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2012 NATIONAL PREP SCHOOL INVITATIONAL — DAY TWO

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By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

The second day of the National Prep School Invitational featured nine games with tips starting bright and early at 9 AM. Things started off a bit slowly with the first couple of early morning games featuring sluggish, turnover prone play. Then at 1:30 PM everything changed when Notre Dame Prep took the floor against Canarias Basketball Academy. That’s when a 7 foot monster put his stamp on this tournament and in doing so earned top billing for the day from me.

Top Performer of the Day:

Steven Adams (Notre Dame Prep 2012) – committed to Pittsburgh – Adams was great in his team’s game on Thursday and nearly earned the top spot in my recap. He was noticeably better on Friday. Adams is a massive human being standing 7 foot, 240 pounds. Unlike most people his size though; he is an excellent athlete showing lateral quickness and powerful burst off the floor. Every time he got within five feet of the rim on Friday the back board was in jeopardy of being torn down. Adams dunks with such power whether he has time to set himself or has to go up quickly on an offensive rebound. The scary thing about the big kiwi is that he’s only scratching the surface of his massive potential. He still doesn’t understand the consistent aggression and energy that he can play with and the impact it will have on his game. Adams shows it in flashes and has incredible success every time he does but once a coach makes him realize that’s needed every play his impact will be off the charts. I don’t think I’m overstating it when I say that Steven Adams belongs in the discussion with the newly re-classified Nerlens Noel and Shabazz Muhammad for top player in the 2012 class.
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MERNAGH: MARQUETTE IS ROLLING

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By Ray Mernagh

Marquette has won seven straight to get the Still-Warriors to 19-4 (8-2 in BEAST play) but neither the gaudy record or the streak is the most impressive thing about these sleek jets wearing the nicest uniforms (it ain’t even close) in all of college basketball.

Nope, it’s the way they snatch you, like a boa constrictor suddenly engulfing your jugular. One second you’re chilling in the bush, the next you’re deader than the Washington Wizards playoff hopes.

Poor Kevin Willard. His Seton Hall team was battling, trading blows with the Buzz Bunch.

Then BAM, Vander Blue caught a lob and swung from the rim not long enough to get a tech but just long enough to kind of survey the situation,kind of take it all in. It’s as if he was trying to warn the Pirates: “You all still have time, get out while you can because what is about to go down will most definitely not be pretty!” And it wasn’t pretty for the Hall or their fans, but it sure was beautiful to watch for just about everyone else.
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LEFT COAST LAYUPS WITH RAPHIELLE JOHNSON: BRACKETBUSTER PAIRINGS ANNOUNCED

Long Beach State, Saint Mary’s among marquee match-ups

By Raphielle Johnson

Monday was a big day for the sixteen conferences involved in the selection process for the Sears BracketBusters event, as these match-ups (February 17th-19th) are a final chance for teams to pick up a resume-building non-conference win. Long Beach State, who played an absolutely brutal non-conference schedule, will play at Creighton in one of the marquee games of the event. Dan Monson’s 49ers are undefeated in Big West play, and led by point guard Casper Ware and forward T.J. Robinson they’re more than capable of winning in what will be a tough environment in Omaha.

Two WAC teams, Nevada and New Mexico State, also earned televised match-ups with the Wolf Pack heading east to take on Iona and the Aggies hosting Drake. The Wolf Pack could certainly use the boost that would come with a win in New Rochelle as the best win on their resume at this point would likely be their win over Washington. Nevada’s won 14 of their 18 games against teams ranked 101st or worse in the NCAA’s RPI and Iona has won 13 such games (with two losses). The individual matchup between Deonte Burton and Scott Machado will be one of the must-see events of the weekend, but given the talent on both sides of the battle there will be a lot more to watch than just those two.
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WOODALL: I GOT THIS

By Ray Mernagh

Travon Woodall has been the object of scorn from certain groups of Pittsburgh fans over his four years in the program.

Complaints have ranged from he didn’t start for his high school team to he’s too sloppy with the ball to he takes too many chances. Some have even gone so far as to say the redshirt junior isn’t a D-1 caliber player.

Woodall has almost always come through for his team. I’ve witnessed him win games by blocking a shot at the rim, hitting multiple three-pointers or by finding flying teammates for alley-oop dunks or cutters for layups. I’ve watched him guard a 6’8″ post player because nobody else was left to do it, purposely taking an elbow to the chops because it meant a foul on the man he was guarding. He’s always had a really good assist-to-turnover ratio and has never, ever, played with fear. He’s also always been Pitt‘s toughest player.
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MONTVERDE ACADEMY INVITATIONAL – SATURDAY REVIEW

by Alex Schwartz

MONTVERDE, Fla. – Three teams from the Northeast and a squad from Georgia joined four schools from Florida for the 2012 Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament this weekend. NBE Basketball Report was on hand Saturday for the final day of the event and took in four quality games.

In the seventh place game, Monsignor Pace (FL) defeated Leesburg (FL) by a score of 66-58. In the other consolation bracket game, Shiloh (GA) knocked off Imhotep Charter (PA) by two, 44-42, to claim fifth place.

Mount Vernon (NY) used a strong fourth quarter to take an 82-72 victory over Roman Catholic (PA) in the third place contest. Finally, Montverde Academy (FL) won the championship of its tournament with a 49-40 defeat of local foe Orlando Christian Prep (FL).

Top Performance of the Day:

Joshua Doughty (Mount Vernon 2013) – Doughty is not going to be a Division I basketball player, but this kid can definitely play college ball in a couple years. Doughty turned in the best performance of the day on Saturday and was the main reason Mount Vernon pulled off the comeback victory. The 5-foot-8 point guard scored 23 points in the victory, more than any other player scored all day. He had 21 points in the second half, including five 3-pointers in the third quarter alone. Overall, he connected on six shots from beyond the arc and displayed an intense, competitive nature.

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MERNAGH: PITT KEEPS HOPE ALIVE HEADING INTO BIG MONDAY SHOWDOWN AT WEST VIRGINIA

Pitt 86 Providence 74 is what the scoreboard read when the buzzer sounded last Wednesday night. It remained there for maybe a half second before the board changed to reflect the record for Pittsburgh inside the Peterson Events Center since it was built. The loss side of that all-time record has grown more in the last month than in the last several years.

Wednesday evening’s result inside the Peterson Events Center brought relief to a program and fan-base in dire need of a fresh breath.

Now all of a sudden, in the span of 72 hours, relief has turned into, dare I say…hope?

What was a slightly encouraging win for Pitt against Providence parlayed itself into an actual conquest over a #10 ranked Georgetown team that came in sporting the resume of a soon-to-be top 3 seed. In movie terms the Pitt Panthers have quickly moved from Waiting to Exhale territory directly into the How Stella Got Her Groove Back neighborhood.
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STEVEN ADAMS DRAWS A CROWD IN PITTSBURGH DEBUT

By Lauren Kirschman

Steven Adams‘ abilities on the basketball court are unquestionable.

He’s 6-foot-11 and already built like a player headed for the NBA. In Notre Dame Prep’s 75-36 victory over Massanutten (Va.) Military Academy in the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Legends Classic at Ambridge High School, he finished with 12 points 14 boards and three blocks. He showed exceptional body control and rebounding ability, while also impressing with his capability to run the floor.

He’s already being billed by Pitt fans as a “savior”.

But by talking to him, you wouldn’t know it. That might be the most impressive thing of all.

Adams seemed genuinely surprised to find a sizable cluster of reporters — some with recorders and other holding cameras — waiting for him outside Notre Dame Prep’s locker room.

“Usually it’s only two people or one person with a notepad,” he said. “No cameras or anything.”
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WOODALL BACK IN THE SADDLE FOR PITT

Junior point guard finishes with 17 points & 9 assists against Providence as Pitt ends 8-game losing streak Tuesday

By Anthony Jaskulski

November 30th of the Panthers basketball season seemed like no big deal.

As per status quo, Pitt knocked off Duquesne, and it just seemed like guard Travon Woodall sprained a muscle or something to a lesser degree.

Present day, that injury turned out to be a major component to what was the longest losing streak for a Pitt basketball team since the 1994-95 season, dropping an unheard of eight straight games, including an 0-7 start to their BIG EAST schedule.

Wednesday night was a sign of bliss for the Panthers, as everything seemed back to normal, as the squad bounced back with an 86-74 victory over Providence, and Travon Woodall finished the game with a strong 17 points, 9 assists and just 1 turnover, not to mention going a perfect 4 of 4 from beyond-the-arc.
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LEFT COAST LAYUPS WITH RAPHIELLE JOHNSON: 49ERS ESTABLISH THEMSELVES AS BIG WEST’S BEST

By Raphielle Johnson

For the second straight season, many college basketball fans on the west coast were looking forward to the first meeting of the season between Big West heavyweights Long Beach State and UCSB, widely regarded as the two best teams in the conference. But while the venue changed (the first meeting last year was in Long Beach) the result remained the same, as the 49ers dominated to the tune of a 71-48 whipping at the Thunderdome.

Casper Ware, who was named Big West Player of the Week for the third time this season, scored 14 points and dished out five assists but his most important work came on the defensive end of the floor. James Nunnally, who averages 15.4 points per game on the season, was limited to just five by the senior from Staten Island. Dan Monson’s team is versatile and possesses a number of options, from Ware and Larry Anderson to James Ennis and T.J. Robinson inside, which made for a difficult matchup for Nunnally, Orlando Johnson and the Gauchos.

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OBSERVATIONS FROM GEORGETOWN/RUTGERS

By Matt Whitfield

A paid attendence of 12,852 saw No. 10 Georgetown rally late to edge upset-minded Rutgers Saturday at the Verizon Center. An Eli Carter three-pointer gave the Scarlet Knights a 50-45 with 2:35 to play in the second half. The Hoyas would finish the game on a 7-0 run with freshman Otto Porter scoring the last six of those points, including two free throws with 8 seconds left to lift Georgetown to victory. Here are my observations from the game…

Rutgers distributes the ball fairly well. Players from Rutgers often continuously move the rock on the offensive side setting up many open looks or decent shots. Knocking down the shots proved difficult as RU shot just 37.7% (20-53) from the field and only four of seven from the foul line.
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PITT LEFT SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS

By Ray Mernagh

Took a break last night from the media section and took in the Pitt vs. Louisville game — with my wife — from some spectacular seats at just about mid-court about 5 rows behind the Oakland Zoo (shout out to my man for the hookup). It’s been a strange month and a half for Pitt basketball as the Panthers were 0-6 in Big East action heading into last night’s Game Day festivities.

Heading into the Pete, and all day long for that matter, I kept going back to one thought: This would be the night that Pitt gets the 1,000 pound gorilla off their backs and actually posts a mark in the W column. Part of the reason for the feeling was the performances Pitt turned in following their beat-down at the hands of Rutgers, a game that finally exposed the Panthers for what they are (not very good) and gave Mike Rice a good three-to-four hours on the phone calling recruits afterwards. Rutgers saw blood in the water, saw prey willing to give up the fight, and pounced like any Shark worth its saltwater does.

The Marquette game gave some hope as the effort was much better and Ashton Gibbs’ shooting returned with the help of a move back to his natural shooting guard position. Still, some quick turnovers in the second half ultimately doomed the Panthers. Syracuse followed about 48 hours later and again, Pitt battled before ultimately losing in a respectable manner. So heading into this weekend, and all the hype that surrounds a campus when Dukie V comes to town, something was telling me Pitt might just hand Louisville an L.

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A-10 Action: Duquesne 80 UMASS 69

T.J. McConnell has played in 51 career games at Duquesne and maybe it’s the consistency of those 51 games that makes it seem as if the sophomore guard has played in 100 and is a senior. McConnell scored 15 points, dished out 6 assists, collected 4 rebounds and upped his career larceny total to 148 with 4 steals in the Dukes 80-69 win over UMASS.

That stat line is pretty much standard for McConnell in the fifteen or so times I’ve watched him play over the last year and a half. McConnell only scores in the teens generally because he isn’t selfish enough. Once he realizes that it’s best for his team that he pull up for his patented 15-footer off the dribble 6-8 times a game the Dukes will be that much better….because T.J. McConnell just does not miss that shot. But tonight, with help from his small-ball-turnover-producing mates, the Dukes were plenty good enough (they forced the Minutemen into 29 miscues) to beat a team that’s gotten some pub for their stronger than expected start.

UMASS came into the game 14-4 and 3-1 in A-10 play. It leaves Pittsburgh with an identity crisis. For all the turnovers and missed three-pointers (they were a non-robust 5-20 from deep) the Minutemen still might have won this game handily if they just understood one basic premise: a size advantage in the post should be utilized until the other team does something to take it away. Sean Carter, the 6’9″ post for UMASS — not the rapper — was 6-7 from the field in 38 minutes. Carter has averaged 13.7 points per game in his last three outings coming into tonight while hitting 17 of his 22 shots. Again, UMASS jacked it from three twenty times while Carter couldn’t bee stopped whenever he got the ball on the block (and he only had 2 of their 29 turnovers). Carter stood in the lane with his hand up with 6’2″ and 6’5″ guys on his hip for much of the night, yet rarely got a touch.

6’8″ junior Terrell Vinson was 5-7 from the floor but his lack of opportunities are best explained by his foul trouble — the kid from Baltimore (and one-time Loyola Marymount commit) only played 14 minutes. Maxie Esho goes 6’8″ as well and he was 3-5 in 22 minutes. But it was on the perimeter where Duquesne won this game and also where UMASS lost it. Michael Talley frustrated the incredibly talented Chaz Williams into an 8 point and 7 turnover night — Talley got help from Eric Evans and McConnell but the son of the one-time Michigan Mr. Basketball winner was the guy who got in Williams’ head early ans stayed there all night. Williams eventually fouled out in frustration by clocking Talley across the chin with a shot that would certainly get you arrested on pedestrian streets (even in Williams’ Brooklyn). Everhart was especially pleased that his decision to go small at halftime worked out so well.

“We like the game to go fast and it did,” said Duquesne head coach Ron Everhart. “We decided at halftime to play ‘small ball.’ Early in the second half it backfired on us, but our kids stayed with it and consequently we were able to beat a really good basketball team tonight.”

Sean Johnson was highly effective and efficient for the Dukes. The junior from Christ the King high school in Queens finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Johnson went bananas from deep (4-5) and did his best to make the rebounding deficit respectable for the Dukes (UMASS held a 48-32 edge). Jesse Morgan joined Williams in the chase to lead his team in turnovers, eventually nipping his back-court mate with 8 on the night. B.J. Monteiro led the Dukes with 23 points and came away with 3 extremely well-timed blocks during the game. Monteiro and Johnson were often the guys on Carter’s backside in the post — maybe they wouldn’t have scored so many points had they been forced to defend him on more than 7 possessions.

Huge win for Ron Everhart’s team in what was a great all around team effort.

A-10 Notables

Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
The best big that nobody knows about, Nicholson has been putting up numbers for a few years now. This past week he averaged 25 points, 10 boards and 3.5 blocks in two games highlighted by a monster 30 point, 13 rebound and six block game against Dayton. The line went a long way toward handing Dayton its first league loss 81-73 and marked just the third 30+10+5 game in the nation over the last two seasons.

Chris Braswell, Charlotte
Caught the talented Braswell’s act in November at Wright State so I wasn’t surprised to see him post a career high 31 points at UMASS. Braswell is a big that can stretch the defense (he was 3-5 from deep) and plays with a strut in his game that’s fun to watch. Athletic and talented offensive player.

LEFT COAST LAYUPS WITH RAPHIELLE JOHNSON

Can Ducks build on historic weekend?

By Raphielle Johnson

With Pac-12 teams being so bad on the road in conference play heading into last weekend, few would have expected Dana Altman’s Oregon Ducks to leave the Grand Canyon State with a pair of wins. But the Ducks have been the exception to the “rule” thus far, as they’re 3-1 in conference road games following their second road sweep of the Arizona schools in 34 years (2006-07 the first). At 13-5 overall and 4-2 in conference play the Ducks are just a game out of first place heading into their three-game home stand, and these are all winnable games for a team that’s won three of its last four games.

A key figure in Oregon’s play of late has been Minnesota transfer Devoe Joseph, who played all 40 minutes and scored 13 points in their win at Arizona. Joseph give Oregon a dynamic player on the perimeter who can makes plays and score, as seen in his 30-point outburst in the 78-67 win at Stanford on January 5th. He’s averaging a team-best 14.9 points per game, but guards E.J. Singler and Garrett Sim are also averaging double figures.

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HOOPHALL CLASSIC 2012: MONDAY RECAP

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

The 2012 Hoophall Classic came to a close on Monday highlighted by four national games all broadcast live on national television. Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and Kentucky front man John Calipari were front and center all day each flagged by two assistants. They were joined by a host of other coaches all trying to make an impression on the many uncommitted talents in action. While Shabazz Muhammad, Jabari Parker, Tony Parker, and others were the focus of these coaches, a senior guard who has already made his college decision stole the show and he receives top billing today.

Top Performer:

Katin Reinhardt (Mater Dei 2012) – signed with UNLV – After watching Reinhardt for a week at the City of Palms in Florida last month I came away seriously underwhelmed. He struck me as a player that forced shots, was careless with the ball, and cared more about making the flashy play than the right play. After dropping 35 points on a Hoophall Classic record tying nine three-pointers it’s safe to say he has changed my mind. Reinhardt got in the flow early with an easy dunk and once he found a rhythm the shots just kept falling and falling. Equally adapt off the catch or the dribble he made shots from well beyond the college 3 point line and was able to get enough elevation on his shot to make them over defenders. Not exclusively a shooter (although it was clearly his calling card today) Reinhardt used a low, tight crossover to get in the lane and finished a pair of floaters over help defenders. He also showed passion and aggression on the defensive end forcing Uconn commit Omar Calhoun into a miserable 6-22 shooting day. For now I’m willing to label Reinhardt a streaky shooter that has the ability to single handedly take over a game when he’s on a hot streak. If he can string together consistent performances like today’s I’ll be forced to simply label him a great shooter.
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HOOPHALL CLASSIC 2012: SUNDAY RECAP

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

While the action at the Hoophall Classic was terrific on Saturday, the overall atmosphere jumped to a new level on Sunday. College coaches who had been busy coaching their own teams in action Saturday were out in full force. John Calipari (Kentucky), Jim Calhoun (Connecticut), Steve Lavin (St John’s), Mark Gottfried (NC State), Ed Cooley (Providence) and Mick Cronin (Cincinnati) all made appearances along with assistants from Florida, Texas, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Oregon, Utah and DePaul. These coaches witnessed a large collection of highlight performances none more impressive than that by a player with the nation’s best haircut.

Top Performer:

Nerlens Noel (Tilton School 2013) – Noel and his high top fade put on a show worthy of the #1 2013 ranking I dubbed him with in my preview podcast of the event. Long considered the top shot blocker in America, Noel proved to be that and more in his nationally televised showdown with Mitch McGary and Brewster Academy. His final stat line reads 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 blocks with just about everyone in attendance agreeing that the 7 blocks is an extremely conservative estimate. I had one longtime scout tell me that Noel is the best shot blocker he has ever evaluated on the high school level. While his defense was as amazing as ever, Noel’s offensive progression continued its steady climb from the past year. He drove baseline and made a floater over Mitch McGary. He used a spin move and finished a lefty hook in the lane. He hammered down multiple tip dunks flying from out of nowhere to grab them. He drew contact at the rim repeatedly eventually fouling out Jakarr Sampson. Noel put on a virtuoso performance which stands up against the absolute best I’ve seen from him in the past. He looks like a future all-American, future lottery pick, future NBA all-star.

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WBB: RUTGERS/LOUISVILLE IN BATTLE OF HEAVYWEIGHTS

By Richard Kent

It was like a heavyweight fight. It even went beyond 15 rounds.

No. 8 Rutgers,15-2 beat no. 16 Louisville, 14-4 at the Rutgers Athletic Center, 71-68 in overtime in one of the top Big East games of the year.

Rutgers entered the game on a high and Louisville had played poorly in a loss at St. John’s and a narrow win over South Florida.

The Scarlet Knights dominated at the beginning, but the Cards flew by and took a 13 point lead. Rutgers then turned up the defensive pressure and tied the game at 48.

The teams traded baskets and April Sykes missed a shot at the buzzer for Rutgers to send the game into overtime.

Both teams were evenly matched in the last stanza and it took an off balance 3 by Erica Wheeler from Rutgers, just beating the shot clock to seal the deal for the Knights.

Coach Vivian Stringer was thrilled to see her team perform well in a close game after several blow out wins.

Louisville’s Jeff Walz was not unhappy with how his team played,especially emphasizing that they took a team with talent as good as any team in conference into overtime with only 5 points out of top scorer Shoni Schimmel.

Rutgers is about to enter a stretch of games which will define its season, starting with an away contest at St. John’s on Tuesday.It will see them travel to Georgetown and UConn and host DePaul and no. 2 Notre Dame.

LEFT COAST LAYUPS WITH RAPHIELLE JOHNSON

UNLV “starts” league play with an addition

By Raphielle Johnson

The Mountain West finally gets its conference slate going on Saturday, with the league schedule down to 14 games thanks to conference realignment. Boise State will be making their first run through the conference, and they won’t be around very long either with their pending move to the WAC (football joins the Big East). But the first shot “fired” won’t even have an impact on the court until the end of the fall semester next year, as former Pitt Panther Khem Birch announced that he’s transferring to UNLV.

Birch will be able to practice as soon as he’s enrolled in school, which should provide a boost in practice for the likes of Brice Massamba, Quintrell Thomas and Carlos Lopez not to mention Mike Moser. Birch didn’t have the impact fans in the Steel City were hoping for before ultimately leaving, but he did show glimpses of the talent that made him a McDonald’s All-American as a senior at Notre Dame Prep.

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DUKE FLIRTATION WITH AMILE JEFFERSON TURNS TO FULL COURTSHIP

by Alex Schwartz

WEST CHESTER, PA – Amile Jefferson, a 6-foot-8 power forward out of Friends Central (PA), is one of the nation’s elite basketball players in the class of 2012. In addition, he is one of the few top flight players still uncommitted.

Although Jefferson’s recruitment seemed fairly clear recently in terms of final options and perceived frontrunners, one school is making a late play for the senior: Duke University.

NBE was on hand Tuesday night at Westtown School (PA) on Tuesday for the showdown between Jefferson and Villanova-bound center Daniel Ochefu. Also in the stands were Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and assistant Chris Collins, sitting just a few rows behind the Friends Central bench.
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BIG EAST WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: THE CONTENDERS

By Richard Kent

The Big East is top heavy this year with 3 teams who can make Final Four runs and two teams who are legitimate National Championship contenders (records as of Monday):

NOTRE DAME (15-1)- The Fighting Irish have to be considered the top team in Conference right now after a 74-67 overtime victory over UConn at home. It marked the second consecutive win for them over the Huskies as the Muffet McGraw led team knocked UConn out of the Final Four last year. They are led by one of the three top players in Conference in junior Skylar Diggins. Notre Dame leads the Conference in scoring average at 84.4 ppg. Their only loss was at no. 1 Baylor.

UCONN- (12-2)- The Huskies, when all is said and done in March should be the best team in Conference. They have the best coach in Geno Auriemma and the best player in sophomore Bria Hartley. They fell by 5 at Baylor and lost a road game against a team with whom the are relatively equal. Hartley is a far improved player from her freshman season. Stefanie Dolson, at center is a good one but still needs to work on her conditioning. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis is a pure shooter and is the best freshman in the country right now.

RUTGERS- (13-2)-The Scarlet Knights are off to their best start in years and could be undefeated. They lost in double overtime at highly regarded Miami and fell at home to hot shooting Tennessee. April Sykes has established herself as a First Team All Big East player. Vivian Stringer is letting her team run more than in the past, largely as a result of more depth.

DEPAUL- (14-3)-A bit of a surprise for veteran head coach Doug Bruno. The loss of senior Keisha Hampton to injury will hurt, but Anna martin has picked up some of the scoring slack.

GEORGETOWN-(13-3)-It begins and ends with high scoring junior Sugar Rodgers who leads the Conference at 20.1 ppg.The Hoyas had a good win over Georgia in Las Vegas and are a team to be reckoned with.

CRC CLASSIC GAME RECAP – GAME OF THE DAY (MATER DEI – GILL ST. BERNARD’S)

By Ray Mernagh

Gill St. Bernard’s 76, Mater Dei 73 OT

There were supposed to be a lot of stars on the floor in this one.

Mater Dei was ranked #8 in the country coming into the game by whomever thinks they’re qualified to rank high school teams nationally (not really sure how it’s possible with the volume of teams etc but whatever) while Gill St. Bernard’s was kind of licking their wounds from a 2-2 trip to the City of Palms (which was so excellently covered by my guy Brian Bosworth).

Well, the biggest star in this game was a big man by the name of Dominic Hoffman who will soon become a nightmare for all the coaches in the Patriot League once he arrives at Bucknell in late summer. The game was the best of the day and it really wasn’t close — Mergen Sina from St. Bernard’s coached the hell out of his team and they responded by playing harder and smarter than Mater Dei and ultimately being rewarded with a much deserved W in overtime.

Dominic Hoffman 2012 6’7 Center (Bucknell)
Hoffman might be 6’7″ but he plays 6’10″. High energy player with a motor to match. Crashes offensive boards. Runs rim-to-rim. Blocks a lot of shots with his timing and long arms. Hits 18 footer. Has post moves and counter post moves that he uses to score consistently down low. Excellent in the two man game with either Jaren Sina or Alex Mitola all night. Would Not Let His Team Lose! Finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks. Outstanding performance of the day (along with Kris Jenkins).

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