Published on: Thursday, September 29, 2011

By Brandy L. Simms

Gwynn Park 6-foot-9 senior Marcel Boyd has verbally committed to play college basketball at Howard, opting for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference school over Robert Morris, according to Yellow Jackets head coach Mike Glick.

“I think Howard is a great place for him,” said Glick, who noted the Bison are getting an athletic player with tremendous upside. “Howard is a great choice for him.”

As a junior, Boyd averaged 5.5 points, six rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in guiding the Brandywine school to a 17-9 record, including a Maryland 2A state semifinal appearance.

Boyd will join former high school teammate and current Howard freshman Brandon Ford at the Washington, D.C. school.

The Bison also boast Prince George’s County products and freshmen players Prince Okoroh (Eleanor Roosevelt) and Brandon Bailey (Largo).

Boyd is among the county’s first players in the 2012 class to verbally commit to college. DeMatha seniors James Robinson (Pittsburgh) and Jerami Grant (Syracuse) have also made oral commitments to Division I college programs.

Gwynn Park lost all five starters to graduation but return seven seniors this year including Boyd and 6-foot-11, 270-pound center Kevin Walters.

“We’ve got a very good senior class,” Glick said.