Hargrave WR/Guard High on Hogs.

[Bomis Hawg]

Stefan Welsh

Arkansas has seen its share of multi-talented athletes.  Guys like Matt Jones and Marcus Monk come to mind -- combining great football and basketball skills.  The next line of Arkansas dual-sport athletes might be coming soon.  His name is Stefan Walsh from Newport News, VA.  Virginia is well known for producing some great basketball and football stars.  Allen Iverson and Ronald Curry are two names that stand out. 

Stefan is going to Hargrave this year, putting him in the 2006 class.  He's a 3-star player -- #19 football prospect in Virginia.  On the hoops side, he is the #20 shooting guard in the nation, while #111 in the Rivals Top 150.  The 6'3" 180 pound (4.6 40) Guard/WR has offers from Arkansas, Clemson, and St. Josephs.  Right now, Arkansas is the very top of his list.

It appears the move to Hargrave decision might not have been a move based on acedemics but on competition.

Welsh averaged 18.8 points and 6 assists per game at Woodside High last season and is known more as an undersized shooting guard, but he got the opportunity to run the point a few weeks ago at the Next Level Ballers Tournament in Dallas – and did a nice job getting his teammates, including Macklin, involved.

"Most people look at Stefan as a combo guard, but he’s a pretty good point guard, also,” Keatts said. “The thing I like about him most is that he’s hard-nosed and is a winner. He knows how to play the game and always plays hard.”

For Welsh, making the move is a no-brainer.

"My high school coach agreed that it's a good move," Welsh said. "I will play against better competition and I can develop better as a player and a person." Welsh recently took an official visit to Xavier along with Duke Crews.

Link: Stefan Welsh moves to Hargrave

While at Woodside High, Welsh won back-to-back state championships.

Stefan Welsh trotted onto the Siegel Center floor wearing a white T-shirt with "Back-2-Back" on the rear and pictures of Woodside's 2003-04 state championship team on the front.  The Wolverines hadn't clinched their second straight Group AAA state title yet. But anybody that knows Welsh knows he's confident.  "I got it at 11 o'clock this morning," Welsh said. "It fit great. Wasn't no doubt in my mind that we wouldn't win this game."  Woodside fought off a game Landstown squad 74-71 last night before a crowd of about 7,500 in the all-Eastern Region final to make the shirt a keepsake instead of an unfulfilled memory.

Welsh didn't play as clean in his pearly white Nikes (shooting 6 for 18 from the field), but he added six assists to go with 18 points. He set up a basket by Leroy Foster (11 points) that put the Wolverines ahead 63-57 with 5:30 to go.  Welsh finished for a 70-68 lead and fittingly ended the game with a backward two-hand dunk.  He then embraced senior backcourt mate Calvin Baker (19 points), tears flowing with the "Back-2-Back" shirt draped over their arms.

Link: Stefan Welsh predicts Back-to-Back

A little blurb from Hoopville about Welsh on his AAU team.

Stefan Welsh (6'2" Jr. SG, Newport News (VA) Woodside HS)  Quick scoring guard can flat-out score, and he certainly did that this weekend. He's a good leaper and his frame is filling out, so when you put that with his ability to score on drives and shooting the ball, you have a good high-major prospect.

Link: Welsh's AAU Team


Q: Let me get on the subject of one of your players – Stefan Welsh. Break down Stefan's game if you would? 

A: "Versatile. Can beat you on the defensive end and really had a great state tournament. Stefan is a guy that wants to shoot the ball every time and is one of the best players I've ever coached." 

Link: Q and A with former Coach at Woodside

NEWPORT NEWS — The scenario couldn’t have played out much better for Maury in Wednesday’s Eastern Region quarterfinals.  On the road, facing defending Group AAA state champ Woodside, the underdog Commodores got almost everything swinging in their favor. Almost.

They led at the half and after three quarters.  But Stefan Welsh, Woodside’s star junior guard, scored 13 of his 28 points in the final four minutes, leading the Wolverines back for a 67-62 victory.  “What can you say? It’s just the heart of a champion,” Woodside coach John Richardson said. “I couldn’t be happier. We knew they weren’t going to come in here and roll over.”

“You’ve got to feel pretty good, and we did,” Maury coach Jack Baker said “But ...” Welsh was the “but.”  He hit a long, fall-away 3-pointer with 3:20 left, tying the score at 57. Twenty seconds later, Welsh gave Woodside the lead for good.  “That’s the first time since I was 12 years old I had to play without Calvin by my side,” Welsh said. “I told him as long as I’m on the court, we’re not losing. I’ll pull us through.”

Link: Welsh Scores 13 Points in Last 4 Minutes to Seal Win

[Bomis Hawg]

Here is a three-part series on Walsh from the Daily Press in Hampton Roads, VA.



Stefan Welsh walks up an empty court at the National Institute for Fitness and Sports in Indianapolis, dribbling a basketball between his legs. The last five-on-five game of the day has just concluded at the Nike All-America Camp, but a small audience of college coaches remains.  About 25 of them sit in the bleachers around the court. The coaches jot notes and type messages on their BlackBerry handheld organizers. Assistants whisper into the coaches' ears, perhaps sharing impressions from the game. It's 10 p.m., and the coaches have watched at least 10 hours of basketball today. They're ready to return to their hotels.

But their eyes still focus on Welsh. And he knows it.  He toes the NBA 3-point line and glances toward the bleachers, where coaches from Arkansas, Boston College, Notre Dame, Providence and Virginia sit. These schools are recruiting him to play for them in the fall of 2006.  He swishes a 3 and looks at the coaches. He swishes another one and another. And five more. He hits eight in all and glances at the coaches after each one.  The coaches laugh and smile and nod at Welsh.

Every little bit helps, even though Welsh scored 25 points and had six assists in the day's last game. You can win or lose a college scholarship here in early July at the Nike camp, where 130 of the country's best high school players convene for six days to play games and go through drills as 250 college coaches watch.


And, a small quote from Stan Heath: Arkansas coach Stan Heath sat courtside at all six of Welsh's 5-on-5 games at the Nike camp. Heath says the reasons coaches attend these camps have changed over the years.

"Often times in the past, you would come to these things to see players," he says. "Now it's gotten to the point where you come to camp so that they can see you."

Part 1 from Above


At the Nike camp, coaches often contact players with cell phone text messages. After a 9 a.m.-to-10 p.m. day of drills, media interviews, physical tests and games, players walk back to their hotels.

Lighted cell phone screens illuminate the sidewalks as players view the many text messages coaches left them. Under NCAA rules, text messages fall under the "general correspondence" category, which means coaches can send as many as they please - just like regular letters. Welsh says Arkansas sends him the most messages. At least twice a day.

"They say things like 'good game' and that they liked what I was doing," Welsh says. "I just wonder how much stock they put into the things that I didn't do well."


Part 2 from Above


Welsh finished July by averaging 25 points at the Nike Super Showcase in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., even scoring 37 points in one game. Already, his mom Yosi says coaches from Kentucky and Tennessee have asked to speak with her.

But now comes the wait. Welsh must think about Sept. 9, when coaches may visit players. Since Welsh will be at Hargrave by then, coaches will visit him there. Yosi says she will attend every one of those meetings.

By the end of July, Welsh has seen plenty of reassuring nods from coaches, plenty of smiles, plenty of text messages. Now, the questions remain: Whose interest is most sincere? What school best fits his needs?

There is one way to gauge a coach's interests.

"The first sign of interest is: When is that visit in September?" Williams says. "If they're visiting Sept. 25th, 26th, you've gotta figure out who they've been visiting the other (16) days. That's the first sign of how much they really want you." «

Part 3 from Above

[Bomis Hawg]

Just to show you the kid is more than a hoopster.  He is what he did in 04 on the gridiron.

Woodside went to the playoffs for the first time in nine years, finishing the regular season at 8-2.  They were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs 70-34 (preseason they were projected to go 5-5)

During the season,  he had 188 rushing yards and 652 receiving yards (on 43 catches; 15.2 ypc).  He totaled 13 touchdowns (10 receiving; 2 rushing; 1 KR TD)

In the playoff game (against Phoebus), Welsh had 11 catches for 183 yards and scored twice.  He had 100 yards in 3 games on the year with 3 games of 8 or more catches.  At Free Safety, he gathered in 4 interceptions. 

Link: Walsh's Game-By-Game Stats
Link: Team Schedule

[CarolinaHog1176]

I remember looking into this guy last year... he had a list of schools that were recruiting him that was a MILE long (and very reputable).... now that he's gone to hargrave and is now a 2006 recruit, his list isn't quite what it was.  any reason for that?  did he get hurt?

[Bomis Hawg]

I'm not so sure that they've lost interestest or an injury occured.  It could be he has taken interested, major interest, in those who have offered.

I think the fact that Heath sends this kid more messages than any other coach says something to me.

[CarolinaHog1176]

yea, that definitely shows that SH is on top of the recruiting game.  this guy isn't as highly regarded as some (3 star SG) but as we all know, it doesn't always come to to how many stars you were as a prep.  thanks for the info bomis

[return2glory]

   Seems that there was another WR/Guard that we were looking into at one time. I believe his name was Anjuan Wilderness. Stewie told me that we weren't recruiting him that hard from a Bball standpoint anymore, I didn't know if his football skills alone would merit a schollie or not. Seems like basketball players always turn into pretty good receivers/TE. (Matt Jones, Marcus Monk, Tony Gonzalez, Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, Antonio Gates, etc. ) I would be interested in finding out more on this kid.