Connecticut Recruiting, Syracuse Recruiting

LIFE CENTER ACADEMY TAKING ON ALL IN ’08-’09

The Burlington (NJ) school has a tough schedule and the talent to tackle it

When taking a look at the schedule of the Life Center Academy Warriors, it is pretty obvious that Wilson Arroyo’s team will not back down from anyone. Already with a game under their belt against powerful Oak Hill Academy, the Warriors also will face nationally ranked foes such as St. Benedict’s of Newark (NJ) twice, St. Patrick’s of Elizabeth (NJ) twice, St. Anthony’s of Jersey City, National Christian Academy (DC) twice and appearances at high profile events such as the Jameer Nelson Classic, Battle By the Bay, Primetime Shootout, Cherry Hill East Invitational and the New Jersey Classic highlighting their schedule.

Warrior head coach Wilson Arroyo believes his team can compete with anyone, and his belief was confirmed a couple weeks ago when Life Center took Oak Hill to the wire in a 75-74 loss in the McDonald’s Tip-Off Basketball Classic.

“With the talent our team posses, I believe we have the ability to beat anyone on our schedule; however, the only thing stopping us is ourselves,” says Arroyo. “We have talent, but to win the big games, we need to execute and play as a team.”

The talent of the Warriors is led by 6-foot-3 guard Dion Waiters. The class of 2010 guard committed to Syracuse before ever playing a game at the high school level. That foresight by the Orange staff has paid off as Waiters has risen to be among the top f the class of 2010 and his game continues to evolve under coach Arroyo.

“Dion’s biggest improvements have come in leadership and maturity,” according to Arroyo. “I also believe his shot selection and passing has drastically improved.”

Waiters is playing point guard for Arroyo’s squad this season and is working on being a lead guard that can not only score, which he does as well as anyone, but who can also involve all of his teammates in the process.

“I think Dion’s maturity and leadership can take him to another level in his game,” commented his coach.

Adding support offensively and filling up the stat sheet next to Waiters is Paulsboro (NJ) native Daryus Quarles, a 6-foot-6 wing. Quarles, also a 2010 recruit, had 17 points, 14 rebounds and 8 blocks in a win Thursday night over Pine Forge Academy.

“Daryus’ strength is his shooting,” said coach Arroyo. “He has great form and execution, but what people don’t know is that he is a phenomenal offensive rebounder. Another one of Daryus’ strengths is his shot blocking ability. His long frame allows him to get multiple blocks every game.”

With Waiters already committed, Quarles has become the hot commodity among high-major Division 1-A college coaches according to his coach.

“The schools that seem to be the most interested are Syracuse, Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech, St. Joe’s, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas and many others,” noted Arroyo.

For a player like Quarles, the attraction to a school like Life Center is most likely in the powerful schedule they get to play, providing plenty of exposure to college coaches. Coach Arroyo believes Quarles is most helped by the competition he faces day in and day out.

“I believe his biggest improvement is the mental aspect of his game,” said Arroyo. “Playing day in and day out against players like Dion Waiters, Oscar Griffin and Dylan Talley, all Division I bound player, allows him not to relax and get comfortable. He gets pushed at every practice to get better and this level of competition will pay big dividends in his all around game.”

Another key player in the mix this season is Oscar Griffin, a 6-foot-4 G/F originally from Horsham (PA). Previously at American Christian, where he was a teammate of Tyreke Evans, Griffin is no stranger to the high profile games at this level. That experience came in handy when the Warriors met Oak Hill back in November as Griffin came off the bench to score 19 points.

“An early surprise for our team is the play of Oscar Griffin,” coach Arroyo remarked to the NBE Basketball Report. “I never got to see him play much, but he has a ton of talent and his well balanced game has really helped us. Oscar has several mid major schools watching him closely.”

Another class of 2010 prospect to keep an eye on is Florence (NJ) native Chris Thompson. The 6-foot-2 shooting guard is already receiving recruiting interest from Stony Brook, Virginia Commonwealth and Northeastern according to his coach.

“Chris worked very hard this summer and he is beginning to catch the eyes of several coaches,” says Arroyo.

Also in the class of 2010 on the Life Center roster is Daniel Pitter, a native of Jamaica. While coach Arroyo remarked that the raw 6-foot-7 forward has areas to improve, including his foot speed and post play, his frame has allowed him to contribute on the glass and defensively in the paint. He is showing signs, but continued improvement will allow him to catch the eyes of more college recruiters.

So the talent is in place, now the Warriors must perform on the court. Coach Arroyo saw some positive elements to take from their loss against Oak Hill that should set the tone for the rest of the season as Life Center Academy prepares to face a tough schedule.

“For me and our team, I believe the biggest highlight was proving that we are just as good as anyone in the country including #4 Oak Hill Academy,” Arroyo said. “I believe we out played them in many ways, yet several of our top players didn’t have great games.”

Since Life Center is an independent program not eligible to compete for a state title in New Jersey, the goal of the season is to reach the Nike Super Showcase at the year’s end. Even if the independent status prevents the Warriors from competing for a Jersey state title, the Life Center coach would not change it.

“We follow the NJ rules for age eligibility so are players are all legitimate high school players, but we want to play a national schedule against the best teams and top players in the country year in and year out,” Arroyo said.

With this talented roster, who could blame him!!

For more on Dion Waiters, please see our story, Dion Waiter Ballin’ for Life Center at our Syracuse Team Blog Site.

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