Plenty of Talent at National Prep Showcase
WORCESTER, Mass. – The 2006 National Prep Showcase was the latest pre-Thanksgiving event of its kind. It was three days full of good matchups and plenty of Division I talent, both signed and unsigned among seniors and with good underclassmen. Although a couple of games were blowouts, a number of games were close and one went to overtime.
Friday Scores
Oakdale (CT) St. Thomas More 67, Fork Union (VA) Military Academy 63
Winchendon (MA) School 80, Chatham (VA) Hargrave Military Academy 72
Lee (ME) Academy 100, Centereach (NY) Our Savior New American 56
Fitchburg (MA) Notre Dame Prep 98, Simi Valley (CA) Stoneridge Prep 95
North Bridgton (ME) Bridgton Academy 96, Lenoir (NC) Patterson School 85
Saturday Scores
Northfield (MA) Mt. Hermon 92, Our Savior New American 39
New Hampton (NH) School 67, Champlain St. Lambert (Quebec) 56
Patterson School 86, St. Thomas More 82
Winchendon School 69, Fork Union Military Academy 51
South Kent (CT) School 75, Pittsfield (ME) Maine Central Institute 54
Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy 94, Woodstock (VA) Massanutten Military Academy 65
Bridgton Academy 96, Aston (PA) American Christian Academy 82
Stoneridge Prep 96, Lee Academy 83
Sunday Scores
Patterson School 104, New Hampton School 81
Brewster Academy 101, American Christian Academy 78
Northfield Mt. Hermon 67, Champlain St. Lambert 39
South Kent School 87, Massanutten Military Academy 57
Blairstown (NJ) Blair Academy 76, Tilton (NH) School 45
Maine Central Institute 82, Stoneridge Prep 79 (OT)
Peterson Fits in With Notre Dame
Notre Dame Prep head coach Bill Barton loves to press and play up-tempo. That suits Jamine Peterson just fine, and it showed this weekend as Peterson put forth a couple of big scoring games.
An active 6’5″ athlete on the wing, the Brooklyn native scored 33 points on 14-24 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds in Friday’s win, then followed it up 24 points (11-17 shooting) and nine more rebounds in Saturday’s win. Peterson scored often on the break, but also got to the basket and finished with a variety of reverse layups and moves through traffic.
Peterson isn’t a shooter, but he knows not to take them as he didn’t attempt one three-pointer this weekend. He also gets a little too fancy and tries to do too much at times, but when he plays within his strength as he did much of this weekend, he’s a major asset to his team.
Bridgton Impresses
Whit Lesure has won with teams that didn’t have as much talent as this year’s, so it’s safe to say that Bridgton Academy will be a formidable opponent this season given the talent they showed this weekend.
On Friday night, Greg Hill lit up Patterson for 23 points in the first half, draining several three-pointers. He was silent in the second half and was quiet Saturday, but he’s shown himself to be a solid combo guard with a good feel for the game.
Delaware wing Paris Horne also looked good, especially in the second half of Friday’s win. The thin athlete went for 19 points and 10 rebounds, then added 15 more on Saturday night, scoring often on driving layups. He didn’t score on jumpers much, but did knock one down from long range.
St. John’s signee Justin Burrell is someone Norm Roberts would surely love to have right now. Burrell is athletic and solid and really comes to play every time out, running the floor well and going to work inside. He scored 40 points in the two games and was a constant presence on the boards, and Red Storm fans are going to love the way he plays the game.
Two less-heralded players who impressed are New York area wing Rashard Green, the younger brother of North Carolina sophomore Danny, and Ronnie Moss. Green isn’t overly quick or athletic, but he makes plays at both ends of the floor. Moss, a 6’2″ native of Fort Worth, Texas, shot the ball well in a reserve role and could be a nice pickup for a mid-major. He was better Saturday, when he was more active at both ends of the floor.
Gillenwater Returns Home, Plays Well in Defeats
Boston native Troy Gillenwater had a homecoming of sorts, playing about 50 miles west with some family and friends present. His Stoneridge Prep team lost two of three, but he had three big games to lead the talented group.
The highlight was his 37-point effort in Saturday’s win over Lee Academy, which followed a double-double on Friday of 27 points and 11 rebounds. When he gets the ball inside, the well-built forward is almost automatic, and he battles inside throughout the game. His ball skills are a little iffy right now as he looks to expand his offensive game, but his overall offensive game away from the post looks improved.
Most notable among his teammates was Minnesota native Angelo Johnson, a 5’10” fifth-year junior point guard who really scored the ball well. He was driving to the basket at will and absorbing contact to score before he was hurt and struggled on Sunday. Another we liked was Valparaiso signee Howard Little, a 6’4″ athletic slasher who should do well as they move to the Horizon League.
Correia Can Shoot It
One player who boosted his stock perhaps as much as anyone is Northfield Mt. Hermon combo guard Gary Correia, who put on a fine shooting display in his team’s two blowout wins. The 6’1″ Providence native may be the latest guard to boost himself while playing for Bill Batty, as he was one of the better available mid-major guards at the event.
Correia started Saturday by scoring 14 points, including 4-6 on three-pointers, then repeated those numbers on Sunday. He did a nice job as the floor leader as well and should have his recruitment improve from his showing here.
Patterson’s Wings Impress
Chris Chaney’s team at Patterson has plenty of athleticism on the wing in the form of Kansas State signee Dominique Sutton and Tennessee signee Cameron Tatum, and Seton Hall-bound Jeremy Hazell showed his shooting ability. For good measure, Tirrell Baines, who is more of a power forward, isn’t lacking athletically as he showed in his team’s games.
Sutton got off to a fast start Friday night en route to 18 points and eight rebounds, while Tatum was very active in transition. Tatum didn’t score much save for his 15 points on Saturday, but was a factor each time out. Hazell, who’s not as athletic, lit up the scoreboard in a big way on Sunday morning, scoring 21 of his 34 points in the first half of their win over New Hampton. Hazell went 12-31 from long range in the three games en route to 74 points, getting five steals on Saturday and three on Sunday.
Baines didn’t put up the biggest numbers, but he certainly boosted his stock. He doesn’t look skilled enough to play the wing, but he certainly has the athleticism and really used it to his advantage from the power forward spot. Athletic and with a good body, he rebounded and got out in transition several times, finishing a few breaks with dunks that grabbed attention. He posted a double-double on Saturday with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Some high-major might take a flyer on him, though he could be very good at the right mid-major.
Negedu Plays Right
Brewster Academy junior forward Emmanuel Negedu is a refreshing player to watch. He has a solid body for the low post, is athletic and runs the floor. But best of all, he doesn’t take a play off, going with effort and intensity every minute he’s on the floor. Although statistics don’t show his full value, he did pretty well in the stat lines this weekend.
Negedu went for 16 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday’s win over Massanutten Military Academy, then followed it with 28 points on 13-18 shooting and 13 more rebounds in Sunday’s blowout of American Christian. On a team loaded with talent, from Iowa State-bound forward Craig Brackens (who had 29 points Saturday) to Idaho signee Andre McFarland (who had a double-double on Sunday), Negedu shines in large part because of how he plays.
Other Players of Note
Darryl Ashford, Jr. (6’3″ Sr. SG, New Hampton (NH) Prep) The General got a good one, as the Texas Tech-bound wing is simply a solid player. He’s athletic and active at both ends of the floor.
Kodi Augustus (6’8″ Sr. SF-PF, Pittsfield (ME) Maine Central Institute) He had a nice spurt on Sunday where he looked like the high-major prospect we’ve thought him to be, but overall he wasn’t a big factor for his team. The Mississippi State signee has good talent to play both forward spots, but didn’t impress much overall this weekend.
Chris Baez (6’5″ Sr. SG, Lee (ME) Academy) His sweet stroke was on display in two games, as he went for 16 and 20 points on a combined 7-11 shooting from long range.
Matthew Bryan-Amaning (6’9″ Sr. PF, South Kent (CT) School) He’s athletic and runs the floor well, and he did that this weekend for a few breakaway dunks. Where he gets into trouble is when he tries to be a small forward, as he simply doesn’t have the ball skills for it. He committed 10 turnovers in the two games, many coming when he would try to drive to the basket or otherwise handle the ball more than a post player should.
Devin Ebanks (6’7″ Jr. SF, Oakdale (CT) St. Thomas More) Talented wing has been well-traveled in just the past year. He scored 20 points in each game, getting 13 rebounds in the second one, and scored mostly in transition and on drives to the basket. If he shoots it better, we’ll be talking about an elite prospect.
Keenan Ellis (6’11” Sr. C, Aston (PA) American Christian Academy) The UAB signee showed a nice touch on short and mid-range jumpers. He’s still very thin but athletic and with plenty of upside at that size.
Joseph Fulce (6’7″ Sr. SF Woodstock (VA) Massanutten Military Academy) He struggled against South Kent, although he did grab seven rebounds and hit his only three-pointer. The day before, he went for 17 and went 2-2 from behind the arc. Though not a great athlete, he’ll be a nice addition to Texas A&M.
Michael Glover (6’6″ Sr. PF, Aston (PA) American Christian Academy) The younger brother of former St. John’s forward Anthony is a similar type of player. He has a good body, is skilled and plays very hard, and while not a great athlete, he’s not entirely lacking in that area. Seton Hall fans will be happy, as he should be a role player a little in the Kelly Whitney mold.
Mike Howlett (6’9″ Sr. PF, New Hampton (NH) Prep) Lehigh got a good one with him, as he’s skilled and seems to have a good feel for the game. He has good size and can play a little of both forward spots, though he’ll probably fare best as a skilled power forward.
Karron Johnson (6’6″ So. SF, Lenoir (NC) Patterson School) One of the better players in this class played limited minutes and didn’t do a whole lot. He’s well-built and hit a couple of jumpers in a few minutes on Sunday.
