PASCO COUNTY RECRUITING FEATURES

Disappointed, Shane survives with positivity

Shane Bucenell 1.1“Just wanted to let you know before you see it on twitter I just spoke with the head coach and my position coach at Charleston Southern And I’m officially a Buccaneer. They will be sending my NLI (National Letter of Intent) soon. Thank you for all you’ve done for me. But I feel this is where I fit. And thank you very much to all of BCP. You guys helped me see the bigger picture and molded me to the man I am today and I’m forever grateful for that.” – This message was sent to the BCP staff Sunday afternoon from a very excited, humbled, hardworking Shane Bucenell. Why did he sent it? Well, his roller coaster ride was one that many have and will continue to go through. The story of the young man with many tools, a great spirit, solid academics and undersized. The story of playing for a young school with not much history, several coaching changes and sacrificing a strength as a passer to orchestrate an offense more suited for a runner. Following, Shane lets out real emotion and you should feel the heartbeat through the text.

“I couldn’t be happier for such a prestigious University to give me the opportunity to play at a high level. Where in the next few years, I will be able to play against Alabama, Mississippi state, Florida State, Troy and others while getting a high class education in one of the best city’s in America.” says Shane with a lightened heart. The Charleston Southern Buccaneers football program is located in Charleston, South Carolina. A D1 program in the Big South Conference led by head coach Jamey Chadwell. Chadwell, who is wrapping up his third signing class, is 18-7 in his two seasons at CSU. The Bucs were 10-3 in his first season, setting a school record for wins. CSU followed up with an 8-4 season a year ago, a win away from earning the program’s first FCS Playoff berth. – http://www.csusports.com/

See, Shane was a South Carolina State commit a few days prior to committing to Chareston Southern. Unfortunately, after his commitment, “SC House Subcommittee Votes to Close South Carolina State For One Year.” According to WCSC, the plan calls for the firing of university president Thomas Elzey, for all employees to be fired and for its board of trustees to be disbanded. Students would be transferred to other publicly-supported institutions in South Carolina, and would receive full payment of their tuition and fees if they are able to maintain a 2.5 grade point average. – http://www.hbcudigest.com. This put Bucenell back at square one.

We started the article off with Shane thanking solely BCP. That sounds great and we played a part. THE TRUTH IS, Shane was fortunate enough to have several different people in his corner all working behind the scenes to get him placed. His former and current coaching staff and team promoter John Miner to name a few all hit the horn and sent the emails, attempting to get Shane somewhere. “When National Signing Day came and I didn’t have a home, it hurt so bad. I was happy for my boys, but that hurt me more then anything. But it also motivated me.” Wiregrass Ranch made history on NSD when two senior football players, Jaye Miner and Mark Hutchinson became the first Division I football signees in school History. Jaye signed with Florida Atlantic and Mark will head to Florida International. Happy for his teammates, It still killed Shane not being celebrated and celebrating with Jaye and Mark. “Kids used to make fun of me because I spent all my time working out, perfecting my craft and sending out my film on twitter. But I knew what I wanted and I’m glad I’ve reached this opportunity.

BCP has published comments about Shane like…

– Shane Bucenell, Wiregrass Ranch – Ball spirals out every time. Can zip the ball on the run and has a sweet delivery. Smart leader. Throws maybe the best catchable ball in the area.

– Berkeley Prep’s Brad Mayes and Wiregrass Ranch’s Shane Bucenell looked especially accurate on touch passes and in tight spots showcasing their arm strength putting more and more pressure on schools to get down here.

– Shane has one of the quickest releases in our four county coverage area. Very strong arm and runs well. Able to extend plays with his feet and make plays on the run.

CLICK HERE AND CHECKOUT ALL THIS SHANE BUCENELL STUFF. THEN CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL HIS VIDEO

“I have always said I’ve felt that I was one of the most underrated players in the state and that I could sling it with the best of them and in this case I will be playing with the best of them. After I got off the phone with my position coach and the head coach, I broke down in tears. With all of the FCS and FBS schools that overlooked me… Mark my words, every last one of them will feel my pain in the coming years. But I’m so very blessed to be given this opportunity and live in an area where I have resources like BCP [Big County Preps] and Unsigned Preps and I couldn’t be more grateful for you guys. I will never switch up or get too ‘big headed’ cause you guys taught me that.”

This is one of the stories with a happy ending. It’s a perfect example of really good players are not always really good college prospects. Being undersized can swallow your strengths. However, players are starting to break the prototype and open doors for other players who don’t have the desired measurables. “If anybody gets anything out of this, I don’t think people will ever understand how many long nights I spent lifting weights, running sprints, working my 5-step 7-step drop, picking out the weakest link on film in an opponents’ defense. If you have something you want, you have to go get it. Don’t let a ranking, stars, size or the team you play for define you!” – Shane Bucenell, Wiregrass Ranch