John Fierstein discusses his commitment to Salisbury University
John Fierstein, 6’4″, CG, 2017. Quince Orchard Cougars HS. Gaithersburg, MD.
Grassroots Team 2016: Maryland Elite
College attending: Salisbury University Seagulls. Salisbury, MD.
Last season John and Quince Orchard had a phenomenal year and came just short of winning a Maryland 4A State Championship Title, losing to Perry Hall 59-56 in OT. The Cougars finished the year at 24-3 and in the MD State 4A semifinals Quince Orchard upset heavily favored Wise HS 55-52 to advance to MD 4A State Finals. This was one of the best executed game plans I have seen and QO played a perfect game upsetting the highly touted Pumas who finished @ 21-1. We talked to John this Thursday and he reflected on the game, “We had 7 days to prepare for our game vs. Wise HS. Our Coach Paul Foringer, who is a great executed the perfect game plan. The flex was our primary offense, but we ran a North Carolina 4 corners vs Wise due their great athletes. We watched film, ran scout teams and when we entered Infinity Center at the University of Maryland we knew exactly what we wanted to do. Looking back it was an amazing game.”
During the MD State semis I sat next to several D1 Coaches who were giving John a very hard look, and one said if John would Prep we would take him. In April John was invited to play in the Capital Classic for the Suburban All Stars and despite being an excellent student & player John did not have many offers. We talked with John at length about his decision to attend D3 Salisbury State, who plays in the excellent CAC Conference and finished in 2nd place last season. ” I had a D2 offer from Shepherd College in WV, but they wanted me to red-shirt. In terms of expense an in state school like Salisbury State vs a partial out of state scholarship it is about equivalent. In terms of basketball, D3 schools in the CAC have many players who by the time they become seniors have developed into potential D1 role players. I really like everything about Salisbury State and I am very excited to play next year.”
When we saw John he was working out with his well known Trainer, Brad Pinchback who has been working with John for years. Brad praised John for his work ethic and constant improvement and said, ” We are working with John this summer on his shot mechanics so he can release the ball quicker, ball handling & explosion in addition to all other basketball skills.”
John looks to have grown and is possibly a tad over 6’4″ now and looks to be in great physical shape as his shot. John says, “SSU wants me to move to PG, so I am working very hard on my dribbling and extending my range.” John described his strengths as passing, mid range game and rebounding. Last season he had a great knack to get in the lane, score with floaters or pull ups or drill a jumper. On the court his basketball IQ was off the charts and John and his QO teammates such as PG Matt Kelley, who will attend D2 Assumption College (MA) were excellent ball movers.
This summer John is working on a SSU strength & conditioning package and running on his own mixing in 2 miles with some some sprints. John has an excellent chance to earn high minutes for SSU this season & we will be following his career at Salisbury and wish John the best.
Last season John averaged 13.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists & he was awarded 1st team All State Maryland 4A by
QO Upsets Wise HS in MD 4A semis, video courtesy of our friend Marc Stern @ Capitol Hoops
John and QO teammate Matt Kelly at Capital Classic, video courtesy of our good friend Marc Stern of Capitol Hoops.
John will play in the Capital Athletic Conference consisting of the following teams below with last seasons record in parentheses.
1. Christopher Newport College Captains (17-1) Newport News, VA.
2. Salisbury University Seagulls (14-4) Salisbury, MD.
3. York College Spartans (12-6) York, PA.
4. Marymount Saints (9-9) Arlington, VA.
5. St. Marys Seahawks (8-10) St. Marys. MD.
6. Wesley College Wolverines (8-10) Dover, DE.
7. University of Mary Washington Eagles (7-11) Fredericksburg, VA.
8. Penn State Harrisburg Lions ( 6-12) Middletown, PA.
9. Frostburg State Bobcats (6-12) Frostburg, MD.
10. Southern Virginia Knights ( 3-15) Buena Vista, Va.