Prep School Season Starts in Rhode Island
BARRINGTON, R.I. – St. Andrew’s School played host to the 2005 National Prep Tip-Off Showcase, which saw prep schools together in an excellent weekend event. It marked the unofficial beginning of the high school and prep basketball season, and college coaches came out in droves to see the talent on display.
The weekend event was very well-run by Jeff Goodman and his staff. The game schedule went as planned on Saturday, save for a couple of late games, and aside from the talent and excellent matchups, the experience was very positive as well. Not only were the programs full of useful information, but they also left plenty of room for player notes, and the game box scores that were available were excellent as well.
Saturday Scoreboard
Centereach (NY) Our Savior New American 104, Chicago (IL) Boys to Men 93
Chatham (VA) Hargrave Military Academy 73, Worcester (MA) Academy 51
Bridgton (ME) Academy 87, Woodstock (VA) Massanutten Military Academy 72
South Kent (CT) School 79, Fork Union (VA) Military Academy 59
Laurinburg (NC) Institute 80, Oakdale (CT) St. Thomas More 68
Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy 86, Philadelphia (PA) Lutheran Christian 72
Fitchburg (MA) Notre Dame Prep 88, Lenoir (NC) Patterson School 85
New Hampton (NH) Prep 75, Montreal (Que.) Champlain St. Lambert 69
Headline Matchup Lives Up to Billing
The prime matchup of the weekend figured to be Saturday night’s game between Fitchburg (MA) Notre Dame Prep and Patterson School. Notre Dame Prep boasts two of the top players in the class of 2006 in Syracuse-bound Paul Harris (6’5″ Sr. SG-SF, Niagara Falls (NY)) and Louisville-bound Derrick Caracter (6’8″ Sr. PF, Scotch Plains (NJ)), while the loaded Patterson team is led by Davon Jefferson (6’7″ Sr. SF, Lynwood (CA)). Jefferson is being hyped as the first player to bypass college for the NBA Draft after the new age minimum. Not surprisingly, there were several NBA scouts in attendance for this game.
As far as Jefferson’s NBA potential goes, let’s put one thing to rest right away: he most assuredly needs college. He may be very athletic, but there have been better athletes than him in recent years who weren’t NBA prospects. More importantly, his game has a ways to go, as he’s transitioning into a small forward, and Saturday night showed just that. A press release for an upcoming event that the Patterson School is participating describes him as a “projected 1st round NBA pick”, but Jefferson certainly doesn’t have the athleticism or the game of many players who have been first round picks straight out of high school. He scored 10 points on 3-13 shooting and had nine rebounds in this game and was never a major factor.
For his part, Harris played the old-school game he’s known for at both ends of the floor. He showed that he comes to play and does things to win games, even if he’s not a lights-out shooter or a world-class ball-handler (although he does the latter well enough to occasionally bring the ball up). Some observers were comparing him to Ron Artest, a sensible comparison save for Artest being a better shooter. At the ABCD Camp in July, he got a lot of attention for his defense on top junior O.J. Mayo, and he is the best defender in this class.
Harris had 21 points, including 11-12 at the free throw line, and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Notre Dame Prep to an 88-85 win. Notre Dame Prep led for most of the game and seemed to have the game in control until Patterson made a run in the second half and eventually took the lead. Marquette signee Lazar Hayward (6’5″ Sr. SG, Niagara Falls (NY)) led the team in scoring with 23 points despite a tough night shooting the ball.
Impressing for Notre Dame Prep was Lamont Ullmer (6’6″ Sr. SF, Hamden (CT)), who scored 16 points on 7-8 shooting. He showed a touch from long range and a lot of athleticism, and early on he was the best player on the floor. Caracter had a clear edge on Patterson’s Hashim Bailey (6’10” Sr. C, Paterson (NJ)) inside early, though Bailey had the edge in the box score with 17 points to Caracter’s 6, as Caracter was in foul trouble. Bailey has bulked up to 270 pounds and doesn’t look like he carries it well, but he didn’t seem noticeably less mobile inside.
Patterson was led in the game by Bobby Maze (6’2″ PG-SG, Washington (DC)), a lefty combo guard who scored 20 points. He showed a good stroke and has some quickness, capably running the show and shooting 9-16 from the field.
Massanutten Pulls it Off on Sunday
For a while on Saturday, it looked like Woodstock (VA) Massanutten Military Academy had a chance to knock off North Bridgton (ME) Bridgton Academy. They led for a good portion of the game before Bridgton took over in the second half to win going away. But on Sunday morning, they would not be denied, knocking off Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy 90-85 to open the day.
Massanutten was led by Ryan Washington (6’7″ Sr. SF, Ambler (PA)), who put forth a nice effort at both ends of the floor. He’s athletic and around the ball often, making plays that don’t show up in the box score. He got good help from classmate Darrion Pellum (6’7″ SF, Hampton (VA)), who led the team with 17 points against Bridgton and tied for team-high honors Sunday with 18. Pellum’s body control leaves a little to be desired, but he has good size.
Shooter Scott Grote (6’6″ Sr. SG, Centerville (OH)) had a clutch three-pointer on Sunday against Brewster to cap a team-high 18-point effort, a day after foul trouble hurt him against Bridgton. He has good size for the wing and should help a mid-major out. Seven-foot center Bas Rozendaal (7’0″ Sr. C, Netherlands) is more project than prospect, but plays within himself as he doesn’t try to be a wing. He needs some strength and work on his offense, but wasn’t entirely a non-factor, scoring 10 and 12 points in their two games.
Player Notes
Theo Davis (6’9″ PF, Philadelphia (PA) Lutheran Christian) was a non-factor in his team’s loss on Saturday. He played just six minutes and had two points and three rebounds. Even when he was in the game, you could hardly tell.
While Worcester (MA) Academy was overmatched by Chatham (VA) Hargrave Military Academy, Wake Forest signee Chas McFarland (7’0″ C, Lovington (IL)) showed that he has plenty of potential. Though he weighs in at just 200 pounds, he plays stronger and doesn’t back down from physical play inside. He had 13 points and 11 rebounds in the game. On the other hand, UConn-bound Ben Eaves (6’7″ SF, Lancashire (England)) was not impressive, struggling with foul trouble in the first half and not shooting well with an airball among his 3-8 performance.
Matt Pilgrim (6’7″ Sr. SF-PF, North Bridgton (ME) Bridgton Academy) impressed on Saturday with 14 points on 6-7 shooting. He has a solid frame and good range on his jumper, getting most of his points from mid-range and beyond. Teammate Tyrone Hanson (6’6″ Sr. SG-SF, Valley Stream (NY)) also showed a good touch, scoring 16 points on 5-6 shooting from three-point land. The thin wing bounced back from a 2-9 game on Friday from long range.
Among those who impressed for Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy was forward Emannuel Negedu (6’7″ So. SF-PF, Nigeria). The two quick fouls he picked up on Saturday are evidence that he’s learning the game, but he has a good frame, runs the floor very well and is a live body. Teammate Will Harris (6’6″ SF, Corona (NY)) looks more and more like he’s made the transition to small forward, showing better ball skills and looking more like a scorer. He’s still tough when he gets inside, and he looks like he’s emerging as a leader on his team as well. Dave Leitao and his staff at Virginia have picked up a good one.
Craig Brackins (6’9″ Jr. PF, Lancaster (CA) Boys to Men) was the best player on the floor early on Saturday in his team’s loss against Centereach (NY) Our Savior New American. The aggressive forward dominated early with post baskets, a three-pointer, running the floor and just making plays. He finished with 26 points and eight rebounds.
Brackins had two teammates who were at opposite ends on Saturday. Nyal Koshwal (6’9″ Jr. PF, Chicago (IL)) was just 3-13 from the floor and had nine rebounds, generally struggling at the offensive end. He ran the floor well, as he usually does, and showed some better ball skills although he’s clearly not a small forward. Jeremiah Kelly (6’0″ So. PG, Chicago (IL)) had a quiet 12 points, 11 assists and five steals, getting better as the game went along.
For its part, Our Savior New American once again has plenty of talent. Boston College signee Daye Kaba (6’3″ Sr. SG, Paris (France)) bounced back from a scoreless game on Friday with 23 points on 10-17 shooting, adding nine rebounds and seven assists. Backcourt mate Timothy Ambrose (6’2″ Sr. SG, Brentwood (NY)) is well-built and can really score the ball, as evidenced by his 28 points against Boys to Men. He added 16 points on Friday and plays bigger than his size. Tyvon Williams (6’0″ PG, New York (NY)) ran the show effectively with 10 points and 11 assists on Saturday, a day after scoring 17 points. He’s a slight but effective point guard. Among their big men, the most talented looks to be Teeng Akol (6’10” Jr. PF-C, Sudan), who is long and showed a good deal of potential. He runs the floor well and is very active, also showing a touch shooting the ball.
Devon McClendon (6’3″ Sr. SG, Chester (PA) Lutheran Christian) had a good game on Saturday with 17 points and six rebounds in a losing effort. He looked active and came to play.
New Hampton (NH) School has several athletic forwards who played well Saturday along with wing Brady Morningstar (6’3″ Sr. PG-SG, Lawrence (KS)), who is headed to Kansas. Morningstar is a heady player who showed a knack for picking off passes in addition to shooting the ball. Menghe Nyam (6’6″ SF-PF, Yaounde (Cameroon)) and Radar Onguetou (6’5″ SF, Yaounde (Cameroon)) both played key roles in their win over Montreal (Quebec) Champlain St. Lambert on Saturday night. Nyam, who is headed to SMU, is athletic and has a good frame to go with some ball skills, while Onguetou is a scrappy player forced to play inside on this team but with a reputation as a solid wing player.
In a losing effort on Saturday night, William Archambault (6’6″ Sr. SF, Montreal (Quebec) Champlain St. Lambert) put forth a nice showing from long range. He has a good frame and is a nice pickup for Davidson.
A couple of Rhode Island signees were in action when Laurinburg (NC) Institute defeated Oakdale (CT) St. Thomas More on Saturday. Delroy James (6’7″ SF, Brooklyn (NY)), the younger brother of Northeastern sophomore Shawn James, had 16 points and 7 rebounds in the winning effort. The lefty is athletic and can handle the ball, and he’ll give the Rams a wing player who can score. On the other end, Marquis Jones (6’1″ Sr. PG, South Plainfield (NJ)) is an aggressive defender with three-point range who should upgrade their backcourt. He had nine points, five assists and three steals in the losing effort.
James’ teammate, big man Phil Jones (6’10” Sr. C, Brooklyn (NY)), had a nice showing on Saturday as well. He scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds and blocked four shots in 30 minutes, quietly holding down the fort inside for his team. Kiwan Smith (6’7″ Sr. SF, Brookyln (NY)) had 23 points and 12 rebounds, but has to stop settling for three-pointers (he was 0-6 on Saturday) if he’s going to reach his potential. He’s a terrific athlete, and his numbers despite not making a three-pointer are evidence that he can play a strong game without settling for shots he doesn’t consistently make.
