Great Lakes Hoops

Coreoante Deberry, pictured with the son of former National Player of the Year, Kevin Tiggs. Deberry and Kevin Tiggs Jr. are taking part in the No Excuses Basketball Camp this week in Flint.

In his case, I must emphasize “big.”

Coreoante DeBerry, the 6-foot-9 and 245-pound beast from Holland (Michigan), is the second major recruiting target signed by Schmidt in the last few days (Chicago Curie shooting guard Devin Foster signed last week).

DeBerry, who originally committed to the University of Detroit, will provide Schmidt with something he hasn’t had in a very long time — a legitimate center prospect.

“Coreoante is skilled and athletic; he will make a tremendous impact with his ability, size and presence,” said Schmidt, who already had DeBerry hard at work at the school’s youth basketball camp on Tuesday. “I’m really looking forward to working with him and helping him develop on the court and academically. He’s a great kid.”

The first time I saw DeBerry was a couple years ago at an AAU tournament in West Michigan. He was hard to miss. He has a big body with huge hands and is athletic enough not to belabor a team that likes to push it. He should be a double-double frontline force in the MCCAA, where talented big men are hard to come by.

At Holland, DeBerry scored in double-figures in every game but one. He also scored 20+ points in seven games leading his team to the OK Black title.