Harper to suit up for Dukes

Battlefield notebook: Harper picks JMU

Date published: 1/23/2008

By TAFT COGHILL JR.

Aaron Harper sees James Madison as a football program on the rise.

That's why the Courtland High School senior chose the Dukes over Liberty and William & Mary.

Harper had full scholarship offers from all three schools, but gave his oral commitment to JMU late last week.

He said although the Dukes won a national championship in 2004 and are consistently in the playoffs, they're continuing to get better.

"I like their program because everything they're doing looks new and up-and-coming," Harper said. "I can tell they're going to be good for a while. I just wanted to be a part of that growth and newness."

Harper (6-foot-1, 218 pounds) was an all-Group AA defensive end for the Cougars this past season.

But he said the Dukes haven't told him if he'll play offense or defense for them.

He was also a standout running back for Courtland. Cougars head coach J.C. Hall said the Dukes' coaching staff was impressed with Harper on offense.

They're interested in Harper as a fullback, H-back, tight end or outside linebacker.

Hall said Harper could play a number of positions because of his size and speed.

"You look at him and he carries 218, 219 pounds real well," Hall said. "He just has that prototypical size."

Harper will find some familiar faces at James Madison.

Former Courtland standout Anthony Smith plays de-fensive back for the Dukes.

Also, ex-Cougars' linebacker Adam Sheets is a cheerleader.

"That was one of the deciding factors for me," Harper said of having friends in the program. "I know I'm not going to get lost. I'll have people there who can help me through."

Eighth-grader among nation's best

The Courtland boys basketball team already boasts one of the top sophomores in the country in 6-foot-8 forward Josh Hairston.

Now their junior varsity team is led by 6-foot-4 eighth-grader Justin Anderson, who is considered by some recruiting services as one of the top five players in his grade level in the country.

Anderson is a Spotsylvania Middle School student. His family had to submit a letter to the Spotsylvania school administration so that he could bypass middle school basketball and play junior varsity.

He's been an asset for the Cougars (11-1), averaging 12.0 points per game and providing highlight-reel dunks that have kept spectators arriving early for varsity contests.

Courtland varsity coach J.T. Nino is already excited about pairing Hairston and Anderson next season.

"I do expect him to see a lot of time on the varsity level next year," Nino said.

Nino said Anderson plays every position for the JV Cougars.

He's also proven he can compete with the elite players around the country.

He was the only eighth-grader in the nation invited to the Fab Frosh All-American Camp in Chantilly last summer.

The Web site hoopsreport .com described Anderson as "very bouncy, aggressive to the bucket, and tries to dunk everything in sight."

"If he continues to develop his overall game, this kid could be special," the Web site reported.

Taft Coghill Jr.: 540/374-5526
Email: tcoghill@freelancestar.com

Date published: 1/23/2008