The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Soccer Finalizes 2010 Class With Eight Additional Signees
5/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
May 25, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- UAB men's soccer head coach Mike Getman announced the signing of eight additional student-athletes to National Letters of Intent on Tuesday. The eight new additions, along with four previously announced newcomers, complete the program's 12-man signing class.
The eight newest signees include Michael Brody (Dallas, Texas/Marcus HS), Michael Coleman (Atlanta, Ga./College of Charleston), Norris Howze (Birmingham, Ala./Hoover HS), Mladen Lemez (Serajevo, Bosnia/University of Novi Sad), Milan Milinkovic (Serajevo, Bosnia/University of Serajevo), George Plakorus (Columbia, Mo./Hickman HS), Josh Stewart (Birmingham, Ala./South Carolina) and Patrick Wall (Phoenix, Ariz./Pinnacle HS).
The group joins the four UAB signees announced last month, consisting of forward Gentry Smith (Jackson, Miss./Jackson Academy), goalkeeper Chase Bullman (Jackson, Miss./Jackson Prep), forward/midfielder Atak Yai (Jackson, Miss./Murrah HS) and defender Qidian Liu (Vancouver, Canada/Santa Barbara CC).
"I am very excited about the entire 2010 class," Getman said. "To sign this many quality players is a testament to the amount of time our staff has put in during the recruiting period. I think each and every one of these players has a bright future, both on and off the field."
Four transfer students highlight this most recent group of signees in Stewart, Lemez, Milinkovic and Coleman.
Stewart, who is the younger brother of former Blazer Jonah Stewart, comes to UAB as a junior transfer after playing two seasons at South Carolina. While with the Gamecocks, Stewart played in 33 contests in the midfield. Prior to attending South Carolina, he was a member of the United States ODP Region III pool for three seasons. The Birmingham, Ala. native competed under head coach Rick Grammar at Vestavia Hills High School and played his club ball under Luke Whittle with the Vestavia Steamers.
"Josh has great skill and great composure," Getman said. "He also adds a physical presence in the middle of the field. I expect Josh to make an immediate impact."
Two more transfers from whom Getman is expecting big things are Lemez and Milinkovic. The duo will make the long trek from Serajevo, Bosnia to compete for UAB next season. Lemez, a 6-3 defender, played a season at the University of Novi Sad, where he studied business management. He also competed for the Bosnian Youth National Team. Meanwhile, Milinkovic, who attended the University of Serajevo last season, earned a spot on Bosnia's U-15, U-17 and U-19 National Teams.
Both players are big and strong defenders who were teammates for the club team FC Slavija. Getman expects both players to make significant contributions early on.
"Mladen comes with great experience and a year of college under his belt," Getman said. "He has a big presence on the field and I thing big things are in store. Milan is fast, skillful and smart. He is a great 1v1 defender but also likes to get into the attack. With his national team experience, I expect him to make an immediate impact on our team."
Coleman, a 6-0 defender, is another transfer student who comes to Birmingham after sitting out the 2009 season as a redshirt at College of Charleston. During his high school career, Coleman was one of only five freshmen ever to start at Parkview High School in Lilburn, Ga., the same school that produced former UAB goalkeeper Wes Johnson. While there, Coleman helped lead his squad to the state playoffs from 2006-08. He played his club soccer for Gwinnett Soccer Association, where he was a captain and led his team to back-to-back Regional Championship in 2007 and 2008.
"Michael is a very tough and rugged defender," Getman said. "He is also a natural leader. He will challenge for a starting position right away."
Brody is a 6-2 defender out of Marcus High School in Dallas, Texas. While there, he helped lead his team to back-to-back state championships (2007, 2008) and helped set the state record for consecutive wins (32). Brody played his club soccer for the Dallas Texans, coached by SMU men's soccer head coach Tim McClements.
"Michael is very good defensive player," Getman said. "He can play several positions along the back line, which will help us. We expect great things from Michael."
Howze attended Hoover High School in Birmingham where he was coached by Chris Keplinger. The 6-1 midfielder was ranked as the No. 6 player in the South by TopDrawerSoccer.com and earned a spot in the North-South All-Star contest. He played his club soccer with the Birmingham United Academy Team coached by Eric Dade and Robert Starr.
"Norris is a very athletic and skilled midfielder," Getman said. "We think Norris fits extremely well with the way our team plays. He should challenge for playing time right away."
Plakorus is a 6-1 midfielder who played his prep career at Hickman High School under head coach Adam Taylor. In 2009, Plakorus helped lead his squad to a final ranking of No. 7 in the state of Missouri on his way to second-team all-state honors. He was also a member of the state ODP team.
"George is a big, physical athlete," Getman said. "He has a good left foot and likes to work hard. He is going to be a very successful player."
Wall, the son of former UAB soccer player John Wall, comes to the Blazers from Phoenix, Ariz. where he played at Pinnacle High School under head coach Brock Heycoop. Wall played his club soccer with the Sereno `92 under head coach Brian O'Donnell. The speedy forward helped lead Sereno `92 to the 2007 Regional Championship and also earned a spot on the Arizona ODP team.
"Patrick has great quickness and touch," Getman said. "He is a very dangerous attacking player. I expect him to be a big part of our program over the next four years."
