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As the month of September came to a close, Princeton may already have completed their 2010 recruiting class. The Tigers have received a verbal commitment from talented DC-area lefty guard Ben Hazel. <\/p>\n
The 6'4\"+ 185 lb Hazel is in his senior year at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Olney, MD. Good Counsel is a member of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, one of the top basketball leagues in the country and part of the same conference that produced current Princeton freshman Ian Hummer. <\/p>\n
Late this afternoon I heard from Good Counsel head coach Blair Mills, who told me all about this important piece of Princeton's class of '14.<\/p>\n
Exclusive quotes, links to video highlights and excerpts of articles about Hazel can be found after the jump.<\/p>\n
For full profiles on all of Princeton's 2010 recruits, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \"He's a great kid, first and foremost - and then he's a great student and then he's a great doggone good basketball player too,\" said Mills about the versatile Hazel. \"He plays the 2, 3 and 4 for us and in our system our 1-4 are the same with slight variations. He's pretty athletic and he can definitely shoot the ball - he's a very good shooter, whether is be from '3' or even the midrange game. He's a great leader - both in the weight room and on the floor as well.\"<\/p>\n \"Last year Ben averaged about 10 points per game, about four rebounds and about three assists,\" Mills continued. \"He hit game-winners at DeMatha in overtime, at Paul VI in regulation and he hit the game-winning free throws at McNamara. They were huge wins for us on the road. He's battle-tested. He knows how to win and he knows how to get it done.\"<\/p>\n \"I'm sure talking to [Gonzaga coach] Steve Turner last year because of Ian Hummer, you got a sense of our league being one of the best in the country if not the best in the country,\" Mills added freely.<\/p>\n Hazel also shot 78-97 at the free throw line (80.4%) last season.<\/p>\n Mills, who will coach the Good Counsel varsity for the first time this year after five seasons as the school's JV coach, goes into battle with the tandem of Hazel and point guard Rodney Glasgow, who recently committed to VMI.<\/p>\n \"[Ben] does a little bit of everything for us. We're probably going to call on him to be a good defender on the wing [this year],\" Mills offered. \"Defensively he's a pretty good team defensive player. He needs to work on his on the ball 'D' a little bit because he has the tools to be a very good defensive player. We just want to make sure he reaches that potential.\"<\/p>\n Mills expects big things for Hazel and the Falcons this season, but would like to see the future Tiger operating with the ball in his hands more. \"Everybody needs to work on their ballhandling and we might call on him to be our primary ballhandler [this season],\" Mills told me. \"He's so versatile and he's so strong that he's going to have some mismatches.\"<\/p>\n Where did Mills envision Hazel fitting being used at Princeton? \"I think they see him on the wing as a shooter,\" Mills answered. \"He will definitely fit into that Princeton offense because he's a good player - he can shoot, he can score. I think they really want him to be a shooter, he's done for us over the course of his career.<\/p>\n \"He's always been a very good shooter, but over the last three years he's added other parts to his game that has him where he is right now.\"<\/p>\n Here's the Ben Hazel page on dcsportsfan.com<\/a>, full of short video highlights.<\/p>\n Incomplete 2008-09 season stats<\/a> can be found on this Washington Post page.<\/p>\n Scout<\/a> rates Hazel as a ** prospect.<\/p>\n Hazel's Rivals<\/a> page is fairly barren, but worth noting.<\/p>\n MDHigh<\/a> ranks Hazel as the 10th best prospect in the MD\/DC area, behind only top recruits for Notre Dame, Georgetown, Duke and North Carolina.<\/p>\n CapitolHoops<\/a> named Hazel the PONY November Student Athlete Of The Month last year, stating that Hazel took unofficial visits to Stanford, George Washington, Richmond and Howard University. <\/p>\n In 2007 HoopScoop<\/a> listed Hazel as one of the 10 best freshmen in the MD\/DC\/VA region. HoopScoop<\/a> also has ranked Hazel has high as the 158th best prospect nationwide in the class of 2010.<\/p>\n Last year, as Ian Hummer took home WCAC Player of the Year honors from Digital Sports, Hazel received Honorable Mention All-WCAC<\/a> status.<\/p>\n This ESPN Rise<\/a> profile of Hazel from April of this year talks about the injuries Hazel played through last season, saying Hazel \"could be one of the top breakout seniors in the Maryland\/Washington, D.C., area in the 2009-10 school year.\"<\/p>\n Hazel was named to the All Tournament Team<\/a> of the Bullis Classic after the Falcons captured the championship trophy.<\/p>\n The dcsportsfan.com<\/a> Good Counsel 2008 season preview says Hazel \"is ready to prove why he is considered one of the best shooters in the league. He has added some muscle to his frame (185 pounds), and worked hard on becoming a better defender. Hazel should be one of the players to watch for the Falcons.\"<\/p>\n Recruit Recon<\/a>, which calls Hazel a *** recruit<\/a>, wrote in July 2008: \"This lefty also showed some deadly range for Good Counsel.\u00a0He hit numerous shots from deep.\u00a0Ben has a smooth stroke and some nice size to go along with it.\u00a0Ben can handle the ball and get into the lane.\u00a0He had a nice drive and kick out on one play.\u00a0He did struggle to convert while attacking the rim though.\u00a0Ben has likely seen better days in that department.\" <\/p>\n