Largo High) and Charles Funches.

So who is the team to beat in the MEAC tourney? "Bethune-Cookman is having a great year. Morgan State is always the team to beat," Coutreyer said.

Other Laurel ties to the MEAC include Aric Brooks (Morgan State), who played at Jacksonville with former Laurel High standout Will Alston. Brooks transferred to Morgan State while Alston transferred this season to Division II Valdosta State in Georgia.

Another Morgan State transfer is junior guard Larry Bastfield, who played in high school at Towson Catholic and began his college career at Toledo. His high school coach was Josh Pratt, now the girls coach at St. Vincent Pallotti High.

Other Laurel High grads at the college level include Brittney Jackson, a senior for the Division II women's team at Bowie State.

Hoop notes: The Laurel High boys will face DuVal in the regional basketball tournament at home on Friday (Feb. 25) at 6 p.m. The teams met in the regular-season finale on Feb. 17. The Laurel girls will face Parkdale in Riverdale in the regionals on Friday (Feb. 25), also at 6 p.m ... Jonathan Arledge, a freshman for George Mason and a product of the Laurel Boys and Girls Club, did not play in Saturday's 77-71 win at Northern Iowa.

It was the 13th win in a row for Mason, and is a school record. Mason appears to have a bid to the NCAA tournament wrapped up and other schools in the Colonial Athletic Association, such as ODU and VCU, also have a shot at an at-large bid if they don't win the CAA tourney next month in Richmond. ODU beat Cleveland State at home, 74-63, on Sunday in a BracketBusters game.

"Five of the top six teams in our league won," ODU head coach Blaine Taylor said Monday of BracketBusters. "It was kind of fun. We were pleased. I thought everyone was looking forward to the Cleveland State game."