Brian Bosworth, Teams

BOSWORTH: SATURDAY’S NATIONAL PREP SCHOOL SHOWCASE BREAKDOWN

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

The National Prep Showcase got back in full gear on Saturday with scouts and coaches alike lining the gym to see the nation’s best talent. Once again one player rose above the pack although no one quite reached the performance that Rick Ledo put up on Friday night.

Top Performance of the day:

Noah Vonleh (New Hampton 2014) – Very few prospects could have somewhat of an off day by their own standards and still be the best player at an event but that’s exactly what Vonleh did. He tallied 15 points and 19 rebounds at least half of which were on the offensive end of the floor. While he struggled slightly to put the ball in the basket, his explosiveness off the dribble combined with his incredible strength around the rim are impossible to ignore. Vonleh’s most impressive moments to me came when he caught the ball near the three point line and used one dribble to his right to glide all the way to the rim past a defender and score. He travels an incredible amount of space on the floor with only a couple of steps or with only one dribble. Physically, he’s simply on a different plane than most other kids on the floor despite being one of the youngest out there. After a breakout summer on the national scene, Vonleh cemented his status as one of the top five players in the class of 2014 with his performance Saturday.

Sleeper Performance of the day:

Stuart McEwn (St. Thomas More 2012) – A 6’8” forward from Australia, McEwn will only be eligible for the first semester according to head coach Jere Quinn due to some unusual regulations from the NCAA regarding Australian players. With little time to prove himself to college coaches McEwn got off to a good start Saturday. He can really stretch the floor with his ability to shoot the ball from behind the arc while also being strong enough to use his frame in the post and body up opponents. A low to mid-major player that will make a college coach very happy with his work ethic according to Coach Quinn, McEwn expanded his profile with his performance Saturday.

Other Standouts:

Codi Miller-McIntyre (Hargrave Military Academy 2012) – committed to Wake Forest – Miller-McIntyre was the difference in leading Hargrave to a four point victory over Bridgton Academy. He’s a deadly midrange shooter and throughout the second half worked his way towards the free throw line where he rose above defenders and buried contested jumpers. Miller-McIntyre has a strong body for a PG and explosive athleticism most notably shown off when he threw down a monster alley-oop in the first half.

Marcus Crider (Bridgton Academy 2012) – A skilled and very high IQ player, Crider is forced to play out of position in the paint for Bridgton because they lack a true post player. More of a 3/4 combo at the next level Crider is at his best beating bigger defenders off the dribble and either pulling up for mid range jumpers or getting all the way to the rim and finishing with either hand.

Ryan Taylor (Hargrave Military Academy 2012) – After dominating the paint on Friday, Taylor completed a huge weekend by showing off his perimeter skills on Saturday. He made shots out to the three point line and still mixed in some bruising plays inside en route to 26 points and 11 rebounds. Louisville’s loss will be another high major’s gain as Taylor clearly improved his stock with two top notch performances this weekend.

Sam Cassell Jr. (Notre Dame Prep 2012) – After a Friday performance in which his whole team lacked effort, Cassell came out on Saturday and set the record straight about the type of player he can be. He made shots from everywhere finishing with 30 points on only 17 attempts including 5 makes from downtown. Cassell is almost more comfortable shooting off the dribble than he is off the catch and loves working defenders down to the elbow and then pulling up just as his dad once did.

TJ Warren (Brewster Academy 2012) – committed to NC State – A 6’7” physical forward, TJ Warren was born to score. Despite being a very big and powerful young man he plays with such grace and exhibits an uncanny soft touch around the rim. Everything Warren put up seemed to go in during today’s action as he completed 10 of 12 shots for 22 points. He’s a mid range specialist and uses a quick first step to his right along with a deadly spin move to create space and get those shots off.

Jakarr Sampson (Brewster Academy 2012) – Sampson is a long and skilled 6’8” specimen who made countless plays in and around the paint. He loves to face up after catching in the post at which point his first step is too quick for helpless defenders most often going to his right. Also able to defend the rim with his supreme athleticism, Sampson is one of the elite members of the 2012 class still left on the board and high majors are going to be fighting for his services all year.

Jarion Henry (La Jolla Prep 2012) – committed to Oklahoma – Henry is not the most consistent player and certainly needs work in maturing and becoming more of a leader. He does have the ability to make plays that seem unnatural for a 6’8” player as he played point guard for La Jolla all day and used his excellent vision to find teammates all over the court. With the right coaching staff to get through to him, Henry has a chance to be a star if he can put it all together.

Johnnie Vasser (La Lumiere School 2014) – Vasser is still waiting his turn for this loaded La Lumiere team but show flashes of his high upside in limited opportunities Saturday. The lefty point guard has explosive quickness of the dribble and can finish plays over much bigger defenders at the rim. He needs to continue learning how to run a team but is already clearly a high major point guard.

Jared Terrell (New Hampton 2014) – Terrell looks like a different person from when I last saw him in the spring. He has added around 10 pounds of muscle and somehow also looks significantly quicker with the ball in his hands. The combo guard can make shots from the perimeter and make plays at the rim and is only scratching the surface of his upside. New Hampton has two of the top 50 players in America in 2014 with Terrell and Vonleh.

Chris Thomas (South Kent 2013) – After struggling on Friday while Rick Ledo carried the team, Thomas took an opportunity as Ledo sat in the first half with two fouls and showcased his offensive talents. Thomas made shots from three point range, shots from mid range, and finished through contact at the rim. He needs improvement on his decision making and keeping his composure when things don’t go his way but Thomas is as gifted a scorer from the wing as you’ll find in 2013.

National Prep Showcase Free Throws

Every time Hanner Perea goes up to dunk I worry he’s going to hit his head on the rim. That kid can fly… Uconn assistant Kevin Ollie had himself planted courtside to watch New Hampton’s sophomore duo of Vonleh and Terrell and couldn’t help but be impressed… 2014 big man Johnathon Wilkins has too many bigs in front of him at La Lumiere to see much court time now but he’s going to be a good one. Long, athletic, runs the floor hard… Xavier fans had to be happy today. All four 2012 commits (Myles Davis, Semaj Christon, James Farr, and Jalen Reynolds) played and played well. That’s a loaded class… Even when Mitch McGary doesn’t play particularly well he still does so much for his team with energy and leadership. Program changer at Michigan… Malik Nichols had another big day for Bridgton. He brings that NYC toughness that can’t really be taught… The rims should be safer on Sunday now that Montrezl Harrell and Hargrave are done playing for the weekend. BEAST.

Recruiting Updates:

Stuart McEwn (St. Thomas More 2012) – The Aussie import has low major schools on him hard like American, Boston University, Hartford, Delaware, and Central Connecticut according to head coach Jere Quinn. He’d be a steal for any of those programs and after today that list may have expanded quite a bit.

Marcus Crider (Bridgton Academy 2012) – Crider has been receiving mostly mid-major interest so far with St. Bonaventure and Bradley leading the way but high majors are starting to sniff around. It wasn’t a fluke that the former Providence staff had offered the big man and if he repeats the level performance he had today more high major offers should come.

Jakarr Sampson (Brewster Academy 2012) – Formerly committed to St. Johns in the 2011 class before being ruled ineligible Sampson has re-opened his recruitment. He now has a list of Kansas, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Providence, Baylor, Miami, and St. Johns remains in the mix.

Johnnie Vassar (La Lumiere 2014) – Still early in the process Vassar already holds offers from Illinois and DePaul along with interest from California, Stanford, Louisville, Iowa, Boston College, Arizona, Syracuse, Purdue, Indiana, and Northwestern.

Johnathon Wilkins (La Lumiere 2014) – Another youngster Wilkins has already heard from Penn State, Bowling Green, Ball State, and Western Kentucky. If any of those mid-majors want to lock up Wilkins they had better do it soon because once he gets opportunities and exposure Wilkins will become a high major priority.

Jared Terrell (New Hampton 2014) – Terrell has received early interest from Connecticut, Boston College, Temple, Umass, Cincinnati, Miami, Rutgers, and Providence. All but Uconn have offered.

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