Top Prep Players ready to show their stuff
Monday, January 27, 2014
What do Andre Drummond, Ricky Ledo, Steven Adams, and Michael Carter-Williams have in common?
If you said that they are all recent additions to the NBA in the past two years, you would be correct. But there is something else.
What do Wayne Seldon, Naadir Tharpe, Semaj Christon, JaKaar Sampson, Georges Niang, Noah Vonleh, Alex Murphy, Kaleb Tarczewski, Olivier Hanlon and Todd Mayo have in common? If you said that they are all current stars at high-major basketball programs, you would also be correct. But again, there is something more.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAll of these players (and many more) have played in the National Prep School Invitational in Rhode Island over the past couple of years. This year’s tournament is taking place this week at Rhode Island College (starting on Thursday and running through Sunday). Once again many of the top high school seniors in the country will be participating including Goodluck Okonoboh (Wilbraham and Monson, committed to UNLV), Kaleb Joseph (Cushing Academy, committed to Syracuse), Isaac Copeland (Brewster Academy, committed to Georgetown), Jonah Bolden (Brewster Academy, committed to UCLA), and Marial Shayok (Blair Academy, committed to Marquette).
Some of the top undergraduate players this year include Tyler Lydon of New Hampton Prep (committed to Syracuse), Jalen Adams of Cushing Academy, Donovan Mitchell and Jarred Reuter of Brewster Academy, Josh Sharma and Aaron Falzon of Northfield Mount Hermon Academy, Bruce Brown, Sedee Keita, and K. J. Santos of Vermont Academy, and Terrance Mann of the Tilton School.
Two of the University of Rhode Island’s top recruits will be playing in the tournament. Matt Cimino (a 2014 6’10" stretch power forward) and his Worcester Academy team will be taking on Tabor Academy Friday at 7:30 pm and St. John’s Military Academy Saturday at 10:30 am. Jarvis Garrett, a 6’0" point guard, and his Notre Dame Prep team will be playing Mt. Zion Academy at 2:45 pm on Thursday, St. John’s Northwest Military Academy at 3:00 pm on Friday, and Kingdom Prep at 1:30 pm on Saturday.
Several Providence College recruiting targets will be at the event including their most-likely number one 2015 target, Donovan Mitchell of Brewster Academy...and their number one 2014 target, Devonte Graham, also of Brewster Academy. The Brewster Bobcats will be taking on Vermont Academy in a great match-up on Sunday at 12:00 pm. Rhode Island will have a local team participating as St. Andrew’s of Barrington, RI will be taking on Northfield Mount Hermon on Saturday at 4:30 pm (they will also be playing GB Academy from the Czech Republic on Friday at 4:30 pm at St. Andrew’s).
St. Andrew’s, coached by Mike Hart, is led by seniors Bonzie Colson (committed to Notre Dame) and Henry Bolton (committed to Utah State). Another player to watch on St. Andrew’s is 6’8" sophomore Terrell Brown, who will wind up being a high major player as he continues to develop.
Some other local Rhode Island players participating this year include Marcel Pettway of Wilbraham and Monson, Donovan Love of New Hampton Prep, and Kimani Lawrence of Cushing Academy.
The National Prep School Invitational always has an international flair and this year is no exception as international teams from Spain (Canarias Basketball Academy), Canada (Alma Academy and Bill Crothers School) and the Czech Republic (GB Academy) will be participating. These international teams always have some unsigned 2014 players that programs are keeping a keen eye on.
Tip off, once again, is at 10:00 AM on Thursday at Rhode Island College's Murray Center in Providence.
