How quickly a season-ending losing streak can become a distant memory.
This is the first in a 3 part series on the commitment of Tharpe. The articles will break down Naadir's game, the immediate impact of this coaching staff on the recruiting trail, and the possibility of the New England floodgates opening and Providence becoming a destination spot. Gerard Coleman and Naadir Tharpe is a heck of a start.
Naadir Tharpe - a breakdown
During the layup line of the Brewster and Winchendon epic, the NEPSAC Class A final that was as exciting as any prep game this year, a gentleman sparked up conversation and told me he was familiar with Brewster's names, but hadn't seen them this year.
When the conversation turned to Tharpe I told him he was as good as any point guard playing in New England. He responded with, "but can he shoot? I heard he's just an okay shooter."
"He can shoot, trust me. It seems like he goes 2-2 or 3-4 from 3 every time I watch him."
Minutes later Tharpe shook Winchendon's Anthony Ireland, launching a tough 3 off of the dribble, which splashed through. The shot highlighted a fantastic opening half from Naadir, who set the tone early in leading Brewster to a double digit lead.
"Yep, he can shoot," the gentleman agreed.
The Floor Leader
Focusing on his outside shot or points per game would be to miss what makes Tharpe special. Yes, he can shoot, and he could probably score more if necessary, but on the most talented team in the country someone had to keep everyone involved and that responsibility landed in Naadir's hands.
Will Barton might be the best shooting guard in the country. CJ Fair can score from inside and out. Mo Walker dominates in the paint. Austin Carroll is deadly from deep. Melvin Ejm is strong taking it to the hole. Ashton Kahn is good enough to take and make the biggest shots in the Class A finals. That's a lot of mouths to feed, but Tharpe did so brilliantly this year, while understanding when and where to look for his own offense.
In the opening round of the New Hampton Tournament, he led the team in scoring against Winchendon, in a game in which Barton was held to 13 points and Fair was quiet as well. A night later he poured in 30 in the invitational's final, a drubbing of South Kent, taking home the MVP.
With Brewster struggling to score against a St. Thomas More 3-2 zone in the National semifinals, Naadir put the game out of reach with a high-arching runner over the top sophomore in the country with two minutes to go.
He's effective making plays in the halfcourt set and a blur in the open court. Tharpe gets into the paint at will and makes great decisions once there - you can win with a point guard who can do only that.
Intangibles
What Providence has lacked of late has been the intangibles that Vincent Council flashed this year, Coleman has shown time and again throughout a prestigious prep career, and now Naadir is the latest to bring great intangibles to Providence.
He rarely takes a bad shot (having a hard time remembering even one), has a tremendous sense of how to bait defenders and dish, and knows when to score. Barton has a big personality, and a lot of cache as the top shooting guard in the country, but there were numerous occasions in which Naadir was quick to pull him in and provide direction.
Brewster's offense always seemed to perfectly time when to dump it in to Walker when they had an advantage, find Carroll for the back-breaking 3, or let Barton do his thing. Tharpe was the distributor through it all.
Aside from the National Prep Invitational game against NIA Prep, where he seemed quiet, he is a vocal kid who isn't afraid to lead.
Finally, I was lucky enough to watch a few of the playoff games with very nice folks from Brewster who really raved about the kind of individual he is.
If this sounds like raving on my end, it should. There isn't a thing not to love about this commitment for Providence. He's a great all-around point guard and a solid person, from all accounts.
