The 2009 National Prep Showcase has come and gone, with 20 games in three days. The games got better as the weekend went along, going from four of six games on Friday being blowouts to a Sunday that saw the only overtime game of the weekend as well as two games decided by buzzer-beaters.
Now we take one last look back at the event with some quick hitters.
- Lorenzo Brown (6’5″ Sr. PG-SG, Roswell (GA)) probably improved his stock as much as anyone here. The feeling among many in the gym is that North Carolina State has an excellent addition coming their way next season as he’s athletic, very skilled to play both guard positions and his body isn’t quite there yet.
- The Kiski School may have been blown out twice, but they caught attention with the size they have. None are very polished right now, although Stefan Jankovic (6’9″ So. SF-PF, Mississauga (Ont.)) is the most advanced of the three as he has some ball skills that can still get better and has a ways to go physically. But the players who grabbed the most attention were two young brothers, Tanveer Bhullar (7’2″ Fr. C, Toronto (Ont.)) and Sim Bhullar (7’4″ So. C, Toronto (Ont.)). The younger brother, Tanveer, is only 14 and has good hands, although he’s not the most mobile player inside. Sim has a wide body and less upside as he has a more developed lower body and looked very slow getting up and down the floor.
- Tilton played Sunday’s game without low post anchor Ryan Canty (6’9″ Jr. PF-C, Danvers (MA)), who was sick.
- Blair Academy’s main post player, Lionel Gomis (6’9″ Jr. PF, Dakar (Senegal)) didn’t have his best day offensively but held his own on the glass. Although he had just four points, Gomis grabbed 11 rebounds and played well. His offense still needs some work as he’s quite a bit raw, but he’s showing a good motor and contributing at the defensive end as the team’s inside anchor.
- In his first game with his new school, Ricardo Ledo (6’5″ So. SG-SF, Providence (RI)) picked up right where he left off and tried to carry St. Andrew’s to victory against Blair Academy. Ledo scored 27 points and grabbed six rebounds in the losing effort.
- St. Thomas More has a couple of nice glue guy-types in Jacob Jenkins (6’4″ Sr. SG-SF, Louisville (KY)) and Matt Conway (6’7″ SF, Sarasota (FL)). Jenkins showed three-point range on his jumper, while Conway knocked down several mid-range shots and has a mature body.
- Although St. Thomas More is often loaded with post-graduates and most of the rest are seniors, this year’s team has a couple of quality underclassmen. Andre Drummond (6’10” So. PF, Middletown (CT)) is already well-known, but Trashon Burrell (6’6″ Jr. SF, Albany (NY)) has been under the radar to this point. That should change, as the lanky athlete looked good in their two games with transition baskets and a few jumpers, and his body still has some filling out to do.
- Winchendon has a great deal of balance and depth. In their two games, no player scored more than 15 points in one game, and the two players who posted that on Saturday – Khem Birch (6’9″ So. PF, Pierrefonds (Que.)) and Devon Saddler (6’2″ Sr. SG, Aberdeen (MD)) – each had a team-high 25 for the two games.
- Syracuse-bound C.J. Fair (6’7″ Sr. SF, Baltimore (MD)) isn’t known for his length, but it gave Worcester Academy a lot of trouble when Brewster pressed them. Fair played two excellent games, making some clutch baskets in each. He had 15 points and 10 rebounds against Worcester, then 19 points on 8-10 shooting against NIA on Sunday.
- Fair’s teammate, Naadir Tharpe (6’0″ Jr. PG, Worcester (MA)), had a nice game on Sunday and in the two games showed that he continues to grow overall. He got in the lane often and continued to show more scoring ability, making him tougher to guard. He had 16 points on 6-9 shooting and five assists in the losing effort against NIA.
- Although Massanutten Military Academy lost two games by double-digit margins, Chance Rucker (6’3″ Sr. SG, Kannapolis (NC)) impressed with his touch from three-point range and athleticism, the latter of which he showed a few times including one drive and left-handed finish.
- Champlain St. Lambert’s most impressive players were in the frontcourt, with athletic rebounding forward Ibrahim Appiah (6’6″ Sr. SF-PF, Montreal (Que.)) and well-built wing Yann Charles (6’5″ Sr. SF, Longueil (Que.)). Charles hit his share of three-point shots and also had a clutch baseline drive for a field goal in traffic against South Kent. A player to keep an eye on is freshman Kewyn Blain (6’1″ Fr. SG, St. Leonard (Que.)), a baby-faced guard who was more aggressive in Sunday’s game and looks like he may have some potential down the road.
