NSU Preston pleased to be getting an opportunity

By KEITH IDEC, HERALD NEWS

Markeece Preston braces himself for the trash talk each time Al-Ghaffaar Lane's name pops up on his cell phone.

He laughs it all off, of course, because Lane wouldn't be Lane if he wasn't talking smack. Preston's former Paterson Catholic teammate and close friend has especially enjoyed himself this week because Preston's Norfolk State Spartans are preparing to play Saturday at 13th-ranked Rutgers (3:30 p.m.; MSG Network), for which Lane likely will redshirt as a freshman. Sports books don't offer odds on games between I-A and I-AA teams, but NSU, a Division I-AA program that hasn't had a winning season since 1996, is considered a huge underdog, the easiest mark on Rutgers' 12-game schedule.

And Lane let Preston know about their teams' obviously different levels every day this week.

"He's saying how the All-Americans are going to tear me apart and stuff like that," Preston said. "I really don't listen to him. I just laugh at him."

All kidding aside, Preston probably will play with more purpose than usual Saturday, when the true freshman figures to see plenty of time as part of NSU's offensive line rotation.

The Paterson native wanted nothing more than to join Lane and fellow Paterson Catholic alum Chenry Lewis on Rutgers' roster, but coaches at the state university stopped recruiting him when they learned he stands 6-foot-2. Although the University of Cincinnati, another Big East school, offered him a scholarship in 2006, before the Bearcats' coaching staff completely changed, Preston's height was a concern for most other Division I-A coaching staffs, too. Rutgers' starting guards, Mike Fladell and Kevin Haslam, are listed at 6-8 and 6-7, respectively.

Preston, a versatile four-year starter and a two-time Associated Press All-State selection for the Cougars, ultimately chose between Norfolk State, St. Francis (Pa.) College and Wagner College, a perceived recruiting mystery that completely surprised Paterson Catholic coach Benjie Wimberly.

"Markeece is an unbelievable athlete," Wimberly said, "and he's unbelievably strong. It's just now, though, if you look at the major offensive linemen, these guys are all starting off, even centers, at 6-4, 6-5. Markeece is right around 6-2, so height was definitely an issue. (College coaches) were looking for sleeker, taller guys. Now you've got guys 6-6, 275 or 6-5, 280. Markeece kind of looked like the linemen of the past."

Nevertheless, Norfolk State coach Pete Adrian still believes Preston is one of his program's future standouts.

"He played quite a bit in our first ball game," Adrian said of NSU's season-opening blowout win against Division II Virginia State on Sept. 1. "He's a big kid, at (6-2) and 320 pounds, and has got great athletic ability. When you're a freshman, especially on the offensive line, there are a lot of things that happen to you, with all the different fronts and blitz pickups. It's more of a learning thing (for Preston). Physically, this young man can play. He'll only get better as he gets older, you know, as he matures as a man. So we think we've got a great player right there."

Preston is listed second on NSU's depth chart at left guard, behind 6-4, 280-pound Jamien Banks, a redshirt junior who started only two games in 2006. The Spartans' right guard, Jason Kressen, is a redshirt senior who was once their starting center, so Preston should at least enter training camp next season as a possible starter. He also played center during his freshman season at PC and is a capable long snapper, so those skills should help his cause as well.

No matter how much time Preston spends Saturday trying to prevent disruptions by Rutgers defensive tackles Eric Foster, an All-America candidate, and Pete Tverdov, he'll have plenty of support within the otherwise unfriendly confines of Rutgers Stadium. He expects nearly 20 family members to attend the game.

"I was really interested in going (to Rutgers) because my family always likes to come see me play," Preston said. "I wanted to be able to go there so they could come see every game. They were recruiting me, but then they found out I wasn't as tall as they thought. So they just stopped recruiting me. They didn't think I'd be able to play on their O-line.

"I thought it was the player that counts, not the height and stuff like that. But the coaches here at Norfolk State, they thought I had perfect height and that I'd be able to play here. I'm so happy that Norfolk State picked me up because I'm playing early and there's nothing better than that."