KENT, Conn. – The second stop on Wednesday was a short trip from the first one, as the Kent School is located just a few miles north of South Kent. A short trip from the center of town, much of the campus is nestled right alongside the Housatonic River. While the talent level is a bit different from their neighboring school, the Lions have a team that should be competitive in Class A this season.
The basketball court at the school was redone recently, and before you see that you will walk past a football field right next to the facility that was improved a summer ago. Both are signs that the athletic program is in growth mode these days, and the basketball team is hoping to be no small part of that.
The player who could be the heart and soul of this team is Jamal Lucas (6’3″ Sr. PG-SG, New York (NY)). He has a slight frame, but he competes and is ambidextrous, though he usually shot his jumper with his left hand on Wednesday night. He missed a lot of the spring and summer with a torn groin, but he looks fine physically right now and is ready to get his recruitment going again.
Helping him in the backcourt will most likely be a combination of Romello Crowell (6’0″ Sr. PG, Lowell (MA)), Liam Harris (5’11” Sr. SG, Cork (Ireland)) and a few players whose commitments to other sports kept them out of Wednesday night’s workout. Crowell, who returns for his third year at the school, has a slight frame and showed a touch shooting the ball on Wednesday. Harris is more of a shooter than a point guard despite his size, and hit a few from long range on the evening.
Adam Davenport (6’1″ Sr. PG-SG, Midland (TX)), Sebastian Ferrell (6’1″ Sr. PG-SG, Providence (RI)), Zak Foster (5’10” Sr. PG-SG, Southbury (MA)) and Nelson Thomas (6’0″ Sr. PG, Plainfield (NJ)) all have commitments to other sports right now and were not working out with the team on Wednesday evening. Davenport plays soccer, while the other three all play football. They will add perimeter depth when the season comes.
The wing will be led by Kena Gilmour (6’5″ Jr. SG-SF, New Paltz (NY)) and Stephon Sharp (6’4″ Sr. SG, Minnetonka (MN)). Gilmour hit his share of shots from long range, though the lefty appears to have a quick trigger for shots not quite in the flow of the offense. Sharp is athletic and didn’t have quite as good a night shooting the ball but looks capable. Myles Smith (6’5″ Sr. SF, New York (NY)), whose body isn’t there yet, will also be in the mix at that spot.
There isn’t much overall size up front, but there is some quality in the two main post players the Lions have. Jack Stevens (6’9″ Jr. C, Ithaca (NY)) is most noticeable, as he has a good body and was very vocal on defense to go with his nice offensive skill set. He will be helped by Malcolm Regisford (6’8″ Sr. PF, Woodland Hills (CA)), who has a good body that can get better and looks like he can score on the post and facing the basket. One of the aforementioned wings could play alongside one of the posts as part of a smaller lineup.
The Lions will play in a pair of in-season events in December, the Hoop Mountain Prep Classic at St. Andrew’s and the Scholar Roundball Classic, facing Northfield Mount Hermon in the latter. Later, they will travel to play in a holiday tournament at the Hill School before embarking on the bulk of the Class A schedule.
The Kent School has some pieces to make noise in NEPSAC Class A, as well as some experience. Lucas and Crowell are both in their third year at the school, so there’s also some continuity. In this division, the lack of overall size up front may not be a hindrance, and if they play well with the perimeter players as they showed at times, they’ll have a chance to be in the mix when March rolls around.
