By Ron P. Coderre

In the initial recruiting phase for the Putnam Science Academy 2015-2016 basketball season, coach Tom Espinosa loaded his backcourt with a stable of ball handling, sharp shooting guards.  Since that time Espinosa’s been concentrating on bringing big me into the fold.

The most recent recruit is 17-year-old, 6-foot, 9-inch big man Darnell Brodie from Newark, N.J.  Brodie adds strength to the Mustangs frontcourt, which keeps getting bigger with each succeeding recruit.

Brodie is a young player by recent standards and should provide depth to the Mustangs program for at least two seasons.  Despite his youth Brodie brings a wealth of experience to the Putnam campus.  He’s been playing competitively since the 8th grade.  While playing for St. Joseph’s Jr. High School he once had a game where he scored 28 points, had 50 rebounds and 12 blocked shots.

The last two seasons Brodie’s been a member of the Newark Eastside High School program, where he’s been a varsity player since his freshman year.  As a frosh he helped Eastside produce a 30-2 record, which included a New Jersey State Championship and entry into the tournament of champions.  As a sophomore he was recognized as one of the top 100 rebounders in New Jersey.

“Darnell is a player we’ve been involved with for some time.  We like him for his size and rebounding ability but he also brings a great attitude to our program.  Despite his youth he’s ready to compete on our level,’ said Espinosa.

During the summer for the past three years Brodie’s competed in AAU basketball with the New Jersey Roadrunners.   He’s helped the Roadrunners to a New Jersey championship and been named Most Valuable Player on numerous occasions.  While at Hoop Group camp at Albright College he was named to the camp’s all star team.

Brodie’s drawn interest from more than 20 NCAA Division I schools.  Among his early suitors are such schools St. John’s University, Boston College, Quinnipiac University, George Mason University, Seton Hall, Stanford, St. Peter’s and Holy Cross.  He’s also been contacted by Duke University of the ACC and Big Ten Schools, The Ohio State University and Iowa State University.