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NATIONAL PREP SHOWCASE RECAP, PART I

BY JEFF BORZELLO

New Haven, Conn: The official start to the always hotly anticipated prep basketball season is the National Prep Showcase. Held in the past at Bryant University in Rhode Island, the Showcase moved this year to Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Conn. This season, it features nine of the top 10 teams in ESPN’s Prep rankings, and several of the top players in the country. Things kicked off on Friday with six games, including a match-up between Hargrave Military Academy and Notre Dame Prep, a contest that could feature more than 20 Division-I players. Here’s a look at some of the top players in New Haven:

Bryon Allen, 2010, St. Thomas More: The former West Virginia commit was the best player on the floor for much of the game against Lee Academy. He got into the lane almost at will, using his body very well to shield defenders and get his shot off. Allen knocked down a few three-pointers and used his vision to find open teammates often. He has a good flow to his game and never seems out of control. He finished with 20 points and six assists.
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Andre Drummond, 2012, St. Thomas More: The top-five prospect in the class of 2012 played just nine minutes, but made an impact when he was on the floor. He gets position against defenders in the low post, and has a deadly jump hook that he can knock down against opponents. He runs the floor well and dominates the backboards. The 6-10 Drummond reminds me of a young – and developing – Amare Stoudemire. He finished with eight points.
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Trahshon Burrell, 2011, St. Thomas More: Burrell is a player who could certainly develop into a high-major prospect in the next year or two. He is extremely athletic and can finish above the rim. Burrell caught a couple of alley-oops and had dunks in transition. He is still very skinny, but he has length, can pass and is active at both ends. The 6-6 swingman scored 10 in the opener against Lee Academy.
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Jarvis Davis, 2010, Hargrave Military Academy: With Isaiah Epps not available as he had some academics to handle this weekend according to a Hargrave assistant, Davis drew the start at the point guard spot. He made the most of it, as he constantly attacked the basket and either finished or drew contact from defenders. He showed no fear going up against bigger players, and was able to get into the paint often. While he is undersized, he is quick on defense and was a playmaker offensively.
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Lamont Samuels, 2010, Notre Dame Prep: One of the more impressive guards in the early going, Samuels showed terrific handle and quickness. He could get into the lane against most defenders, and even showed confidence going against Mardracus Wade, who hounded opponents all game. Samuels has excellent vision and found open teammates. He also changes directions extraordinarily well and can shoot.
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Jordair Jett, 2010, Notre Dame Prep: Jett did a little of everything for Notre Dame Prep against Hargrave. He ran the offense at the point when Antonio Barton went out, pushed the ball well in transition, and had several nice follows on the offensive glass despite his size and position. Jett has good athleticism and can finish above the rim. He also is very quick and defends the ball well.
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Cleveland Melvin, 2010, Notre Dame Prep, Connecticut: The recent Husky commitment played above the rim throughout the game. He finished with several dunks and went skying for rebounds on multiple occasions. Melvin did struggle to create his own shot and get points in the half-court, but his ability to crash the glass and finish in transition was impressive.
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Ron Giplaye, 2010, Notre Dame Prep, Providence: The future Friar big man was a beast in the paint against Hargrave. He struggled to finish at times, but was dominant on the glass and got great position against his defender. Once Giplaye gets the ball, he just lowers his shoulder and muscles up a shot. He was also active on the offensive board, getting several tip-ins, and blocked a couple of shots.
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Danny Lawhorn, 2011, South Kent Prep: An absolute defensive menace, the former Boston College verbal commit jumpstarted many of South Kent’s fastbreaks with his steals and deflections. He plays the passing lanes very well and also caused two five-second calls on his opponent. Lawhorn does need to improve his decision-making and ability to run a fast break; he made several questionable choices after getting steals.
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Russ Smith, 2010, South Kent Prep, Louisville: Smith might have had the play of the day when he drove to the basket and dunked over his opponent while getting fouled in the process. As usual, the Louisville-bound Smith showed his entire repertoire offensively, knocking down three-pointers and getting into the lane past his defender. He also showed his dexterity, hitting a left-handed leaner in the lane.
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J.J. Moore, 2010, South Kent Prep, Pittsburgh: The recent Pitt signee was not as effecient offensively as he has in the past, but he had arguably the best 30-second stretch of the event thus far. Moore soared for two highlight-reel dunks to essentially ice the game for South Kent. Aside from that, though, Moore struggled to get open shots and did not do much in the second half against Mack Academy.
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Isiah Stokley, 2010, Evelyn Mack Academy: The New York native resurfaced in North Carolina this season, bringing his offensive-minded style to Mack Academy. He has a strong body and can get into the lane against most defenders. He did not demonstrate his outside jumper much against South Kent Prep, though, instead relying on his penetration ability. He had 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
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Angel Nunez, 2011, Winchendon School: Nunez did not have a ton of production in his first game against an overmatched Massanutten Military Academy team, but he did demonstrate why he is such a sought-after talent. He knocked down a couple of outside threes with his high-arcing release and also got into the lane and finished with both hands. Nunez also had a very nice no-look pass late in the game.
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Khem Birch, 2012, Winchendon School: The 2012 prospect is still growing into his game, but he is going to be a dynamite player once it all comes together. He has great athleticism and leaping ability, and can play above the rim at both ends. Birch blocks shots and grabs rebounds effectively. He is not overly skilled on the offensive end just yet, instead relying on his athleticism to get points.
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Akeem Williams, 2010, Winchendon School: Williams was one of the more impressive guards on the first day of the Showcase, getting past his defenders at will and going coast-to-coast with the dribble easily. He is very strong with his right hand and defenders had a very difficult time stay in front of him. Williams is a stocky player who is deceptively quick and very strong. He also finds people with the pass, and can pick up steals on the defensive end by playing the passing lanes.
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DaShaun Wiggins, 2011, Bridgton Academy, Seton Hall: When we saw Wiggins in the summer, he was often out of control and forced passes and shots way too much. He has since improved on that since going to Bridgton, but still could improve his decision-making with the basketball in his hands. On the positive side, Wiggins showed off a nice three-point jumper with a high-arcing release and was able to get into the lane against most defenders (not including Arkansas-bound Mardracus Wade).
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Alex Harris, 2010, Bridgton Academy: The California native could end up being the leader on the Bridgton team, given his smooth game and quickness on the offensive end. He was able to get to the basket off the dribble and showed an ability to shoot the three effectively. Harris has very good handle and quick hands on defense. Moreover, he has good vision and makes smart passes to teammates. In the second half against Hargrave, though, Harris had a tendency to play out of control, especially on fast breaks.

Recruiting Notes:

- Bryon Allen said he decommitted from West Virginia as a result of a scholarship issue. When Joe Mazzulla came back from injury, Allen decommitted because that was his scholarship spot. Now that he has opened back up his recruitment, the 6-3 guard is considering Providence, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Maryland and Charlotte, in addition to the Mountaineers. He plans to decide at the end of the season.
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- Lamont Samuels has offers from Seton Hall and Duquesne, as well as interest from South Florida and Rhode Island.
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- Former Boston College commit Danny Lawhorn decommitted from the Eagles because of a lack of interest coming from BC. “They stopped calling me,” Lawhorn said. “And they started recruiting all guards.” He said he is now getting looks from Washington, Baylor, Providence and a lot of Big East schools.
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- Andre Drummond is not ready to discuss what schools he is considering, or even what he is looking for in a school. However, he did say that he has played limited minutes because of an injury to his ankle that he suffered three years ago but never got treated until recently.
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- A player sure to rise in the class of 2011 rankings is Trahshon Burrell of St. Thomas More. The 6-6 swingman has offers from St. John’s and Providence, as well as interest from West Virginia, Delaware, Fordham and Xavier.
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- Another prospect likely to see more interest if he continues to play like he did this weekend was Jarvis Davis of Hargrave Military Academy. Right now he only has four schools looking at him: High Point, Binghamton, UNC-Greensboro and Longwood.

SCOREBOARD:

Day One
St. Thomas More 90 Lee Academy 69
Hargrave Military Academy 87 Notre Dame Prep 80
South Kent 105 Mack Academy 96
Winchendon 90 Massanutten Military Academy 54
Wilbraham & Monson 58 Proctor Academy 40
Northfield Mount Hermon 72 Fork Union Military Academy 45

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