Prep Stars to Descend on Worcester
It’s become the norm for a major prep school tournament to be held the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. For the second year in a row, Jeff Goodman is running the main event, the National Prep Showcase at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass.
As was the case last year, the event features top prep schools from across the country, though many are from the northeast. All but five are from the northeast corridor, with most being in New England, while Champlain St. Lambert is widely regarded as the top prep school in Canada.
The players come from all over, many attending for just one year either for academics, improving themselves as young players for their class or more exposure to college coaches. Typically, these teams are stacked with Division I prospects, and this year is no exception. Numerous players who signed with high-major programs during the recent early signing period will be there, such as Kansas State signee Michael Beasley (Notre Dame Prep), but it doesn’t stop there as some top underclassmen will also be present. Tyreke Evans (American Christian School) is widely regarded as one of the top prospects in the class of 2008, and players like Emmanuel Negedu (Brewster Academy), Devin Ebanks (Patterson School), Christian Morris (South Kent) and Troy Gillenwater (Stoneridge Prep) are also among the better prospects in the class. The class of 2009 is represented by, among others, recent Connecticut commits Jamal Coombs and Alex Oriaki of the Winchendon School.
While there are always surprise results and some games turn out to be better/worse matchups than expected, a few look notable. Two of the better matchups involve Chatham (VA) Hargrave Military Academy – Winchendon (MA) School on Friday and Fitchburg (MA) Notre Dame Prep on Saturday. North Bridgton (ME) Bridgton Academy closes out Friday night’s slate against Patterson School, then has a good matchup with Philadelphia (PA) American Christian School on Saturday.
Last year’s event was well-run and had plenty of good games. The tournament starts at 2:30 PM on Friday, with games on later days beginning at 9:15 AM on Saturday and 10 AM on Sunday. For more information, including the complete schedule, please visit the link earlier in the story.
