ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Parkland High School was the site of the 14th annual Lehigh Valley Hoop Group Showcase on Sunday. It consisted of four games, the last two of which came right down to the end.
Scoreboard
Emmaus (PA) High 84, Bethlehem (PA) Catholic 74
Elizabeth (NJ) St. Patrick’s HS 66, Blairstown (NJ) Blair Academy 49
Newark (NJ) St. Benedict’s 80, Forestville (MD) Bishop McNamara HS 70 (OT)
Norristown (PA) High 67, Allentown (PA) Parkland HS 66
Emmaus Shoots Lights Out to Open Day
The first game of the day was short on Division I prospects but not long on good shooting by one team. Victorious Emmaus, the alma mater of former Pitt big man Aaron Gray, shot 54 percent from the field and a scorching 10-17 from long range en route to their 84-74 win.
Ryan Onushko (5’9″ Sr. SG) led the winners with 22 points, going 6-7 from the field and making all four three-pointers. For Bethlehem, Pedro Perez (6’3″ Sr. SF) had a game-high 26 points and seven rebounds, and diminutive point guard Al Blount (5’8″ Jr. PG) added 20.
Gilchrist Lives Up to Billing
As is usually the case, St. Patrick’s is loaded this year. They feature North Carolina commit Dexter Strickland (6’3″ Sr. SG), George Mason signee Paris Bennett (6’6″ Sr. SF) and Kyrie Irving (6’1″ Jr. SG). But the player who impressed the most in their convincing win over Blair Academy was a little younger, game MVP Michael Gilchrist (6’7″ So. SF-PF).
There has been a lot of buzz about Gilchrist, and certainly is worthy of it. He’s long and athletic, very active and around the ball often. While he has three-point range, that’s hardly his forte offensively; his best attribute is his nose for the ball because he makes plays off it. His stat line was not deceiving at all: 17 points on 6-10 shooting, seven rebounds, four assists and five steals.
Gilchrist epitomized the way St. Patrick’s dominated the game, as the Celtics were aggressive all along at both ends of the floor. They pressed the Buccaneers and got baskets off of it, and also ran off misses. Gilchrist showed that he has quite a ceiling, as his body has a ways to go physically.
Blair Has No Life Until Reserves Enter
For whatever reason, Blair Academy didn’t show a lot of life against St. Patrick’s. While the Buccaneers were certainly the less talented team, they never gave themselves a chance in this game. They trailed 30-13 at halftime, and it wasn’t even that close.
In the third quarter, coach Joe Mantegna made a wholesale substitution to put in all reserves, and suddenly the Buccaneers had some life. They made it look respectable, even though they were more over-matched talent-wise on the court.
The selection of the team’s player of the game was a little questionable, as it was Rutgers-bound Austin Johnson (6’9″ Sr. SF-PF). While it was hard to pick someone from a team that struggled so, Johnson had seven points and five rebounds and generally struggled. He’s played much better than he did on Sunday. Our call is Nathan Healy (6’7″ Sr. SF), who had eight points and seven boards after shaking off a couple of easy misses.
Patterson Shines in Second Half
St. Benedict’s isn’t lacking for talent in all classes. But the player who really led them through the second half and some of overtime was Pittsburgh-bound Lamar Patterson (6’5 Sr. SF), who finished with 21 points and five boards in the victory.
Patterson is very athletic and plays bigger than his size. He handles better than your average wing and looks like someone who will fit the way Pittsburgh plays, as he’s got the mature body and physical style their players have had.
In the first half, he did very little. He was such a non-factor, anyone seeing him for the first time had to wonder what the Panthers saw in him. But he came alive in the second half and made a few plays in overtime, and his efforts earned him the team’s player of the game.
Unheralded Guards Help Bishop McNamara
Another Pittsburgh-bound forward, Talib Zanna (6’9″ Sr. PF), is the man most know from Bishop McNamara. While Zanna impressed with 21 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out, it was a couple of guards who had key plays and led the team as the Mustangs forced overtime in a game that was tight for most of the 32 minutes of regulation.
Unsigned point guard Brenden Bazilio (6’1″ Sr. PG) and North Carolina-A&T signee Lawrence Smith (6’4″ Sr. SG-SF) each had a key role in this game. Bazilio looks like a solid floor leader that could be a nice late pickup for a mid-major team. The lefty floor leader has a good body and capably ran the show, although the box score shows no assists. He comes to play and made some good decisions with the ball en route to scoring 12 points on 4-6 shooting.
Smith had just 10 points and three rebounds, but he added a couple of steals and plays bigger than his size. He made a clutch three-pointer with 1.9 seconds left to send the game to overtime. He’s a versatile wing who won’t blow you away with physical gifts, but can play the game.
Where Was He All Game?
For much of the game, Temple-bound Khalif Wyatt (6’3″ Sr. SG) wasn’t much of a factor. He seemed passive at both ends of the court, and there wasn’t much to gather from him. It wasn’t clear if his reputation was deserved or not. Then the third quarter neared an end, and things changed.
From that point on, Wyatt came alive. He got the ball more on offense and demanded it, and seemed to have much more energy on both ends. After struggling to score for much of the game, he was unstoppable in the latter part of the fourth quarter as Norristown rallied from a 59-47 deficit to take home the victory.
Between clutch three-pointers and a couple of defensive plays, Wyatt was the key to the rally. With that, you could easily have looked past his 7-20 effort from the field that included a 3-13 showing from long range. He was 10-12 at the line en route to 27 points, grabbed seven rebounds, handed out three assists and had three steals.
Wyatt has a good body, though his upper body could get into better shape. He’s just a plus athlete, but he looks like he has a good basketball IQ. If he plays more like he did in the latter part of Sunday’s game, Temple will have a good pickup.
Other Player Notes
Paris Bennett (6’6″ Sr. SF, St. Patrick’s HS) didn’t have a big game, but showed some of what he can do. The George Mason-bound wing is versatile and has a mature body, doesn’t force anything, and is a solid complementary player on the loaded Celtics with the ability to be a team’s go-to guy.
Aaron Brown (6’4″ Jr. SG-SF, St. Benedict’s) had a quietly good game for his team off the bench. He was active and got out in transition, showed some ball skills and has a decent body that he could stand to get in a little better shape. He has a chance to be a good prospect with some work.
Jaleel Clark (6’5″ Sr. SF-PF, Parkland HS) had a big game in a losing effort, going for 28 points on 12-19 shooting and 13 rebounds. Before fouling out, he carried his team at times, battling inside and leading a couple of rallies. He looks like an undersized power forward, as most of his damage was done close to the basket and a few times on the post.
Brandon Coleman (6’7″ Jr. PF, Bishop McNamara HS) had a very deceiving stat line of nine points on 4-5 shooting, two rebounds and two blocked shots. He was very active and efficient while in the game, finishing well near the basket and playing his role well. His body isn’t mature yet and he isn’t counted on for much, so what he showed here as well as being a plus athlete add up to him being a prospect and one who should show more in another year.
Kyrie Irving (6’1″ Jr. SG, St. Patrick’s HS) scored 17 points of his own a little quietly, although he was very aggressive with the ball. He’s athletic and stronger than he looks, was a little shaky shooting the ball but appears to be more of a scorer anyway. If he starts making that jumper, watch out.
Tamir Jackson (6’2″ Sr. SG, St. Benedict’s) helped close out the game at the foul line as he was 8-9 from the charity stripe in his 16-point effort. Already a solid scorer, he continues to shot an improving touch with his jumper, which will only make the Rice-bound guard more dangerous.
Myck Kabongo (6’1″ So. PG, St. Benedict’s) had a quiet game in the box score, scoring 12 points, grabbing six boards and handing out four assists. He had the ball in his hands often and was the primary player running the show, and though he didn’t make all the biggest plays, he had a bigger hand in the win than the stat sheet might suggest. The Texas commit has a high upside as his body is certainly not there yet.
Matt Muhr (5’11” Sr. SG, Parkland HS) is an excellent shooter who made several clutch shots late in the game. He went for 15 points on 3-7 shooting from long range, but also had four turnovers. Not a point guard, he’s an undersized shooter who is likely a non-Division I player.
Tavon Sledge (5’11” So. PG, St. Benedict’s) is a player of the future, but one with a lot of upside. He’s very quick and a great leaper, which he showed off when he ran down the court to block a shot on a 3-on-1. Even at his size, he grabbed four rebounds in relatively limited minutes.
Dexter Strickland (6’3″ Sr. SG, St. Patrick’s HS) is very athletic but doesn’t have a clear position in the backcourt. His body isn’t there yet physically, but he’s much more of a scorer than a shooter although he showed signs of an improving touch from outside the paint. That would bode well since the North Carolina-bound guard is a little undersized at the shooting guard spot to begin with.
Tristan Thompson (6’9″ Jr. PF, St. Benedict’s) has a world of potential, and the Texas commit posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. The lefty is long and a plus athlete, has some ball skills but could improve there, and was okay at the foul line late in the game, although there’s room for improvement there.
Jon Ward (6’9″ Sr. PF-C, Parkland HS) has a good frame inside and looks to have some good fundamentals as well, but he missed too many shots close to the basket. He had eight rebounds, but going 1-8 on mostly close shots isn’t good.
Rashad Whack (6’3″ Sr. SG, Bishop McNamara HS) didn’t play well in this game, certainly not up to the reputation he’s gained that led him to George Mason, where he signed. He looks like a gunner with a very shaky handle, and although he has a good body his skills appear to be lacking. He fouled out with just five points on 2-11 shooting and didn’t show great shot selection.
