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Brandon Steed

 

By Ron P. Coderre

The ink on the agreement between former Putnam Science Academy basketball coach Tom Espinosa and Woodstock Academy to incorporate and establish a post-graduate basketball program at the Academy was barely dry when the announcement of the team’s first recruit came out.

The subject on the e-mail simply read CENTAURS SIGN STEED.  Brandon Steed, a 5-foot, 11-inch, 160-pound combination guard from Long Island City, N.Y., became the first official recruit to indicate he will join the Woodstock Academy Post-Graduate basketball program for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year.  Steed attended Flushing High School as a senior and had previously attended Holy Cross High School also in Flushing.

Last season, playing in the NYC PSAL Queens AA Division, the point guard, who also can play the shooting guard position, averaged 19 points a game.   He also accounted for four rebounds and four assists per game while contributing an unbelievable seven steals a contest.

“Brandon is noted for his quickness and tenacity on the court.  He’s an igniter who can come off the bench and spark the team.  His versatility at the guard position will be invaluable to the makeup of our team,” said Espinosa.

Steed, who carries a 3.4 GPA in the classroom, has a 30-inch vertical leap developed playing in some highly competitive AAU programs.  He’s worked with basketball trainers Clifford Brooks of the NY Gauchos, Louis Frye and former Providence College standout Jamel Thomas of  “Movement through Hoops” and Jayson Cole.  Steed has playing experience with the NY Rens of the 16U team and NYC Jaguars 17U team.  He’s also been fortunate to train under former Los Angeles Laker Devin Ebanks.

“Brandon has a great basketball resume as well as being a good student.  He’s the type of player who should adjust well to our system.  He’s a great young man of character who loves basketball.  He’s been described as a gym rat,” concluded Espinosa.

In addition to Steed, Espinosa and his Centaur PG program will be returning Mamadou Diarra, Hamidou Diallo and Brandon Hurst from last season’s Putnam Science Academy Mustangs nationally ranked team.