Bulldogs get top hoops centers first in-home
When it comes down to making a college decision, all parents want to be involved. It is, after all, one of the biggest decisions a young person must make, and it will influence the rest of his life. Five-star Philadelphia (Pa.) Lutheran Christian Academy center/power forward Vernon Goodridge’s (6-foot-9, 215 pounds) mother knows the importance of this decision and is taking control of the situation. If you plan to deal with Goodridge, you must first deal with her.
As with any big star, fans of many schools are following his progress, and most want to know where he will take his visits and when he will take them. Mrs. Goodridge knows the importance of these trips and is taking the scheduling of the visits into her own hands.
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“I am his mom,” commented Patricia Goodridge. “I am the one making all of the reservations and we are not going to give a date until we have the in-home visits. Mississippi State is coming to our home the ninth (of September). After that we are going to give the time when we will do the official visit.
“I talked to Coach (Rick) Stansbury, but really and truly we are not giving out a lot of information at this point. We are playing it safe right now, but when the time comes you will know.”
UConn, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, and Illinois are other schools in contention for Goodridge’s official visits, and while it has been rumored that the Bulldogs hold the early advantage, Mrs. Goodridge declined to elaborate on that topic.
“I am not going to comment on that,” he said. “We are just going to do the in-home visits and then the official visits. My son is leaving that up to me to do.” All of the in-home visits have been set and Mississippi State will be the first one.
Mrs. Goodridge is a native of St. Vincent in the Caribbean, and notes that location will not be a factor in her son’s decision. She does, however, know exactly what she is looking for.
“It doesn’t matter where he goes to school as long as he is happy,” she commented in her heavy West Indian accent. “I am just looking for what is best for my son, and I just want the people at the school that he chooses to treat him the way that they would want him to treat them.
“I want him to be happy so he can focus on his schoolwork and he can play basketball. That is basically what it is all about.”
Goodridge is rated the No. 1 center in the country by Rivals.com and the No. 24 overall prospect in the country after averaging 11 rebounds, three assists, eight blocks, three steals, and 15 points as a junior. Stay tuned to BulldogBlitz.com to see how the in-home visit goes and to find out when he will trip to Starkville.
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