Published: May 01, 2007 10:55 pm      

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Garrison will transfer to Niagara

Rob Garrison is coming home. And he’s bringing some Big East talent with him.

Garrison, the starting point guard on Niagara Falls High School’s 2005 state championship basketball team who originally said he wasn’t interested in returning to the area, will transfer to Niagara after this semester.

Joining Garrison on Monteagle Ridge is Bilal Benn, a 6-foot-5 guard who played two seasons at Villanova before deciding to transfer. Benn played in eight games in 2006-2007 after seeing action in 20 games as a freshman.

Garrison has a similar college stat line. A late addition to the University of Connecticut in 2005, he was an instant contributor on a team then ranked second in the nation. When starter Marcus Williams returned from a suspension, however, Garrison’s minutes were severely cut. He played in just five games last season.

The two struck a friendship when Benn was at Niagara earlier this month on his official visit. The duo has been text messaging ever since and Garrison said Benn’s interest in Niagara was one of the swaying factors in his decision to come home.

“I started to realize this could really be something special,” Garrison said. “You add two players like us to a school of this size and I think we can really make some noise.”

Both players must sit out the 2007-08 season, per NCAA transfer rules. Each has two years of eligibility remaining. The Purple Eagles already have four new players joining the team this season — junior college transfers Demetrius Williamson and Miroslav Palenik, and high school recruits Kashief Edwards and Anthony Nelson.

Garrison, who has known Purple Eagles coach Joe Mihalich since he was a ninth grader at Niagara Falls, said again Tuesday he wasn’t originally considering Niagara, but felt like he could put his trust in Mihalich.

“I really wasn’t interested at first, but I started talking to people like Tim Winn and I realized it could turn out to be a great thing,” Garrison said. “And coach (Mihalich) did a great job recruiting me. I played basketball with his kids, and he just feels like someone I can trust. He seems like a trustworthy person.”

Benn also had nice things to say about Mihalich, who’s still plugged into the Philadelphia basketball scene, and was impressed with the Lewiston campus.

“I like the atmosphere up at Niagara,” Benn said. “People from back home told me about coach Mihalich. He’s a good person.”

Niagara graduates four seniors — Lorenzo Miles, Clif Brown, J.R. Duffey and Greg Noel — from the 22-12 squad that won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and an opening round game in the NCAA Tournament.

And while Garrison will have to sit out a full season, he’s excited about the opportunity that lies ahead.

“It feels good. There’s no place like home. To be able to play in front of my family and friends,” he said.

“Things didn’t go the way I thought they should have (at UConn), but that’s not in my control anymore. Now I can leave that all in the past.”

Contact reporter Jonah Bronstein at 282-2311, ext. 2258.