North Charleston's Myers gaining attention for football and basketball

North Charleston High School football coach Jimmy Brown infers that Denzel Myers prefers basketball. But Brown said his two-sport star should make football a priority.

Brown said Myers missed some important football workouts and passing league events while playing AAU basketball this summer, and that disappointed Brown.

"I was a little disappointed in him this summer because he didn't do all he needed to get ready, to get better," said Brown, whose team is 1-0 heading into tonight's home game against Bishop England. "We butted heads. He's got people in his head who tell him this and that, who know a lot about nothing. He has to surround himself with the right people and sometimes he didn't do that when he played AAU basketball.

"He's probably got 100 (football recruiting) letters from schools like South Carolina, Notre Dame and UCLA," Brown said. "He's got interest from major schools all over the country. I asked him how many (recruiting) letters he has in basketball, and he said four or five. I don't want to shoot his dreams down. I just want to make him aware of what's best for his future."

Myers, a 6-0, 190-pound senior, was third in the Lowcountry in scoring on the basketball court last winter. He averaged 22 points per game, and the only players who had higher averages were Kris Middleton and Milton Jennings, who signed to play with Texas A&M and Clemson, respectively. He was third in the Lowcountry with 10 rebounds per game, and averaged 3 steals per game.

He's even more special on the gridiron.

As a sophomore, he led the state with 11 interceptions, and played well on both sides of the ball. He played quarterback, defensive back, running back and wide receiver.

Teams didn't challenge him as much last year, and when they did, they usually lost. He intercepted six passes and broke up 21.

He tallied 2,161 all-purpose yards on offense, including 1,103 passing. He scored 24 touchdowns and was a big reason why North Charleston chalked up an 8-4 record, including 4-1 in Region 8-AAA, which was good enough for second place.

The recruiting battle for Myers the football player will heat up between now and the first Wednesday in February. Myers enjoys the recruiting process for now.

"It's very exciting," he said. "It's exciting not only to be known locally, but worldwide as well."

Brown and Myers said Steve Spurrier Jr. has shown a lot of interest and has compared Myers to Kenny McKinley, a high school quarterback who played wide receiver at the college level.

"I don't know what position he will play when he gets to college," Brown said. "USC sees him as a defensive back. I, personally, see him as a wide receiver. I can see him as a lockdown cornerback. But he has to work on his aggressiveness. He's tackling running backs who are 5-10 and weigh 170 pounds. At the next level, those running backs will be 6-2, weigh 210 pounds and know what they are doing."

Brown was disappointed with Myers' work ethic over the summer. But Myers didn't disappoint in the season opener. He completed 7-of-9 passes for 180 yards and four touchdowns and added 83 yards rushing in a 55-0 victory over Military Magnet.