By Will DeBoer
Jan. 28, 2017
PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland - Logan McIntosh's basketball life began the way countless others have: His father Lawrense gave him a basketball when he was six years old.
It wouldn't take long for young Logan to figure out how fruitful that fatherly gift would be.
"I was in fifth grade when I won my first AAU championship," said McIntosh as the Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team prepared for a game at Central Florida in early December. "We went to nationals and got second place. It was around then that I realized maybe I could play basketball at a higher level."
Basketball brought McIntosh from his native Atlanta, Ga. to Princess Anne by way of a junior college in Oklahoma. He ascended to the starting point guard role a month into the season and has been one of the Hawks' most reliable options on the floor. He ranks third on the team with 8.4 points per game and leads the team with 4.7 assists per contest, good for second in the MEAC.
McIntosh drew the attention of national scouts as a star point guard at McEachern High School in Atlanta suburb Powder Springs. He showed flashes of consistently stellar play, scoring 44 points in one game and torching rival Campbell to the tune of 34 points in a five-overtime win.
"I was something like 6-for-10 from the floor that night and was in the newspaper the next morning," recalled McIntosh of that particular glory day.
After graduating from McEachern, McIntosh went west to play at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, a JUCO outfit in Miami, Okla. An ankle injury cut short a successful freshman campaign, but he recovered over the offseason and "took over" the team as a sophomore, eventually leading the Golden Norsemen to a region championship.
"Winning regionals was amazing," said McIntosh. "It was probably the best feeling of my life.
"What I learned from those years is to never take the game for granted, always work hard and focus, and always listen to your coaches."
Coming out of NEO, McIntosh drew attention from New Mexico, Radford, East Tennessee State, and nearby Rogers State. Eastern Shore head coach Bobby Collins got in on the action as well at the behest of the Hawks' former recruiting coordinator and was all in after a refresher at the NJCAA Division I national tournament in Hutchinson, Kan.
"We really liked this kid, we liked his quickness and ability to score the basketball," remembered Collins about the jewel of his latest recruiting class. "As soon as I saw the film I brought him in for a visit. He played, did an excellent job, and did the things I like to see my point guards do. He earned the spot we offered him."
"[Eastern Shore] saw me against St. Vincent's, and I almost had a triple-double," said McIntosh. "They offered me a scholarship after that, and I came for a visit and really liked it here. It felt like the best fit for me."
Collins knew McIntosh would be as much of a fit for the program as The Shore was a fit for McIntosh.
"We took him around to the classrooms, and we let him hang out with the players," said Collins. "It's important that your teammates like you. They came back to me and said, `Coach, we like his personality, we like his demeanor, and he would be a good fit for us.'"
Rare for someone who serves as a floor general when on the court, Collins observes McIntosh as more of an introvert. That personality mostly disappears once he steps on the floor at the Hytche Athletic Center, but Collins would be pleased to see McIntosh lean closer to extrovert.
"Once he comes further out of his shell and becomes more vocal, he'll become that complete player that we need," said Collins.
As is usually the case for junior college transfers, McIntosh had to adjust to the faster speed and greater competition of the Division I level. Collins originally slated McIntosh as starting point guard out of training camp, but a shaky preseason scrimmage sent him to the bench in favor of senior Thomas Rivera. Rivera started the first six games for the Hawks before McIntosh recaptured the starting job on Nov. 30 at Southeastern Louisiana.
"Coach Collins told me just before that game that I'd be starting," said McIntosh. "And I felt really confident. I felt like I was ready."
"It's a bit of a luxury having two points guards like that," said Collins. "When I talk about Logan, he comes in and is more of a scoring point guard. And Rivera is more of a set-it-up point guard, but he can score when he needs to."
McIntosh really turned on the jets when the calendar flipped to 2017. He notched 10 assists in a Jan. 2 game against Valley Forge and followed it up with 11 helpers a week later at North Carolina A&T. McIntosh helped fuel the Hawks' 14-point comeback at Bethune-Cookman on Jan. 21, dishing out assists and netting a go-ahead finger roll with a minute to play. He finished with 15 points, hitting nine free throws, and seven assists.
Through the first five MEAC games of the year, McIntosh is averaging 9.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per contest.
McIntosh's natural progression and drive caught Collins' eye initially, and he anticipates becoming even stronger as the season reaches its climax.
"A lot of the time when you have a junior college player, he doesn't want to buy into his role," said Collins. "But Logan has come in, he's fit in, we know what he's capable of doing, and I'm giving him more leeway to play his game.
"His success leads to the team's success," said Collins.
As for McIntosh, his ultimate goal is a familiar one for Eastern Shore fans: bringing home the Hawks' first MEAC championship since 1974.
"What actually put [Eastern Shore] over the top for me was that they hadn't won a title in awhile," said McIntosh. "I wanted to help build that team and lead that championship year."
McIntosh and company are off to a fine start in league play, going 3-2 and winning three of four on the road. The Shore gets its next chance to climb the MEAC ladder on Saturday when South Carolina State comes to town. Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m. at the Hytche Athletic Center.
