Catching up with Brewster Head Coach Jason Smith

Friarbasketball.net was lucky enough to catch up with Brewster Academy head coach Jason Smith a day after his squad rolled over South Kent, 114-88 in the finals of the New Hampton Invitational.  Smith has been guiding Brewster for 10 seasons now, with 8 of those teams finishing in the top 10 nationally. 

With perhaps the top shooting guard in the country in Will Barton (Memphis), a springy shot blocker and rebounder in Syracuse-bound CJ Fair, the sharp-shooting Austin Carroll (Rutgers), a rugged defender in Melvin Ejim (Iowa State), the massive Mo Walker (undecided), and a top 60 point guard that Providence fans are very familiar with in Naadir Tharpe, Smith might be presiding over the best prep team in the country.  They certainly looked that way in the victory over South Kent.

Jason provided an update on Brewster's season, Naadir Tharpe's recruitment, Gerard Coleman's development, the current Providence coaching staff and more.

On the New Hampton Championship: "Our game against Winchendon was really back and forth.  We jumped out to a 6-8 point lead and they would come right back.  The game ultimately came down to the last possession of the game.  We were able to execute well out of a timeout to take the lead and Will Barton blocked a shot at the buzzer to secure the win. 

We play much better when we get off to a good start to begin a game.  We were able to jump out to a fast start against South Kent, as we did against Tilton (23-4 run early), and controlled the game.  Will has done a great job defensively when we challenge him to do so and he really accepted the challenge against JJ Moore (Moore was held to 3 points).  We really placed an emphasis on keeping their guards out of the paint and getting stops."

On Naadir Tharpe: "Naadir had a great weekend (tournament MVP after a 30 point performance in the final).  People really undervalue Naadir because he is the kind of kid who you have to see a couple times to understand what he brings to the court.  He's a true point guard whose main job is to run the offense and distribute the ball. 

His speed and quickness are what makes him stand out from other players and his basketball IQ is much higher than a traditional high school player.

Providence and BC are his two leaders at this point, as they have been recruiting him for well over a year.  He's a Worcester kid and they are the two high major regional schools.  Providence and BC are definitely the two leaders and UNLV has been very serious in their recruitment of him.  Naadir is receiving preliminary interest across the board.  Virginia, Virginia Tech, Indiana, and Purdue are also showing preliminary interest."

On Gerard Coleman: "In my opinion, out of all of the guys we've played over the last couple of years he has improved as much as anyone.  Gerard and Billy Baron have probably improved as much as anyone over the last two or three years. 

If I could pick anyone from the teams we've faced he is one of the first players I'd take.  He's similar to Will (Barton) in that he can score in so many ways.  He knocks down perimeter shots and gets to the rim.  Gerard is a good kid who is really even-keeled.  His highs aren't too high and his lows aren't too low.  If Providence is able to get Naadir to go along with him they'd have a really great backcourt for three years."

On Providence's coaching staff: "Providence has done an excellent job recruiting.  The best hire Keno made was bringing in Pat Skerry, who I've known for 10-12 years since he was at Curry College.  He does an excellent job and has great relationships among prep coaches.  I'd love to have our players play for a guy like Pat.

Keno seems like a player's coach.  Weyinmi Efejuku, who played for me at Brewster, absolutely loved Keno and had a great experience with him.  I'd like to see them continue to recruit Brewster kids."

Thanks to Jason for taking the time out to provide his insight and best of luck to Brewster the rest of the way.  We will continue to post regular updates on Brewster Academy and Naadir Tharpe throughout the rest of the season.