sp-gonzaga_021359512591.JPG

Gonzaga's Bryant Crawford (left) reaches in to steal the ball away from Paul VI's Franklin Howard during a game at Gonzaga College High School on Tuesday, January 29, 2013. (Toni L. Sandys | The Washington Post)

(Toni L. Sandys | The Washington Post)

Syracuse, N.Y. — Frank Howard, the 6-foot-5 combination guard from Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax, Va., has selected Syracuse as his college basketball destination.

Howard, a high school junior, made a verbal commitment to the Orange during a television appearance on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Monday night. He picked SU from a final list that included Maryland, Georgetown, Virginia, N.C. State and Ohio State.

In doing so, Howard becomes the third player in the Class of 2015 to commit to the Orange. Shooting guard Malachi Richardson and forward Tyler Lydon had already pledged their allegiance to SU.

He cited Jim Boeheim and Syracuse's ability to develop guards among his reasons for picking the Orange.

"Basically, just the family environment," Howard said. "I wanted to [see] a little campus life around the basketball program, a very strong fan base and basically somewhere I'd want to be for four years."

Howard can play shooting guard or point guard. He has been used primarily at shooting guard, but his high school coach Glenn Farello and his AAU coach Keith Stevens said Howard's skills as a passer and floor general would allow him to excel at the point.

The distinction is important because Howard will provide insurance at point guard for next year's freshman Kaleb Joseph, the likely successor to the departing Tyler Ennis. The Orange has lost underclassmen point guards to the NBA Draft in each of the last two seasons. Howard compared his game earlier Monday to Penny Hardaway, the 6-foot-7 former NBA point guard.

"He can play the 1 or the 2," Farello has said. "He can kind of do it all. He can score, pass, he has great court vision, great pace to his game and great basketball IQ. He's a very competitive kid."

Howard missed all of his junior season in high school recovering from a torn ACL sustained last July. He unofficially visited Syracuse for last fall's Orange Madness (SU's version of Midnight Madness).

Glenn Farello said Monday that he and his staff "impress upon" their players the importance of making an "informed decision."

"His sophomore year, he made a lot of unofficial visits. And being injured allowed him to sit back and dive into it," Farello said of the recruiting process. "You also take into account relationships in this business — being comfortable. You also consider where the opportunity is and the style of play — all those type of things."

"I got a chance to see practice and tour the school. I felt comfortable right then. I loved it," Howard said. "I took a while to officially (make the decision) because I wanted to take other visits.''

Howard was recruited primarily by SU assistant Adrian Autry, who was once an assistant at Paul VI. Autry also coached on the AAU level for Team Takeover, a program that produced Jerami Grant, Michael Gbinije and now Frank Howard.

"Coach Red says I play a lot like him," Howard said. "We have a great relationship. We can talk about anything. It's a very comfortable situation for me.''

Syracuse Basketball recruits and recruiting targets 17 Gallery: Syracuse Basketball recruits and recruiting targets

(Assists to Mike Waters/Patrick Stevens for help with Howard quotes.)