King's Foreman enters crucial senior season in recruiting game

Sammy Foreman said he tries to not pay attention to his college recruitment. He said his basketball coaches know more than he does. The Martin Luther King senior is just concerned with getting better.

"I'm focused on the season," Foreman said. "It motivates me when I see other guys that I grew up playing with going to this school and that school. It motivates me to work harder during the season."

Foreman averaged 13.8 points per game last season and helped King win its first Public League title. The league's coaches voted him to the all-Public first team. The 6-foot point guard plans to sign a college scholarship in April. He spent the summer on the AAU circuit with Philly Pride.

Kamal Yard, who runs Philly Pride, said Foreman has drawn high interest from Fairfield, LIU Brooklyn, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Quinnipiac, UNC Greensboro, and North Texas. Yard said it will become more definitive during the season.

"He's probably the best competitor we have in our area, just a natural competitor," Yard said. "For him it's really good, because it's going to make him reach higher and go further to reach his goals. This type of pressure is good for him because he handles pressure well."

Yard said he has known Foreman since the player was 3. The two are from the same North Philadelphia neighborhood. Yard remembers waking up to the sound of Foreman's dribbling the basketball at the playground court on Diamond Street. Yard would come home at night and see Foreman still dribbling.

"When he would come home, whatever shirt he had on would be dirty and his hands would be filthy from the ball," Yard said. "If he had a white shirt on, it was black. Because he was dribbling the ball all day long."

Now Yard is helping make sure that Foreman's work produces a college scholarship. Foreman spent his freshman year at the Haverford School and his sophomore year at Vaux. He transferred to King after Vaux was closed by budget cuts.

King coach Sean Colson said he's not sure whether Foreman ever played for a coach like him. Colson is demanding of his players. If his players don't listen, Colson says, they don't play. Colson also is from North Philly, starred in the Public League, and made his way to the NBA.

"He came from where I come from, so he's seen what I've seen," Foreman said. "And I know taking his path will help me get to where I want to be at."

Miller sets date. Washington High defensive end Shareef Miller said he will make his college commitment on Feb. 1. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior was visited at his Northeast Philadelphia home this week by coaches from Michigan State, Miami, Penn State, Pittsburgh, and Temple. Miller is also considering Arizona State and Rutgers. Rivals ranks him as a three-star recruit.