Day II helped shaped the site's perspective on PC targets. Instead of breaking the day down game by game (you can find that elsewhere) I'm going to group recruits into categories by their play and recruiting status.
Sign Him Now:
Two Providence recruits flashed signs of superstardom on Friday.
Khem Birch: The Winchendon big man has been this site's number 1 target for the class of 2012 because of his game, the need, the reality of Providence landing him, and his talent level. Last night did nothing to hurt his standing as the top priority for the class of 2012. Birch's athletic ability and timing scream elite shot blocker and by the end of the game our section was buzzing about his play.
Birch dominated the paint, pinning shots against the glass, swatting one out to the top of the key triggering a fastbreak, and altering several others. This was my third time seeing Khem and it was his most dominant performance. I've insisted since the beginning of the year that PC needs a game changing shot blocker and Birch is that and more.
Offensively, he showed a good stroke at the line and put in a left-handed hook, but on a loaded Winchendon team he isn't looked to for scoring. Providence is fortunate to be in early on a kid like this.
Alex Murphy: Like Birch, Murphy is a kid who had obvious tools in seeing him in December and those tools are starting to translate on the court. With every 26 foot 3 and 3 point play off of the dribble I saw PC's chances dimish some. Looking every bit 6'8, Murphy is an intelligent player, one of the top three shooters of Day II, and is flashing the ability to take his man off of the dribble.
27 points on 10-15 shooting against Winchendon is a full night's work. His 20 in the 2nd half were a full night's work actually. By night's end I was surprised if a shot missed. Not many did in a phenomenal effort from the Rhode Island native. With Kansas having reportedly offered already, landing Murphy is going to be a tall task.
The Talent is Obvious:
Ricky Ledo: the talent is obvious, but for the second time in two viewings the talent didn't translate on the court. Suffering through a subpar shooting night, Ledo didn't have nearly the impact that Mike Carter-Williams had against a great Westwind (AZ) team.
He's an athletic kid (got fouled on a one-handed dunk attempt over two men) with a good looking shot, but didn't play up to the level of Murphy who seems to be putting it all together of late. Still, Ledo is a fluid athlete with an above average jumper according to most reports. It will be interesting to track his progress in comparison to Murphy over the next two years.
Andre Drummond: the legs are tree trunks. Physically, Drummond is a man at 16 years old and for a big kid he runs the floor well and has good lateral quickness. Forced to switch out on a wing he stayed with the smaller guard who couldn't shake him off of the dribble.
His offensive game is a ways away, but he flashed more ability in the second half after a quiet/foul prone first. In watching him you get the sense he's going to be one of those "I can't believe how far he's come" kids. A player who seemed receptive to coaching, and he's playing for a great one in Jere Quinn, he projects to be a dominant paint presence in a year or two. If you were playing a pickup game today you'd take Birch over Drummond.
They are who we thought they were:
Ron Giplaye: nothing new was learned from Giplaye in days I&II. Ron continues to mix it up and keep loose balls alive inside. Probably not a scouting report that will blow fans away, but PC is in dire need of a dirty work kid who knows his role and does it well. Giplaye didn't finish well at the rim, but got to the line a handful of times in both games. Neither Rise or Canarias had interior players that could match his physicality.
With James Still a potential redshirt and Kadeem Batts still an unknown Giplaye may see time backing up Bilal Dixon next year. He'll need to work on his finishing, but physically he can play with BE level kids today and hold his own. Seems to prefer using his left hand when absorbing contact. A recruit who will have his supporters and detractors depending upon their style of play preferance. Seeing PC get pushed around underneath, I'll welcome a kid who isn't afraid to throw an elbow. Not as springy as Dixon.
Kaleb Tarczewski: if the St. Mark's big man isn't 7 feet, he's close. He's physically overmatched right now, which makes it difficult to get a true feel for how he projects at the next level, but he was willing to battle (fouling out coming off of the bench). Shows a nice touch in layup lines, but the fact that I'm mentioning his performance in layup lines is a telling sign of where he is physically compared to Birch and Drummond.
Still, a lot of talent to work with, as seven footers with range are a commodity.
Been Better:
Naadir Tharpe: if Shabazz Napier plays like Shabazz Napier when he arrives this weekend we'll have a new top point guard in next week's recruiting rankings. In a buzzer beating loss to NIA Prep (Brewster's 4th of the season, but 2nd to NIA in two meetings) Tharpe was a non-factor and watched the final four minutes of a hotly contested battle from the bench as Brewster made their comeback.
I was drooling over Tharpe's passing ability in December, which wasn't on display as much this week. He's tremendously quick and the definition of a pass-first point guard, but a subpar week combined with the belief that a scoring type point playing with or behind Vincent Council for two years would benefit PC more, Napier leads the point guard battle. Didn't hit from beyond the arc in either game.
Angel Nunez: this was the third time I've seen Nunez and he's yet to show flashes of a top 40 player nationally. He seems to be searching for a niche on a deep team and if I hadn't read the press clippings I wouldn't know he was one of the elite prospects of 2011. It will be interesting to see how he develops when Eric Ferguson graduates and Nunez gets bigger minutes.
Ones who got away:
St. Mark's duo: Does Nate Lubick have a younger brother? Friarbasketball sang his praises in December and he was even better yesterday. The kid has great footwork around the basket, is a great passer for a 4, consistently hits out to the arc and beyond, and flashed leadership ability in the huddle. He fittingly canned a buzzer beater (it didn't actually beat the buzzer, but that's neither here nor there) to cap a huge upset win for St. Mark's. A Ryan Gomes like game and persona. Love this kid.
Siena once again found a good one in Melsahn Basabe who didn't play up to his potential against a big Winchendon frontcourt, but battled hard in the paint to the tune of 15 rebounds. A pure back to the basket type who always finds a way to impact a game.
Mike Carter-Williams: This kid was supposed to be the third best of the Tharpe/Napier/Carter-Williams group? The St. Andrew's product put on a show in the first half of the loss to Westwind. A tremendous crossover, a flurry of 3s, long arms... yep, he sounds like an Orangeman. A startlingly good first half yesterday, but shots stopped falling late as Westwind pulled away.
Notes:
- Shaquille Thomas is a better shooter than advertised and a good athlete. He told Evan Daniels that he's been offered by PC, but things seem quiet on the Shaq front. Liked him more than I anticipated as he played a key role in helping NIA storm back from an 8 point halftime deficit.
- Speaking of NIA, someone get Jameer Hanner on the phone if Providence doesn't land Kadeem Jack. The 210 pound power forward battled the massive Mo Walker all game and dominated for NIA. Listed at 6'6, but playing more 6'8, Hanner's explosion (20 and 17) against Brewster reminded me of a certain forward who dominated for New Hampton a year ago who now averages 17 and 10 as a 3/4 hyrid at Fordham.
- NIA won on a deep 3 at the horn to shock Brewster, who had blown a 10 point lead, went down 8 and took the lead back in the waning seconds. Syracuse bound CJ Fair was great all weekend, outplaying his higher rated counterpart Will Barton. Completely different demeanors and ways of getting the job done. Fair is a physical and explosive lefty. Another solid get for the Cuse. Not the best weekend for Barton.
- Brewster's Mo Walker has skills and size and is the type any coach would love to groom for a few years.
- Mike Haynes (Heat Academy) is built like the Incredible Hulk and he has game. A Joey Graham type.
- Ferguson, Anthony Ireland, and Devon Saddler continue to produce big time for Mike Byrnes. Three really solid kids that could lead Winchendon to a prep title over higher ranked kids.
- Tony Snell of Westwind is an impressive player. He shot up from 6'3 to 6'7 in a year and has point guard skills in a small forward's body. New Mexico landed a really nice piece, who a Westwind rep told me was their best player. I'll continue to monitor Bo Barnes, who has a great feel for the game and tremendous jumper.
- I was lucky enough to meet a few coaches, scouts, and of course, some great Friar fans over the past two days whose passion for the game and the school are what make Providence a special place. Things could become very special if Keno can somehow land some of the talent on display this weekend.
