Les: ‘We’ve got a chance to be special’

Bradley coach Jim Les doesn’t like to compare players, but he felt a strong familiarity while recruiting Richmond, Va., native Jake Eastman, who signed with the Braves on Thursday.

“He reminded me a lot of JC (Jeremy Crouch),” Les said of the former sharpshooting men’s player who went on to a professional basketball career in Germany. “Especially with his feel for the game and his ability to pass the ball.”

The 6-foot-4 Eastman became the first player to submit his signed National Letter of Intent to Bradley during the spring signing period that began Wednesday, and the third recruit to make up the incoming freshman class of 2009-10. Joining BU in the fall will be 6-8 forwards Jordan Prosser of Eureka and Milos Knezevic of Las Vegas. The Braves have one scholarship to give for next season.

“We’re really excited about not only our returning players, but the recruits we’re adding to the program,” Les said. “We’ve got a chance to be special in the years to come. That’s our goal, to be an elite program in our league and amongst non-BCS schools.”

Les first spotted Eastman last summer in an AAU tournament at Orlando, Fla., while recruiting a player on the opposing team. Aware of Eastman’s father, Kevin, a former Division I head coach and now an assistant with the Boston Celtics, the BU coach quickly figured out Jake was Kevin’s son.

“Jake was dealing with a knee injury he’d had surgery on that spring, but he still stood out,” Les said. “I could see he had a lot of skill, knew how to play and could make shots.”

Eastman, who averaged 16 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists in his senior season at Douglas Freeman High School, also considered offers from William & Mary and American and was recruited later by Butler, Davidson, Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth. His knee issues may have been a factor in bigger programs shying away, Les said when asked.

“He wasn’t 100 percent (last summer) and maybe that was a setback during a crucial time of AAU basketball,” Les said. “I know he was fielding calls from big schools, but one of the things we really liked about him, and he liked about us, was that he wasn’t necessarily concerned about the size or the name on the front of the jersey.

“He was more concerned about going somewhere where basketball was important. Jake and his mom were impressed by how much of a big deal Bradley basketball was when they came to visit. He was looking for a niche where he could fit in.”

Eastman’s high school coach, Larry Parpart, spoke of the player’s acumen for the game.

“He has a high basketball IQ,” Parpart said. “He knows a lot about the little things in the game, like how to come off screens. Some of those things are hard to teach and some players never learn them.”

Parpart said there was no real concern locally about Eastman choosing a college so far away.

“A lot of people here don’t know about the basketball history at Bradley and would ask why he’s going there,” Parpart said. “But people who know about the program there are really happy. It was exactly what Jake wanted — a school where he could get a good education that had a good basketball program people cared about.”

Eastman joins a crowded BU backcourt headlined by Andrew Warren, Sam Maniscalco, Eddren McCain, Dodie Dunson and Chris Roberts.

“The way we look at it is everybody will have a great opportunity,” Les said. “Regardless of what they did last year and whether they’re young or old. Jake’s dad told me he understands nothing’s been promised to him other than an opportunity.”

Dave Reynolds can be reached at 686-3210 or at dreynolds@pjstar.com