Connecticut Recruiting, Georgetown Recruiting, Jeff Borzello, Louisville Recruiting, Notre Dame Recruiting, Pittsburgh Recruiting, Providence Recruiting, Rutgers Recruiting, Seton Hall Recruiting, St. John's Recruiting, Syracuse Recruiting, USF Recruiting

NATIONAL PREP SHOWCASE RECAP, PART II

by JEFF BORZELLO

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The highly-anticipated National Prep Showcase got off to a somewhat slow start in the first couple of days, with one-sided affairs and blowouts galore. Only two games on the first were decided by fewer than 10 points, and those were seven and nine point differences. The second day wasn’t much different, as the first three games all had margins of at least double-digits. With plenty of quality basketball left to be played, though – including a match-up between Brewster Academy and Worcester Academy – there was a chance for the games to be more competitive. Seemingly on cue, Mack Academy (N.C.) had a furious comeback against Winchendon (Mass.) – before falling late, 79-77 – to jumpstart what would be an exciting final day and a half of basketball featuring several tight contests.

The three best games of the event came during day three. In the first one, NIA Prep overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to force overtime against second-ranked Brewster Academy. In overtime, the team from New Jersey pulled off the upset, 103-99. Immediately following that, Bridgton Academy and Tilton School went down to the wire before Seton Hall-commit Dashaun Wiggins hit a half-court three-pointer at the buzzer to give Bridgton a one-point victory. In the fourth game on Sunday, South Kent Prep (Conn.) defeated Champlain St. Lambert (Can.) on a lay-up at the buzzer by Nemanja Djurisic. Here is a look at some more player evaluations from the second and third days of the Showcase, in addition to those we wrote about on Friday:

Shaquille Thomas, 2011, NIA Prep: The wiry Thomas was his typical self, getting finishes around the rim with his athleticism and leaping ability and creating havoc on defense because of his length. Thomas did show a more well-rounded offensive game, hitting a nice step-back jumper and knocking down a three-pointer from the corner late in the game. He attacks the basket well and has good hands when catching passes. Thomas does need to work on his left hand more and has to improve his dribbling ability in general.
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Jordan Laguerre, 2011, New Hampton Prep: Laguerre is overshadowed by the fact that there are four Division-I signees in the starting lineup, but the lefty does his best to stand out. He has a strong body and uses ball fakes exceptionally well. Laguerre has a very good handle and finds teammates with solid vision. He can adjust his body well in the air and finishes at the rim. Although he said after the game that he felt he took too many shots, he does not look for his shot enough. Overall, though, the well-spoken Laguerre is a very sound all-around performer.

As for his recruitment, Laguerre said the only schools showing him interest right now are Massachusetts and Providence.
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Yann Charles, 2010, Champlain St. Lambert: The Canadian forward has an excellent back-to-the-basket game that is very difficult to defend once he lowers his right shoulder. The lefty does not have much of a face-up game and the first jump shot he took was an airball, but he is aggressive and powerful going up at the rim. Furthermore, in the second half, he knocked down two impressive three-pointers. Charles has a very strong body and can finish very well in a variety of ways; he also doesn’t avoid contact. He gets excellent position down low and has good hands. Charles is also a solid free-throw shooter with good form.

Underrated on a national level because of his location, Charles has interest from Eastern Kentucky, Akron and Notre Dame.

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Calvin Newell, 2010, Evelyn Mack Academy: A very strong and quick guard from Pennsylvania, Newell showed an outstanding ability to create turnovers on defense and get into the teeth of the defense on the offensive end. He was a playmaker throughout Mack’s game against Winchendon, leading the comeback. He finished with an event-high 37 points, five assists and four steals (seemed like more). He also knocked down five three-pointers, showing deep range for a diminutive player.
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C.J. Fair, 2010, Brewster Academy, Syracuse: The Syracuse-bound Fair was one of the more impressive players during the second day. He showed off his entire game, demonstrating an ability to drive to the basket and finish; pull-up in the mid-range; shoot jumpers; defend the post; and guard the perimeter. The lefty is versatile and athletic, and he is difficult to defend due to his skill set. At times he relies on his athleticism too much, as he failed to box out on a couple of occasions.
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Naadir Tharpe, 2011, Brewster Academy: We’ve seen Tharpe play much better than he did against Worcester Academy on Saturday night. He is very quick and can pass well, but he struggled mightily in the first half. He committed four turnovers, and constantly made decisions with the pass. Tharpe was out of control at times and never seemed to get into the flow of the game. On the plus side, he moved well without the ball and knocked down a couple of tough shots over defenders.

Tharpe has offers from Boston College and Providence, with interest from Virginia, Wake Forest, Indiana and UNLV.
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Austin Carroll, 2010, Brewster Academy, Rutgers: The Scarlet Knight signee demonstrated his typical skill set, playing smart basketball and making sound plays at both ends. He uses his body well and can finish around the rim despite contact, and is very strong with the ball. Carroll has good vision and finds the open man from the wing. He also showed the ability to knock down the outside shot, albeit inconsistently.
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Ashton Khan, 2010, Brewster Academy: While he is not as well known as many of his teammates at Brewster, Khan has to be doing something right to be starting ahead of Rutgers-signee Austin Carroll and highly-touted 2011 prospect Naadir Tharpe. Khan is a pass-first guard who does not look for his shot often, but he is quick and can get into the paint to create for teammates. He is also active defensively, getting into passing lanes and forcing turnovers.
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Kelvin Amayo, 2010, NIA Prep: Amayo is a strong and powerful guard who can get to the basket on his defender and is aggressive finishing at the basket. He also gets to the free-throw line on numerous occasions due to his ability to get to the rim. Amayo has decent vision and can create open shots for his teammates when penetrating. He did not show an overly consistent jumper, but he did not need to most of the time due to his driving ability. Amayo also forced several turnovers defensively, helping NIA Prep back into the game against Brewster Academy.

If NIA Prep continues to play like it did against Brewster, Amayo’s recruitment is sure to pick up. Right now, he has offers from Western Kentucky, Delaware and Charlotte, with interest from Memphis, Louisville, Tennessee and Maryland.
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Rameel Johnson, 2010, NIA Prep: Another main cog in the up-tempo, pressure-based NIA Prep attack was Johnson, who was the catalyst at both ends of the floor for NIA. He is very quick with the ball and creates havoc on the defensive end as a result, picking up steals and leading fast breaks after turnovers. Johnson is strong when finishing and his size doesn’t dissuade him from taking it up against bigger players. Johnson finished with 30 points against Brewster.
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Gerard Coleman, 2010, Tilton School, Providence: When we saw Coleman at the Hoop Hall Classic last season, he was mainly a defensive menace who got his baskets in transition. Now, with some calling him the best scorer in New England, his role has clearly changed. Coleman still uses his length to force turnovers defensively, but his offensive ability has become a bigger part of his game. He can drive to the lane against defenders and can also find teammates with passes. Furthermore, he is extremely fast from end-to-end, both with and without the ball. He also had one of the better plays of the Showcase when he took off from a step inside the free-throw line and dunked over at least one defender while getting fouled. Coleman did struggle getting open shots against Bridgton Academy, and his outside shot is still inconsistent, but his speed and athleticism make him a big-time player.
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Georges Niang, 2012, Tilton School: Niang will need to step up with Alex Oriakhi and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel now at Connecticut, and he seems ready for an expanded role. He is a solid inside-outside forward with the ability to make entry passes or drive to the basket from the perimeter, while also getting excellent position and finishing well down low. Niang moves well without the ball and has nice form on his shot.
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Majok Majok, 2010, Northfield Mount Hermon: The younger brother of current Connecticut big man Ater Majok, Majok Majok saw sparse playing time in the first half against Maine Central Institute on Sunday. However, in the second half, he showed some solid aspects of his game. He moves well from block-to-block and gets good position down low. However, he needs to demand the ball more because he does not get enough touches. He also blocks shots and rebounds the ball well. Moreover, he is very athletic and can finish around the rim.

As one of the top 2010 big men left to commit to a school, Majok plans to pick a future destination in December, but for now he is considering Harvard, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma, Providence, Virginia.
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Vince Van Nes, 2011, Northfield Mount Hermon: The big man from England has potential as he continues to develop. He has great size and length and brings European-style ability to the post for NMH. Van Nes can shoot jumpers from the free-throw line and also can post up down low. He needs to put on weight, but he can run the floor well and he knows how to keep the ball up once he gets it.
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Aaron Cosby, 2011, Northfield Mount Hermon: The former Massachusetts-commit originally from Kentucky, Cosby will be one of the better point guards in the New England area. He is an unassuming player and he is not overly aggressive in terms of looking for his own shot, but he knows how to run an offense. Cosby has very good vision and can find open teammates. He also can score if necessary, as demonstrated by a nice pull-up jumper over a defender against MCI. Cosby is quick with the ball and has very good dribbling ability, and he does not turn the ball over.

Cosby is primed to be one of the most heavily-recruited point guards in the class of 2011, as evidenced by his current recruiting list. He has offers from Providence, Rutgers, Wichita State, Oklahoma State and Massachusetts, as well as interest from Stanford, Georgia Tech, Georgetown, Virginia, Pittsburgh and Penn State.

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Tyshawn Bell, 2010, Maine Central Institute: The Delaware native is a strong and powerful forward who needs to develop a consistent face-up or perimeter game in order to fully reach his potential. As it is, Bell can crash the boards at both ends and is very solid around the rim. He gets good position on the block against bigger players, and he can finish when he gets it. Bell is also a decent ball-handler who can take defenders off the bounce at times.

Bell is looking to improve his SAT scores and grades and he has interest and/or offers from South Florida, George Washington, Siena and La Salle.

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Steven Roundtree, 2010, Maine Central Institute: The former Patterson School prospect had 27 points against the Kiski School (Pa.) on Saturday night, but could not repeat his performance on Sunday against Northfield Mount Hermon. Roundtree is a versatile offensive performer who brings length and athleticism to the table, although he needs to add weight. He moves well without the ball, and can score in a variety of ways. He gets decent position in the paint against smaller defenders, and can take bigger ones off the bounce.
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Additional Recruiting Notes:

- Although it is early in 2012 prospect Khem Birch’s recruitment, the 6-10 big man is getting interest from Providence, Connecticut, Arizona State and Siena. He said his favorites at this point are Providence and Siena.
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- Isiah Stokley of Mack Academy (N.C.) went south to North Carolina in order to get his academics high enough to gain eligibility, and he is well on his way. Stokley said he is maintaining a 3.0 GPA. As a result, he has interest from Seton Hall, St. John’s, St. Francis (N.Y.), Fordham, Charlotte and Baylor. His favorite is Seton Hall, and he is confident that the Pirates will offer him a scholarship if he becomes eligible.

- Jordair Jett has offers from St. Louis, Nebraska and Northern Iowa, as well as interest from Baylor and Florida.
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- Worcester Academy’s Tyler Olander has been out since late September with a broken thumb, but he should be back in two weeks. “The recovery is going well,” Olander said. As for his recruitment, he has offers from Connecticut, Wake Forest, Rhode Island, Stanford, Penn State, Vanderbilt and Oregon State, with interest from Florida.
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- Bridgton Academy’s Alex Harris is a relatively unknown in New England because he just arrived from California, but several coaches in the stands this weekend were seen looking at the rosters or taking notes after Harris made yet another impressive play. Right now, though, Harris only has interest from Buffalo, Portland State, St. Mary’s and Hawaii.

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