The Roost

CCU Football Recruit Profile | TE/WR Tom Pauciello (Conn.)

**With National Signing Day (Wednesday) approaching, The Roost will continue introducing Coastal Carolina's 2011 football recruiting class one by one.**

Tom Pauciello had a breakout senior season for Trumbull High School (Conn.) this past fall, and one that surprised even his high school coach.

"Last year, his junior year, he didn't even start for us. He just started to grow over the winter last year ...," Trumbull coach Bob Maffei told The Sun News. "He just has picked it up, got into lifting and he just started growing. ...

"Very simply, we knew we had to play catch-up with him [in terms of the recruiting process]. He's a Division I talent. I said 'Tom, let's get a highlight tape together and we'll send it all over the place.'"

One of those tapes must have found its way to Coastal Carolina because Pauciello -- 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds according to Maffei -- has committed to the Chanticleers and is expected to make it official Wednesday by signing a National Letter of Intent.

A tight end/receiver type, Pauciello worked out of the slot in Trumbull's spread offense last season. Maffei said he did not keep individual stats last year, but the team went 11-3 and he speaks very highly of Pauciello's offensive abilities.

"He runs very well and catches everything. Great hands," said Maffei, who expects the player to work as a tight end at CCU.

The coach noted that Pauciello's father played in the NFL briefly with the Cleveland Browns and said the senior also received interest from North Texas, San Jose State, Florida Atlantic and a couple of in-state schools.

"He hasn't even reached his potential yet. He's just starting," Maffei said. "He's going to be a monster when he starts lifting. He's going to hit that weight room down there, get with the strength coach and who knows where he's going to wind up after four years, five years. He's going to catch the football."

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com

CCU basketball moving on up ...

Coastal Carolina has picked up a few more votes in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today college basketball polls this week.

The Chanticleers (20-2, 11-0 Big South) received eight points in the AP poll -- up from two last week -- as four voters included CCU on their top-25 ballots this time. It's the most votes the program has ever received in the media poll.

-Steve DeShazo of the Fredericksburg (Va.) Free Lance-Star slotted CCU at No. 22 on his ballot.

-NPR's John Feinstein put the Chants at No. 24

-ESPN's Dick Vitale has them at No. 25 for the first time this season.

-And Ryan Thorburn of the Daily Camera in Boulder, Col., also added CCU at No. 25.

Coastal received six points in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll, up from three last week. It is unknown which coaches voted for the Chants.

They are still a ways off from cracking the top-25 of either poll, but at the least, their recognition seems to be growing.

Coastal posted two lopsided wins last week at High Point and Radford to run its winning streak to 18 games -- the second-longest active streak among Division I teams behind Ohio State.

The Chants face one of their toughest remaining tests Thursday night when Liberty (16-7, 10-1) visits Kimbel Arena.

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com

CCU Football Recruit Profile | Tre'Sean McQueen (Ga.)

**With National Signing Day (Wednesday) approaching, The Roost will continue introducing Coastal Carolina's 2011 football recruiting class one by one.**

A linebacking corps that was a strength for Coastal Carolina last season and projects to be one again next fall gains depth and a future asset in Tre'Sean McQueen, who is expected to sign with the program this week.

McQueen, a 6-foot, 220-pound inside linebacker from Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga., delivers a physical presence on the field as well as key intangibles, according to his high school coach.

"I think his biggest attribute is his leadership. He's just a natural leader," Grayson coach Mickey Conn told The Sun News. "He brings that to the weight room, to the field, to the classroom, everything he does.

"... He's a big hitter, and he really understands the game and sees the game at a fast speed. Coastal got them a good one."

As a senior at Grayson, McQueen tallied 103 total tackles (65 solo), 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions.

"He's just a really mature kid. I can't overemphasize enough what a great leader he is," Conn said. "You get a lot of kids that come through your program that are good kids and they work hard and they're good soldiers for you. But this kid, he's a leader, and I think that's what separates him from most people. And that's what's going to help him at the next level."

As for his decision to choose Coastal ...

"The head coach all the way through the guys that recruited him did a really good job of representing the program there at Coastal and really showed an interest in him and made him feel at home," Conn said. "When he went up on the visit, he just had a great time and loved the campus."

Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRBplsNviAQ

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com

CCU Football Recruit Profile | QB Alex Ross (Ga.)

**With National Signing Day (Wednesday) approaching, The Roost will continue introducing Coastal Carolina's 2011 football recruiting class one by one.**

Rising junior Aramis Hillary is the favorite to take the reins at quarterback next season for Coastal Carolina, but it will be interesting to see how quickly incoming recruit Alex Ross moves up the depth chart.

Ross, a 6-foot-1, 197-pound dual-threat quarterback from Buford (Ga.) High School, looks to be one of the marquee additions for the Chanticleers in this recruiting class.

Ross went 28-2 as a starter at Buford while leading his team to two state championships. As a senior, he completed 96 of 158 passes (60.8-percent) for 1,800 yards, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Buford coach Jess Simpson says Ross plays with a lot of confidence while possessing humility as a leader on the field.

"The tangible side of it is Alex has a big-time arm," Simpson told The Sun News. "I think he's got as good of an arm as any kid in the state of Georgia this year. He's got a good release, and the ball really pops out of his hand. ...

"Intangibly, he has a short memory. He doesn't let the last play affect the next play. He takes coaching very well, and he's a tough kid -- mentally tough and physically tough."

According to Simpson, Troy and Marshall were among Ross' other suitors.

"It was a great fit for him in a lot of ways," Simpson said of Coastal. "They've been in love with him. He's had a lot of [bigger] schools recruiting him on and off the last year, but Coastal saw him, wanted him immediately and convinced him he was a great fit."

For more on Ross, he has his own web site: http://www.alexrossqb.com/index.html

Also, here's a story from the Gainesville Times: http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/archives/41911/

And here are some video highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4Jb_wKZXis

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com

CCU Football Recruit Profile | S Anthony Burton (N.C.)

**With National Signing Day approaching Wednesday, The Roost will continue introducing Coastal Carolina's 2011 football recruiting class one by one.**

Going into this recruiting season, safety was a position of priority for Coastal Carolina with defensive standout Dominique Davenport (six interceptions in 2010) and fellow ball hawk Keon Cunningham (eight career INTs) finishing their collegiate careers last fall.

And in Anthony Burton, a recruit from Northern High School in Durham, N.C., the Chanticleers are expected to add a key piece in addressing that need.

Burton, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound safety committed to CCU, finished his senior season at Northern with 78 tackles, eight interceptions (three returned for touchdowns) and seven tackles for loss.

"He's a big-play guy, and he's very passionate," Northern coach Anthony Sullivan said. "That's something that sets him apart from other guys at his position. He plays with a lot of heart, passion and emotion that you don't see much of from players today."

Burton also played receiver and a little quarterback in high school (21 catches for 396 yards and five touchdowns last season), but he is expected to focus on playing defense at CCU, Sullivan said.

"He thinks that he can really do a lot of things early there. There's some talk of him playing as a freshman, and that's something that weighed heavily on his decision as well," Sullivan said.

"... They definitely expressed that area of need and said he has the skillset to come in and see some [early] playing time should he do everything he needs to do between now and then. He's got to get up to speed with the speed of the game. That's the biggest difference."

According to Sullivan, Burton also had offers from Delaware, Appalachian State and Western Carolina. Delaware and Appalachian State finished ranked second and fourth, respectively, in the final Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS top-25 poll.

"He really liked the coaching staff, and knowing the coaching staff as I do, I think it's a great fit," Sullivan said of Burton choosing CCU. "They showed him a whole lot of attention, and he enjoyed his visit down there."

Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQgdMljYJGk

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com

Dave Odom's analysis of CCU basketball

Former Wake Forest and South Carolina basketball coach Dave Odom was in the stands Thursday night to watch Coastal Carolina win big at High Point. Odom, a close friend of CCU coach Cliff Ellis, said it was his second time watching the Chanticleers in person this season, and afterward he offered his thoughts on the team.

"I think the team has matured, has matured in a great way. I think, first of all defensively, they are shutting people down on the inside, forcing them to the outside. I think their guards right now are doing a really good job. I think they can do better in terms of closing people out. But they really are doing a good job. They're long and they're quick, and defensively right now, coach Ellis is changing up just enough to keep the other team off balance.

"And offensively, they just have their way. They're talented at all five positions. They can shoot the ball. I was particularly pleased with their interior passing, the high-low passing. Chad [Gray] to Sam [McLaurin] and Sam to Chad, and the [Brandon] Crawford kid got in there and did a nice job. I was really impressed with their interior passing."

On Coastal's potential this season:

"They're certainly a team that's going to take it one game at a time, but you'd like to see them go through the league and then win the tournament. I wouldn't want to chance trying to get a bid the other way. As important as every game is [and] you want to try to build on that, it's still going to come right down to the conference tournament. So one game at a time there and then move on. But they're certainly capable of running the table, but that's not nearly as important as running the table in the [Big South] tournament."

On what Ellis has done in building the program:

"He understands the important thing about a program is ... you build a program through recruiting first, and then you coach them. He's certainly capable of doing both. He's hired people that can do both, so I'm not surprised in the least.

"You know, you're happy whenever one of your best friends has a 17-game win streak. They've won 19 games. You're happy for him. But surprised, no."

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com

Barbour, Law expected to play for High Point

Indications are that High Point's Nick Barbour and Corey Law are going to play -- but probably not start -- tonight against Coastal Carolina.

Barbour, the Big South's preseason player of the year, is High Point's leading scorer, and Law leads the team in rebounding this season. Both missed the last two games due to team-issued suspensions.

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com

CCU Football Recruit Profile | Quinn Backus (S.C.)

**With National Signing Day approaching, The Roost will be introducing Coastal Carolina's 2011 football recruiting class one by one.**

The numbers say Greenwood (S.C.) High School linebacker Quinn Backus could make a significant impact next season and in the years to come for Coastal Carolina. They also explain why larger programs passed him over.

Backus, a 5-foot-9, 205-pound inside linebacker set to sign with CCU next week, was a finalist for South Carolina's Mr. Football award after a senior season in which he tallied 141 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, six sacks, nine pass break-ups, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, one fumble return for a touchdown, two interception returns for touchdown and a blocked kick. He also returned an interception for a touchdown in the Shrine Bowl.

"Probably one of the finest players I've ever coached in 21 years of coaching," Greenwood coach Gene Cathcart said. "If he were an inch or two taller, he'd be playing probably in any D-1 stadium he'd want to."

Cathcart said some area FBS programs "flirted" with Backus until late in the recruiting process, but most of his interest came from FCS programs like Coastal. And he had expressed a preference to stay in-state.

"We've been a little bit frustrated with the process up here at Greenwood with Quinn," Cathcart said. "There's a difference with being a prospect and being a player. There are a lot of very unproductive 6-7 guys that will be signing on signing day that aren't very good high school football players. Then you've got guys like Quinn that aren't great prospects in terms of star rating, but they're the guys that high school coaches talk about dominating games. ...

"He's going to fit in very well down there and will be a source of great pride for that program."

Coastal Carolina returns two productive starting linebackers in Andrae Jacobs -- the reigning Big South defensive player of the year -- and Desmond Steward, while having to replace veteran starter Chris Walls.

Cathcart expects that Backus could make an early impact for the Chants, and at the least should be a key contributor on special teams next season.

"I would dare say I don't know [if CCU is] going to sign a better one. I know he's mine, and I'm biased," Cathcart said.

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com

San Diego State falls, Coastal rises

For what it's worth, Coastal Carolina now boasts the second-longest winning streak among Division I teams after previously undefeated San Diego State lost 71-58 at BYU on Wednesday night.

The Chanticleers' 16-game winning streak trails only Ohio State's 21-game streak.

High Point coach undecided on Barbour's status for CCU game Thursday night

High Point has played its last two games without its leading scorer or leading rebounder as Nick Barbour and Corey Law have been serving suspensions for undisclosed violations of team rules, and Panthers coach Scott Cherry said Wednesday afternoon he hadn't decided yet if the players would be available when his team hosts Coastal Carolina on Thursday night.

Barbour's suspension was initially reported to be for two games, while Law was suspended indefinitely.

"We're still discussing everything and working through the details of what we talked about," Cherry said over the phone Wednesday. "We'll probably have a decision later this evening or tomorrow morning."

Barbour, the Big South's preseason player of the year, is averaging a team-high 15.9 points per game, though he struggled when High Point played at CCU earlier this month. He hit just 3 of 11 shots for nine points as Coastal Carolina won 78-60 in that one.

Law averages 9.0 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds for the Panthers.

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com