BC Associate Head Coach, Scott Spinelli, has done a great job of reaching down into the Mid-Atlantic and grabbing talented guards. While Jerome Robinson and Ky Bowman weren’t very well known when they were recruited by BC they most certainly turned out to be diamonds in the rough. This time Spinelli has secured a commitment from a very well known guard in Wynston Tabbs, the 135th ranked player in the 2018 class by Rivals.com
As part of Team Melo on the summer circuit Tabbs got plenty of attention from some strong programs. Tabbs AAU coach, Stanley Hodge, told BCI that VCU, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, St.John’s, Pitt, USF, UNLV, Oklahoma State, Rutgers and Penn State were all schools actively recruiting Tabbs. So what did all of these schools see in Tabbs?
He’s described as a three level scorer with the ability to score on and off the ball. According to Hodge, Tabbs shot 44% from the three in EYBL action this year which adds to him being such a dangerous offensive player. “He can shoot from outside, he can split screens and he can beat his man off of the dribble,” explained Hodge. “He’s really tricky with the ball.”
There was a bit of luck involved for BC in all of this. Tabbs suffered a pulled groin this summer that caused him to play injured during AAU Tournaments all summer and ultimately caused him to miss a couple of games as well. The guard was still able to play well at less than 100%, but it probably prevented him from blowing up in recruitment like many analysts predicted he would.
“If he was able to play all of July he would’ve been top 100. There’s no doubt in my mind,” said Hodge.
For Tabbs, BC’s development of Bowman and Robinson was a big selling point to him. “I watched practice and got to see the playing style with the guards. I really liked that. I know that playing with them (Bowman and Robinson) will get me better. I’ve seen how they have developed their guards. It’s a really nice campus,” said Tabbs.
For Tabbs’ family the best features of BC were academics and location. “For his mom academics was very important to her. They have a great business program. Even though it’s in the city it’s kind of in its own world. To top it all off every night he will be playing some of the best talent in the nation,” said Hodge.
The family also took the advice of coach Hodge who they trust very much. For Hodge, he had no doubts about the staff at BC because of a long relationship that he has had with coach Spinelli.
“I’ve known Coach Spinelli since he was at Maryland. I’ve seen him develop some underrated talent into really good players and I know I can trust him,” said Hodge.
The first highlight below are actually Tabbs playing injured.