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NBE PREP CORNER WITH PAT STEVENS (VOL 2.3)

By PAT STEVENS — For thoughts on the incoming Big East recruits from the prep school ranks, we checked in this week with the NEPSAC Class A’s four winningest coaches in recent years. Whit Lesure of Bridgton Academy (ME), Jere Quinn of St. Thomas More (CT), Mike Byrnes of Winchendon School (MA) and Jason Smith of Brewster Academy (NH) have seen all, or most, of the prep school standouts of New England heading to the Big East and they gave their thoughts on each so Big East fans have a preview of what to expect in the future.

-Connecticut’s Jamal Coombs-McDaniel and Alex Oriakhi of Tilton School, NH

“I didn’t scout them and knew them the least of anybody because they weren’t in our league and we played them that one time late in the year during the national tournament, but based on playing them that one game both are very good players.” – Bridgton coach Whit Lesure

“They’re two kids that appear to be typical Connecticut kids. Long, athletic, have a great deal of potential. Interesting prospects and their best days are ahead of them.” –St. Thomas More coach Jere Quinn

“Alex came in as a highly-touted player. He had the body, athleticism, and he would make plays that would draw attention like a big block or dunk. He’s a super-nice kid. He needs to work on always coming motivated and ready to play. Calhoun obviously is very good at doing that. In big games, he’d bring it. He has the ability to be great. Jamal I always loved as a player. People wondered why UConn offered him and how he was going to fit in back then. He played more than Alex did for us that year. He has the toughness and the ability to make plays for himself and others. His competitive fire always carried him over. If he continues to get stronger and make perimeter shots, he’ll always be on the floor. He’s hard to keep off of it because of his toughness.” – Winchendon coach Mike Byrnes (NOTE – The two played at Winchendon in 2006-07)

“Jamal was the best scorer we played this year. He’s really versatile. He’s a hard matchup because if you put somebody smaller on him he’ll take you inside and he was too quick for any of our fours to cover. Alex was great against us as well. He finishes everything around the rim. He goes to his left equally as well as his right. He knows his role and doesn’t try and do anything beyond his means.” – Brewster coach Jason Smith
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-St. John’s Omari Lawrence of South Kent, CT

“A bull in a china closet. He’s a bit unorthodox but very effective at what he does. His ability to shoot the three will have a lot to do with his success at the next level. You can’t just take it on the trees everytime. But he’s the type of kid that would take it in on Alonzo Mourning and he’d probably end up scoring too.” – Bridgton coach Whit Lesure

“He has the body to compete in the Big East, the toughness and the willingness to defend. He’ll have to be able to knock down shots more often to improve his game.” – St. Thomas More coach Jere Quinn

“We played South Kent three times and I’ve known him since he was very young playing down at camps in New Jersey and from when he was at St Raymond’s. He’s a talented kid with the ball, can score going to the hole, and I think he’ll have a nice career at St John’s. It was a good choice for him to stay home.” – Winchendon coach Mike Byrnes

“He’s really strong. We hammered them at our place right after Christmas. Both teams were out of sync and we were asking ourselves how are we winning by 30? Then they came back in the rematch and he played really well at the New Hampton tournament. He can really finish through contact.” – Brewster coach Jason Smith
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-South Florida’s Mike Burwell of South Kent, CT

“He was the glue of their team. I thought he was the silent killer. I know didn’t have the reputation of some of his teammates or the other bigger names in the country that we played. But if you go on production, he was quite the player.” – Bridgton coach Whit Lesure

“Kids who make baskets go a long way as long as they compliment it with hard work on the defensive end. He proved this year that he could really score the ball.” –St. Thomas More coach Jere Quinn

“He knocked down threes against us at their place and killed us. I think he’ll be a good player who can serve as a knock down spot-up shooter and there’s minutes there to be had so it’s the opportunity of a lifetime for him.” –Winchendon coach Mike Byrnes

“Burwell was somebody we always had to locate if we were in a zone or stay with on the strong-side. He was one of the top shooters in the league.” –Brewster coach Jason Smith
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-Louisville’s Mike Marra of Northfield Mount Hermon, MA

“Two years ago we played his team but not this year. He’s built for them, bombs away. His offensive skills don’t come into question. Rick Pitino is a defensive guy and the deal for him and everybody is can you defend at a high major level?” – Bridgton coach Whit Lesure

“Every time we played him he played like a big time Big East player. He brings something to the floor and he’s more athletic than given credit for. He’ll have to be more consistent on the defensive end and show passion on both ends. I thought he was a pretty talented kid.” –St. Thomas More coach Jere Quinn

“He shoots it very well, he’s very athletic, has a quick release, and he’s gotten stronger and stronger as his career went along in the NEPSAC. He needs to work on handling it better, getting his shot off in traffic, and being able to defend the ball right now. He’s a specialist right now but such a great athlete that he’ll be able to grow. It’s tough to find that type of shooter and the way Louisville plays in transition he’ll get those open looks and be a weapon.” –Winchendon coach Mike Byrnes

“We did a good job on him this year. Devan Bailey took him out of the game. That was the best defensive job on a player that we did this year. He had three points against us so it wasn’t really a setting for a good evaluation on him. He’s a really versatile guy. Some people don’t realize how athletic he is. If you get up on him too close, he’s liable to go backdoor on you and throw it on your 6-10 guy. There was a big misconception about him just being a shooter and he’s definitely a Big-East caliber athlete.” –Brewster coach Jason Smith
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West Virginia’s Dan Jennings of St. Thomas More, CT

“Jennings got better. That’s the best thing I’d say about him. It’s not a surprise considering who he played for. I like his passion and energy and thought he was a significant part of why their team turned their season around. That says something about him and the team. He’s still a work in progress like most big guys are. Like Justin Burrell, he played in spurts. I know he came off the games bench games to control him from being so fired up and picking up early fouls. But Jere would bring Kobe Bryant off the bench at least twice a year and one of those times would be in the National Prep Showcase and the other might be in the semi-finals of the New Englands. Jere Quinn did as good a job with a big guy as anybody could, and coming from me that’s big because we used to say Jere was Mr. Guard. We’d always try and beat his teams inside because they were always very guard-oriented. But he’s been teaching up these big guys like him and Ebanks so that’s out the window.” – Bridgton coach Whit Lesure

“He’s an undersized power forward. He can score around the hoop. I think he’s going to have to really work on conditioning to get in the best possible shape the Big East. Coach Huggins’ weight program is going to benefit him tremendously. I think he sees him in the mold of a Danny Fortson type. He’s a big burly kid, physical, and competes under the goal. – Winchendon coach Mike Byrnes
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Providence’s Vincent Council of Patterson School, NC

“I like him as a setup guard. He seems to know how to run a team and his teams win. He’s got unselfishness in him which helps at that position. Anytime you have a pass-first guy in this day and age you like that. So often in prep school, guys are looking for their own numbers and it’s the guys who are willing to make their teammates better that are the guys you want to coach.” –Bridgton coach Whit Lesure

“He played the best on his team the night they played us. I think he was really up to play against us with him being a New York City kid and us also having some. He was good in transition, knocked down perimeter shots, needs to get stronger but in the open floor he was very crafty with the basketball.” – Winchendon coach Mike Byrnes

“We could not keep him out of the paint. Probably the one guy we had the most difficulty keeping out of paint. If we were smart we would have had Devan Bailey cover him like we did Marra but their team is so talented that you had to pick and choose. Once he gets in the lane he does a good of making plays.” – Brewster coach Jason Smith
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St. John’s Malik Stith of Bridgton Academy, ME

“By the end of the NEPSAC, he was the MVP. We played them early at their place and as all teams are at that time, they were trying to figure out themselves. But we knew that as he went, they would go. He was phenomenal in the NEPSAC playoffs. They were a team who went possession by possession and with him as the quarterback he got guys shots at the right times on the shot clock and in the right spots. One kid totally dictated the tempo of the game when they played Patterson in the National Championship Tournament and that’s the reason Bridgton won because of his ability to control the game. How will it carry over to the Big East where everybody is quicker, taller, faster, and stronger. I’m curious to see how it carries over but he was the MVP of the playoffs. – Winchendon coach Mike Byrnes

“The definition of a waterbug. Constant, perpetual motion and the ability to keep him out of the paint is really difficult.” – Brewster coach Jason Smith
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Providence’s Johnnie Lacy of Notre Dame Prep, MA

“He was good against us. I thought the matchup between him and Malik Stith was a terrific one, particularly up at MCI when they beat us in the rematch after we had beat them. He could get his own shot off ball screens and was good at finding teammates. He’s a good catalyst. He’s a little undersized and is going to have to prove to people that he’s a starting guard in the Big East but he’s always a threat and can shoot it from anywhere. When we beat them, we contained him better and kept the other two Big East kids they had under control. When they beat us he was a big part of it.” –Bridgton coach Whit Lesure

“They beat us by three and he’s a kid who gets places on the floor. He’s creates a little bit of havoc on the offensive end for other teams. If he’s a consistent shooter he’ll have a chance to be talented. He’s not big but he competes.” –St. Thomas More head coach Jere Quinn

“Lightning quick, great with the basketball, came in with the reputation of not being a three-point shooter and proved a lot of people wrong. His strength and size will be an issue but he’s such a matchup problem with his quickness.” – Winchendon coach Mike Byrnes

“We did a great job on him in the national quarters with Devan Bailey on him. He got a D-1 offer out of that game. But he’s hard to keep in front of. The difference between him and the other quicks guards like Council and Stith is he’s really a scorer. If you lay off him much he’ll knock down the three right there.” –Brewster coach Jason Smith
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Cincinnati’s Sean Kilpatrick of Notre Dame Prep, MA

“He’s a little more like Omari Lawrence in that he’s got good size for his position. He shot it bombs away on us up at MCI.” –Bridgton head coach Whit Lesure

“He’s a matchup problem. 6-foot-5, strong, bullies you to the basket, scores in transition – that New York City toughness always seems to win out and the way Cincinnati plays he’ll get minutes. He will have to improve to be in a higher echelon of guards in the league. –Winchendon coach Mike Byrnes

“He came out the first five minutes of the game against us and lit us up with about 13 points. He came down the court telling our bench that nobody could guard him. I had to call a timeout and the guys on the bench were saying did you hear him, and I said, “Listen, he’s got a point.” –Brewster coach Jason Smith
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Syracuse’s James Southerland of Notre Dame Prep, MA

“He’s intriguing. Maybe call him Marcus Douthit with a jump shot. He’s an interesting piece. I think he can put up some numbers.” –Bridgton coach Whit Lesure

“He played in New England two years now. Big time athlete who still needs to continue to work on strength, still needs to work on physical toughness and aggression. He’ll have highlight plays in a wide open game but in a half court bloodbath like some of the games we have in the NEPSAC, he’d disappear. In games where teams are pressing up and down the floor flying all over the place, he’d look good with his athleticism and ability to rise.” –Winchendon coach Mike Byrnes

“I’d put him in the same category as Coombs in that he’s a hard matchup. He’s more of a face-up four. He’ll shoot over the top of you all day long. He’s good in pick and pop situations and probably has a lot of orange paint on his hands from hanging on the rims against us.” –Brewster coach Jason Smith
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Pat Stevens has been around the basketball recruiting and reporting scene for several years. Since 2004, Pat has covered the Prep School ranks, New York City AAU events, and the top All-American camps primarily for Hoopmasters.com. He launched CSTV.com’s recruiting coverage in 2006 as its Recruiting Editor and has additionally contributed to Scout, Rivals and MaxPreps. You can also see more of his recent reporting at Pat Stevens Basketball in anticipation of his launching a new national site in the coming weeks.

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