Abraham to decide in early March, hopes to make Northwestern game

  • 02/22/2010 9:42 pm in

The hardest part about coaching Moses Abraham? Keeping him hydrated.

“He just doesn’t stop running,” Joe Boncore, Abraham’s guardian, told Inside the Hall on Monday night. Abraham, a 6-foot-9 forward from Progressive Christian in Temple Hills, Md., picked up an offer from Indiana last week, personally delivered by Tom Crean.

The Hoosiers joined an impressive list of suitors for the young man, who also has offers from, among others, Georgetown, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA, Connecticut and Kansas State.

Thus far, Boncore said, Abraham has made his greatest impact on the defensive end of the floor using a 7-foot-3 wingspan to block shots and rebound.

“Moses is a big eraser,” Boncore said. “He plays above the rim.”

Abraham, a Nigerian native who was studying to become a priest before he decided to focus on basketball full-time, possesses a high level of athleticism Boncore said Indiana could use on its front line.

But most of the talk surrounding Abraham focuses on his defensive ability, a big reason why Crean’s approach got Abraham’s attention.

“He was talking about Moses on the offensive end too,” Boncore said. “Coach Crean likes the way he always wants the ball.”

Abraham is working on his offensive game with a former trainer of Kevin Durant, also a D.C.-area product. While Boncore said Abraham would never be expected to score quite so prolifically as the former Texas All-American, he said Moses’ potential and work ethic create a high ceiling for the forward to reach.

Playing in Prince Georges County, which Boncore characterizes as one of the toughest prep basketball communities in the country, has also helped season Abraham, even though he’s only been playing there a short time.

“In (Washington) D.C., everybody can jump, everybody’s athletic,” Boncore said. “You can’t just be big, because you’ll get run over.”

Abraham had hoped to make it to the Wisconsin game Thursday, but he now has a game that night. Boncore said Abraham hopes to be able to make it out to Bloomington for the Northwestern game on March 6. A decision might come around that time as well.

“He’s going to make his decision the first week of March,” Boncore said of Abraham. “He’s got good grades and he’s a real great kid.”

Academically, Boncore said, Abraham is technically a junior, but his work in the classroom means the player has the option of leaving for college a year early. Should Abraham’s preferred destination be Bloomington, Boncore was confident Indiana fans would warm to him quickly.

“He doesn’t accept losing, and he doesn’t make excuses,” Boncore said. “He’ll demand that everybody steps up.”

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