2014 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE
BY CHRIS BALAS
Rivals.com analyst Eric Bossi had
seen Michigan signee Aubrey Dawkins
play a number of times at New Hamp-
ton (N.H.) Prep, but he never quite got
a feel for how good the Rivals.com
three-star prospect was. Part of that, he
said, was because the high-end talent
at New Hampton Prep, one of New
England's finer basketball programs,
always stole the show.
By the end of the year, though,
Dawkins was an integral part of a
loaded team, and college recruiters
started to take notice. When scouts
called, head coach Peter Hutchins was
always quick to tell them how
much the son of Stanford head
coach and former Duke stand-
out Johnny Dawkins had im-
proved, Bossi recalled.
"Pete liked him and was re-
ally excited about how much
better he'd gotten even though
he wasn't the primary option
at New Hampton," Bossi said.
"Aubrey had the luxury of hav-
ing a prep school year to get
better, and he took advantage
of it.
"I've really seen him grow
over the years. He's come
a long way. Players improve
at different rates, and we've
watched him get better each
year."
He grew height-wise, too,
from 6-4 to 6-6. Dayton was the
first mid-major-plus to high
major to show serious interest,
and Bossi thought Dawkins
could be a two- or three-year
starter for the Flyers. Dawkins
admitted he might have been
leaning that way before U-M
called, and he still had plenty
Aubrey Dawkins
Hopes To Fill A Role
Dawkins averaged 12.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per
game at New Hampton (N.H.) Prep this past season.
PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM
