NEPSAC Class A Seedings Announced

All year Friarbasketball has been monitoring every level of New England prep basketball and next week the brightest stars will emerge in the playoffs.  The Class A seedings have been announced and Friarbasketball is here to break down the potential best games of the tournament, top players, and Providence targets to keep an eye on.

The Top Teams:

1. Brewster Academy (13-3): When they're playing their best there is no one better in New England, and maybe the country.  Jason Smith's squad features seven players who are not just division 1 talent, but high D1.  Led by the trio of Will Barton (Memphis), CJ Fair (Syracuse), and Naadir Tharpe (undecided junior), Brewster is at it's most dangerous, and impressive, when they are in the open court.  Austin Carroll (Rutgers) is one of the best shooters in the conference and nearly automatic from the corners, while big man Mo Walker (undecided senior) is not just mammouth inside, but shows a nice touch and can pass.  Often overlooked Melvin Ejim (Iowa State) was a one time PC target who is terrific defensively.  When Barton focuses on defense (held JJ Moore to 3 points and Gerard Coleman to 12) they are a lockdown pair.  Richard Peters is a 6'10 Oklahoma commit who hasn't seen much court time when I've been in attendance.

The biggest question mark for Brewster might be focus as a late season loss to Bridgton might serve as a bit of a wake up call to a team that was running over opponents.  When they are locked in they are capable of running teams off of the floor.

Leading scorers: Will Barton (20.8), CJ Fair (14.1), Mo Walker (12.5), Melvin Ejim (11.0), Austin Carroll (10.2), Naadir Tharpe (9.6)

PC Recruits: Providence is heavily involved in the recruitment of Tharpe, who is forced to keep a star studded team happy and does a terrific job in doing so.  Mo Walker is another one to keep an eye on as PC continues the search for big men prospects.

2. Winchendon School (12-5): While Mike Byrnes crew has high D1 talent in big man Markus Kennedy (Villanova) and sophomore Khem Birch (top 25 nationally), this is a team led by gritty and talented players who you won't see in a Big East arena, but you'll probably see one day in the NCAA tournament.

If you don't know Eric Ferguson by now, you haven't been reading this site.  The long, 6'8 small forward is exactly what the Friars need: length at the 3, outside shooting, gets to the rim, and defends.  Unfortunately for us, he's headed to Georgia Southern to play for his godfather.  Just a solid overall player who makes huge plays when needed.  One of the few wing players in this tournament who can match Barton's length and athleticism.

Waterbury, Connecticut native Anthony Ireland (Loyola Marymount) is one of the trickiest dribblers and toughest shot makers in the NEPSAC.  Another potential great matchup in the finals would be Ireland versus his AAU teammate Tharpe.  Devon Saddler (Delaware) is a rugged defender who is good off of the dribble, while Akeem Williams is a stout shooter.

Size rounds out the rest of Winchendon's lineup with the long Angel Nunez (undecided) coming off of the bench along with big men Marvin Dominique (Hofstra), Adam Kemp (Marist), and widebody James Stukes (undecided).

On Wednesday night, Winchendon will be looking to avenge a loss from last weekend against New Hampton, who they had defeated twice earlier in the season.

PC Recruits: Birch is one of the highest rated players the Friars are following right now and the sophomore is very interested in turn.  He fills a gaping need on this team right now and is as quick off of his feet as any in this tournament.  Nunez has visited Providence, but it is unclear at this point what the interest level is there.

3. Northfield Mount Hermon (8-4): Led by the quickly emerging Majok Majok, NMH heads into this tournament as the 3 seed.  While Majok's stock is on the rise, he is flanked by two Harvard recruits in Matt Brown and Canadian Laurent Rivard.  Word is Majok is considering Harvard, which would turn a good class into a monster team in the Ivies.

Aaron Crosby is an effective junior guard, averaging around 6 assists per game, while 6'7 small forward Hector Harold might be the best wing on the team.  He's heading to Pepperdine next season and can really score.

Junior Vince Van Nes is a 6'11 work in progress.

Taking on Maine Central Institute in the first round, which is a nice draw as MCI doesn't look as tough as New Hampton who #2 Winchendon plays on Wednesday afternoon.  Winchendon or New Hampton would be a difficult draw in the semis.

Top Scorers: Rivard (17.0), Majok (15.4), Harold (13.3)

PC Targets: Van Nes has a ways to go, as his 2.1 ppg would attest.
 
4. St Thomas More (7-4): Looking for a team with multiple PC targets?  STM might be your squad.  Led by longtime coach Jere Quinn, St. Thomas Moore is always dangerous and this year should be no exception.  Combo guard Byron Allen is seeing interest from Providence, Boston College and others, while small forward Trashon Burrell is an under the radar wing who PC is apparently monitoring.

The headliner is Andre Drummond, the top big man prospect of 2012, a kid who has been on PC's campus twice already.  Potentially the top player in his class, the competition from Drummond should be furious with Connecticut looking like an obvious leader at this point.

A difficult draw awaits in South Kent.

PC Recruits: Drummond, Allen, and Burrell.

5. South Kent (6-7): A difficult team to figure out.  They are good enough to beat Brewster and Winchendon on back to back games, but finished below .500 in the conference and got run against Brewster in the New Hampton Invitational last weekend.  They got run, of course, after scoring an impressive 105 points in a win over New Hampton the night before.  The same New Hampton team that controlled the game the next day against Winchendon.  This is why you don't try to predict these games and why this tournament is so great every year.

JJ Moore (Pittsburgh) is the headliner and when he and Louisville commit Russ Smith have it going this team is explosive (122 points in a win over Brewster).  Moore is as athletic as they come with a nice stroke beyond the arc, while Smith is a talented combo guard capable of putting up big numbers.

The problem for South Kent is the talent drops off after the top two.  Danny Lawhorn, a one time BC recruit, is a notch below Tharpe, Ireland, and Jordan Laguerre at this point.  Chris Johnson and Nemanja Bjurisic are gritty post players. 

With St. Thomas More in round 1 and Brewster awaiting in the semis, making it back to the NEPSAC finals this year will be a tall task.  A team no one wants to face though with Smith and Moore lingering.

PC targets: Lawhorn is a kid who has gotten attention from PC, but I believe he's not the player that some other PC targets are right now

6. Maine Central Institute (6-8): MCI is a middle of the road NEPSAC team that lacks the star power of many of their opponents.  I've written about Levan Shengelia previously, the URI commit is a 6'9, 265 lb bruiser who mixes it up as much as anyone in Class A.  Laimbeer-like ability to get under opponents' skin, but has ability to boot.  He's always running the floor hard, is better off of the bounce than you'd guess, and flashes range out to the 3 point line.  Any kid with a motor at his size can play for me.

Tyshawn Bell was great at the National Prep Invitational, shooting 6-6 from 3 and barely touching the net on any of them.  He's a long kid at 6'7 and one that would actually fill a need at Providence.  South Florida is said to be heavily involved with Bell.

Majok versus Shengelia will get physical in round 1. 

7. New Hampton School (6-8): Only in Class A would New Hampton be a 6-8 #7 seed.  They lost to #1 Brewster by a point two weeks ago and their two losses to #2 Winchendon were both in overtime.

The loss of Brady Heslip, a 6'2 shooter who enrolled early at Boston College, stung, but this team still has plenty of firepower left over to make some noise in this tournament.  Evan Smotrycz is the big name, a Michigan commit who Providence was hot for a year ago.  Evan is a big time shot maker at 6'9 with a world of skills.  Better player than Carson Desrosiers from what I saw last summer.  He'll have to be huge in this tournament for New Hampton to make a run.

He's surrounded with a physical trio: Dartaye Ruffin (Drexel), Kyle Cain (Rhode Island), and Jordan Laguerre (undecided junior).  Ruffin is the definition of a rugged, back to the basket player, who has seen interest from high D1 schools, but remained true to Drexel.  Cain is a typical URI scrapper, a 6'7 paint lurker who not only grabs anything around him, but finishes.  Laguerre is a combo guard that PC fans have slept on a bit, but shouldn't.  Jordan takes the ball to the basket well, flashes great body control, and can shoot.  Not a true play-making point guard, but bigger and more physical than a Tharpe or Shabazz Napier.  He's a good one.

Disappointed to see Winchendon and New Hampton paired in round 1, as they are two of my favorites and one will be gone by Wednesday.  Not an easy draw for #2 Winchendon who lost, somewhat convincingly, to this same team one week ago.

PC Recruits: Laguerre. 

Brighton and Worcester Academy will play in the play-in game on Sunday.


Potential Big Games/Matchups/Storylines in the Quarterfinals:

Winchedon and New Hampton in round 1 sets up to be the best game.  Winchendon won the first two games in overtime and New Hampton won the final meeting.  Physical big men Kennedy and Ruffin go toe to toe, while Smotrycz looks to get the better of Ferguson for the second time in two weeks. 

If Bridgton advances, Brewster will look to avenge a late season loss.  Bridgton may be lacking on talent this year, but no one is happy to see a Whit Leisure coached team in a tournament.  Brighton has won four of the last five championships, with Brewster winning it in 2008.

How do Allen and Burrell match up against Smith and Moore in the St. Thomas More/South Kent tilt?  What role does Drummond play in negating South Kent's interior offense?

Live from Winchedon, MA: Khem Birch Efficient

Got an opportunity to watch one of my favorite prep teams this afternoon as Winchendon hosted Bridgton Academy in their regular season finale.  With the NEPSAC playoffs less than a week away, Winchendon is one of the favorites to win the Class A title, while Bridgton, winners of 4 of the last 5 A titles, finds itself in an unusual position: struggling to win games.  Bridgton entered this game having lost 4 of 5, including blowouts to MCI and Northfield Mount Hermon.

After a lackluster first half in which they trailed 32-20 with 2 minutes to play in the first half, Winchendon closed to within 6 by halftime and slowly pulled away for a 72-58 victory. 

The Winchendon headliner for Providence fans is, of course, 6'9 sophomore Khem Birch who finished with a solid stat line (14 points, 10 rebounds, 4-6 FG, 6-6 FT, 2 blocks, 2 steals) after a first half in which he only had 2 points, 3 rebounds, and zero blocks.

On a team loaded with scorers, Birch isn't going to see more than 6-8 shots per game.  Of his four field goals on the night, two were dunks, one a layup, and the other a baseline jumper that I've seen him hit with consistency this season.  The back to the basket game is a work in progress, as an air mailed turnaround would attest.

Yet, when you watch Birch you're waiting for that moment.  It happens once, sometimes three of four times a game.  I'm talking about the loud block that leaves the entire gym buzzing.  Tonight's came when he helped off of the weak side and sent a shot somewhere into the vicinity of the fourth row.  A 15-20 second buzz ensued. 

Khem gets off of his feet so quickly.  He's one of those rare breath-taking players who does so on the defensive end.  His game is a whole lot of potential right now, but when he flashes that potential he does it spectacularly, usually by pinning a shot against the glass (did that today too) or sending one 10-15 feet in a different direction.

A site for sore Friar fans' eyes.

Notes:

• Not sure how the NEPSAC postseason will play out, but I'm pushing for a Winchedon/Brewster final.  Winchendon won the first meeting in overtime and Brewster won at the New Hampton tournament on a Will Barton blocked shot at the buzzer (see video).  Winchendon is one of the few teams deep enough to match Brewster and there won't be a better matchup than top 5 nationally Barton versus the most underrated player in New England, Eric Ferguson.  Great contrast in team personalities as well: Brewster's swagger versus Winchendon's toughness.  Both are capable of losing to South Kent, New Hampton, or other Class A powers, but these are the top two teams in the conference.
• Angel Nunez hit a deep 3 on his first attempt, but did not see any playing time in the 2nd half.  I was hoping he might explode late as Ferguson did a year ago, but so far it looks like he's a 10 minute per game player heading into the playoffs.
• Enormous win for Gerard Coleman and Tilton tonight over a very good New Hampton Prep team, 82-81. 

Year 2 Blues

We've been lower than this.  Keno Davis' second year hasn't been a banner season in Friartown, but this squad has pretty much fared as most reasonable fans expected coming in.

In Year 2 of the Tim Welsh era the Friars finished 11-19 overall with losses to Holy Cross, Central Connecticut State, Fordham, and Rutgers (twice). 

That team did manage to win three of its last six, but even the wins didn't look great.  A 45-40 win over Boston College (I sat next to an unimpressed Latvian recruit that afternoon) and a 47-45 squeaker over Miami left us wondering when and how this team would ever start winning consistently with such a horrendous offense.  They were somehow held to 43 points in the loss to Holy Cross, 50 in the Central Conneticut loss, 46 in a loss to St. John's, and 53 in a loss to Pittsburgh.  As a team they shot 38% from the field in Big East play and 29% from 3.  Ugly.

An off campus fight and a few other defections later and only three of the eight man class Welsh had brought in returned to school the next season.

A year later that team was in the tournament after shooting 44% from the field and 40% from 3 as a team, scoring an amazing 17 more points per game in conference play than they did a year before.  No one saw it coming.

Two freshman who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn turned into reliable shooters as sophomores, two late signees from overseas helped, and John Linehan went from a 23% 3 point shooter in his last full season (played only 6 games the previous season) to a 44% shooter from 3 in the tournament year. 

The strength of that team was certainly the defense with Karim Shabazz and Marcus Douthit patrolling the paint and Linehan starring as the best defensive player this side of Shane Battier.  Still, the offensive improvement was startling and it came without adding a stud scorer.

As poor as the defense under Keno Davis has been this year, the offense that season was just as ugly.  Talk of a tournament bid heading into 2000-01 was laughable heading into the season.

Yet, Linehan made a huge leap shooting the ball, as did Abdul Mills and Rome Augustin.  Three freshman could hit from deep and all of the sudden you had a flawed offense, but one that was good enough to win 21 games with the way they defended.

If Keno hopes to see rapid improvement next season he'll need to see vast improvement from Greedy Peterson and Marshon Brooks specifically, and hope that Gerard Coleman, Joe Young, and Ron Giplaye are upgrades defensively, as Maris Laksa, Sheiku Kabba, and Chris Anrin were offensively for Welsh.

A late signee who can defend the post or the emergence of Kadeem Batts or James Still as a defensive presence would be a major boost.

Welsh had the defensive pieces in place heading into that year, but the offense was a huge question mark.  The opposite is true for Davis.

Admittedly, finding a big man who can defend the paint in his first year is difficult, but there are going to be a lot more defensive options for Keno in Year 3.

With Kyle Wright's scholarship freed up, that opens the door for Keno and Co. to bring in a defensive minded big man.  While there isn't a Douthit-like shot blocker among the group, Keno will have more options with Dixon, Batts, Still, Giplaye, and a possible late signee next year.

Young and Coleman are wildcards until they step foot on campus, but there is no doubt that physically Peterson, Brooks, Council, and Mondy are athletic enough to at least be servicable defenders, and could be above average if they committed to that side of the ball.

The 2000-01 offense wasn't always great, in fact it rarely was, but with their defensive capabilities they didn't have to be.  If Keno can make this an average Big East defensive unit they could be very dangerous.  He'll have more options next year and it will be interesting to see how those options combined with more time to groom his players improves this team's defense.

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.

Live from New Hampton, New Hampshire: Naadir Tharpe MVP

New Hampton Prep Invitational featuring PC targets Naadir Tharpe, Danny Lawhorn, Jordan Laguerre, Khem Birch, Angel Nunez.  Other top prospects included Will Barton, JJ Moore, Russ Smith, CJ Fair, Evan Smotrycz, Dartaye Ruffin, Melvin Ejim, Mo Walker, Austin Carroll, Kyle Cain, Markus Kennedy, Eric Ferguson, and Anthony Ireland.

 The Championship:

After a narrow win on Friday night over Winchendon, Naadir Tharpe and Brewster Academy showed how explosive they can be in a dominating 114-88 win over South Kent in the final of the 24th annual New Hampton Invitational on Saturday.

Brewster is now 27-4 on the season with their losses coming in overtime to Winchendon, in double overtime to South Kent, at the buzzer against Newark's NIA Prep (Shaq Thomas) and earlier in the season to NIA Prep.

After losing to South Kent earlier in the year, I was primed for an exciting game pitting the depth of Brewster against the terrific duo of JJ Moore (Pitt) and Russ Smith (Louisville).  Moore entered the game on fire, having just scored 35 points the night before in a win over the host New Hampton Prep, and making the all tournament team at the National Prep Invitational, but Will Barton locked him up, as he had done against Gerard Coleman in December, holding Moore to a mere 3 points. 

Additional thoughts on the weekend:

The point guards: What a great weekend for point guards.  Three Providence targets were on display (Tharpe-Brewster, Lawhorn-South Kent, Laguerre-New Hampton) with a Friarbasketball favorite, Winchedon's Anthony Ireland, Tharpe's AAU teammmate, rounding out a great foursome.

Tharpe was the star of the weekend, taking home MVP honors in a tournament filled with high major talent.  The PC target torched Lawhorn and anyone else on South Kent who tried to cover him on his way to 30 points in the final.  Naadir was 4-4 from beyond the arc in the first half and did a tremendous job controlling the pace.  When he's hitting from deep like he did in this one Tharpe becomes almost impossible to defend and the court opens up for his teammates because he is such a great passer. 

I was blown away by Naadir after seeing him in December in the Brewster Invitational against Tilton, and after a so-so performance at the National Prep Invitational he was terrific again this weekend.  As I wrote previously, Providence would strike gold with either Shabazz Napier or Naadir Tharpe.  Can't say enough good things about both prospects.

Laguerre was also impressive in a New Hampton victory over Winchendon in the consolation game.  After a silent first half he controlled the second against a very good team.  Jordan is a physical lefty who is good off of the dribble and flashes great body control on his drives.  In all honesty, I've been so firmly entrenched in the Tharpe/Napier camps that other point guards have felt like a fall back plan, but Laguerre is better than he's being giving credit for in Providence circles.  A more physical presence than Tharpe and Napier who isn't the play maker Tharpe is or the shooter Napier is, but he's still a very solid prospect.

Danny Lawhorn did little in my first viewing of him to nudge his way into the point guard conversation.  No impact on this day, but it is dangerous to place too much in a single impressive or poor performance.

URI's class: Even without having seen the headliner - Billy Baron - this URI class is still impressive.  URI is bringing in two live bodies in Levan Shengalia (6'9, 265 out of MCI) and Kyle Cain, who was active in the paint and finished well against a big Winchendon frontcourt.  Cain is a 6'7 interior player out of Chicago who just makes a lot of plays around the basket.

Will Barton's defense: Feeling better about Gerard Coleman's performance against Brewster in December after watching Barton and Brewster lock down the explosive JJ Moore, holding him to 3 points.  Barton's offense makes headlines, but if he continues to shut down opposition's top scorers Brewster becomes very difficult to beat.

Brewster's tidal waves: Brewster went on a 23-4 run two minutes into the second half and South Kent never recovered.  Brewster led by 20 at the half and if not for Louisville commit Russ Smith making plays on his own late in the half it would have been a 30 point game by halftime.  It was a 30 point game early in the 2nd. 

The same thing happened to Tilton when they traveled to Brewster in December.  A 15-3 Brewster start turned into a 53-27 halftime lead.  In both games Brewster's defense led to breakout opportunities and with athletes like Ejim, Barton, and Fair running alonside Tharpe they are very impressive to watch.  You aren't going to win many track meets with Brewster.

Gerard Coleman versus Brewster Pt. II:  In what was easily Gerard Coleman and Tilton's worst game of the season, Brewster ran the Rams off of the court in December.  Coleman and Co. get an opportunity to prove they are better than what they showed on that night as they travel to Brewster on Monday. 

• Winchendon didn't play with their typical energy in the second half (they had defeated New Hampton both times they played them earlier), but Khem Birch did manage to block four shots, two pinned against the backboard.  Once his rebounding and offensive game come around his stock will explode.
• Not hard to see why the guys at New England Recruiting Report are so high on Dartaye Ruffin of New Hampton.  A great body for a prep player and a good back to the basket player.  A fine get for Drexel.
• Evan Smotrycz has all sorts of skills.  A 6'9 kid who is as good as a shooter as you'll find at the high school level, with the ability to put the ball on the floor?  No wonder Keno liked him so much. 

The Results are In

Providence fans have spoken and Khem Birch is the top recruiting target of 38% (46 total votes) of our 119 voters.  The lack of interior depth at PC this year is wearing on Friar fans as the top 3 voter getters were all big men: Andre Drummond (25%), Kadeem Jack (15%, tied with Ricky Ledo).

I will pose this question periodically - it will be interesting to see how fans' perspective changes and why that is.

1. Khem Birch 38%
2. Andre Drummond 25%
3. Kadeem Jack 15%
4. Ricky Ledo 15%

Potential of Providence's Incoming Class II

So sick of writing about what went wrong in PC losses that I'm skipping a writeup on the West Virginia game and publishing an article I had scheduled to publish this weekend.

My only WVU note: Keno has to find some guys he can trust to make plays going forward.  Council seems to be forcing a bit recently and Greedy's numbers are great, but much of his offense is starting to feel accidental.  With Ebanks taking Curry out of the game today this team really struggled.


Two weeks ago I wrote an article cautioning Friar fans not to expect too much too soon from PC's incoming class of Gerard Coleman, Joe Young, and Ron Giplaye.  Of all of the top 100 recruits entering the Big East this year, few have had the impact Providence would need one of their freshman to have if they expect to make a run at a tournament bid next season.

While only one top 100 Big East newcomer is averaging double figures in points per game, Providence's 2010 class comes to Friartown with high expectations, but more importantly plenty of available playing time.

As noted in that article, the most recent class that was ranked as highly as this one was the Brewington/Brown/Parmer trio that averaged 7 points per game combined.  The circumstances were far different for that group though, as it mirrored what most newcomers to competitive Big East teams face - a lack of minutes.  That group joined a 2003-04 squad that made the tournament without contributions from any of them.

The other tournament team of the decade (2001) allowed four freshman to come in as role players, and they did so magnificently.  Marcus Douthit gave solid minutes as a backup 5, Sheiku Kabba hit clutch shots, and Chris Anrin and Maris Laksa stretched defenses with their shooting.

The class was exposed a year later when they were forced to play bigger roles.  We're going to get an idea early of how good Coleman, Young, and Giplaye are as this team graduates a guard scoring nearly 20 a game in Big East play, lacks shooters and front court depth.

Freshman from the Past Decade as Scorers:

Seemingly, the most successful freshman of the past decade were those allowed to play a role on a winning team, but there were some surprisingly good first years sprinkled in.  Let's take a look at how some of the freshman of the past decade have fared and what that might mean for PC's 2010 crop.

The Gold Standard: Ryan Gomes started 23 games his freshman season and averaged 13 and 8 in Big East play.  The special ones can usually play from day 1, they may be role players on good teams but the signs are usually there.  Gomes shined from the second he first stepped on the court at South Carolina. 

It's rare that a post player comes in and contributes to this extent, especially at PC.

The Shooters: The best incoming shooters were, arguably, Donnie McGrath, Maris Laksa, and Dwain Williams.  Interestingly, McGrath had the best career of the three shooters, but the worst shooting freshman season.  It was poor actually.  Donnie scored 9 ppg his freshman season, in a starting role, but only hit on 33% of his 3s and 26% from 3 in Big East play.  Clearly, the great shooting from his high school days did not immediately transfer over in the faster pace of high major basketball.

Somewhat surprisingly, and forgotten, were the solid freshman years of Williams and Laksa.  Laksa averaged 9 ppg and shot 46% from 3, and a tremendous 49% on 3s in Big East play.  He started three games.  Williams started a handful of games his freshman season and contributed 8 ppg on 44% shooting from 3. 

The role players shot the ball far better in year 1.  It will be interesting to see what sort of role Joe Young plays next season and how his shooting percentages compare.  PC fans would be thrilled with 9 points and nearly 50% from 3 off of the bench in BE play - crazy to think Laksa was that productive.

Much better as sophomores:  Abdul Mills and Rome Augustin were thrust into starting roles their freshman season (15 games for Mills, 23 for Rome) that they weren't ready for, and it showed.  Each averaged a respectable 7 ppg, but shot 28 and 27% from 3 that year and in the mid-30s from the field.  The team was horrific.

A year later both were starters on a tournament team, with Mills 3s bumping up to 35% and Rome's up to 40%. 

Next year's team has far more experience coming back than the 1999-2000 club which really just had Erron Maxey and lost John Linehan after six games.  Those quick to point at Duke Mondy's year 1 shooting figures may want to note the bump Mills and Augustin saw in year 2 and the horrible percentages McGrath put up in his freshman year.

Coleman and Young should not be thrown into a similar position as they'll be playing alongside a good point guard (the 1999 crew didn't have one), a solid 5 and a power forward capable of averaging 20 and 10.

Good in Year 1:  Sure, the Geoff McDermott, Sharaud Curry, Weyinmi Efejuku, and Jon Kale class never sniffed the NCAA tournament, but their freshman seasons were not an indicator of the years to come.  McDermott was an immediate 9-9 guy who figured to see a jump in numbers once he improved offensively (40% shooter). 

Curry was the other bright spot of the class, scoring 11.9 ppg, on 36% from 3 and starting 23 games at the point as a freshman.

With no outside shot to speak of, Efejuku averaged 8 ppg on 35% shooting. 

If you look long enough, you can find some similarities between that team and next year's.  Both graduated players who put up big scoring numbers in Big East play (Gomes then, Curry next year), each had one kid they knew could score in the Big East (McGrath, Greedy), and they had a handful of kids who showed flashes, but never strung together consistent double digit scoring nights (Hanke, Hill, Brooks, Dixon).  Both teams had plenty of minutes available for the freshmen.

Seeing as Curry put up nearly 12 ppg and Efejuku landed at 8, and factoring in that next year's team has a few more kids who can score than the 2005 squad, it is reasonable to expect Coleman or Young to land in the 8-11 ppg territory. 

That being said, anything over 12 puts them among the top three freshman scorers in PC history.

Live from Roxbury, MA: Shabazz Napier in Boston Black History Month Classic

Another day, another huge shooting night for Lawrence Academy star Shabazz Napier. Playing against an East Boston team that hung around longer than they probably should have, Napier knocked down seven 3 point shots on the way to 28 points (unofficially) in a 78-66 LA victory. With the win his Lawrence Academy team improves to 22-0 on the season.

A trend in games we've seen Napier in this year is his ability to string together a few 3 pointers when his team needs them the most.  East Boston stayed within striking distance after looking like they were on the verge of being blown out as they cut a third quarter Lawrence lead to 5.  With Lawrence leading by 8 to start the 4th quarter Napier squashed all hopes of a monster upset by knocking down two deep 3s on consecutive possessions.  An 8 point lead became 14 and the game was never in question from there on in.

Want an idea of how far Shabazz's range is?  I grabbed still shots with my video camera.  Napier's first 3 in the 4th quarter from distance...

... and the second was from even deeper.

Recruitment:

• After doing some digging over the past week I've learned that Shabazz doesn't have a list yet and might look to narrow it down after the winter.  Shabazz has seen interest from the Big East, ACC, Big 12, Pac 10, SEC, and upper level A10 schools according to his coach Kevin Weircinski.
• The Naadir Tharpe/Shabazz Napier debate will go on until either or both signs (and beyond) and Providence fans should be thrilled to land either.  It's the classic scoring point guard versus true point guard debate.  With Vincent Council on campus for their first two seasons in college basketball, the thought here is that Napier is the better fit at Providence because of his scoring ability.  He could play a dual role at PC in years 1 and 2, as a scorer/shooter running with Vincent Council and then spelling Council at the 1.   

Villanova Notes

Thoughts after a second straight game in which the Friars played a top 10 team tight deep into the second half.

• PC scored 81 points on 38.7% shooting.  This coming on the heels of 34% against Georgetown - you have to wonder how Providence fares with a few more offensive options playing this system.  They had a chance in both of these games and shot the ball horribly.
• The defense is showing signs of improvement, but was exposed in the 2nd half against both Villanova and Georgetown.  Both teams shot 61% from the field in the 2nd half.
• Talent wins in the Big East and never was that more apparent than this week.  First, Greg Monroe picks apart the Friars, leading the Hoyas back from 7 down, and Scottie Reynolds scorched them on Saturday. 
• Anyone else remember the Marshon Brooks that came up with a game winning block at Cincinnati and hounded Jimmy Baron after he shot the lights out in the first half?  It will be interesting to see how Brooks bounces back from a disappointing junior season.  His decision making offensively has led to momentum killing breakouts time and again.  It wouldn't be so frustrating if he didn't have the ability.  I'd take an 11 point per game scorer who covered the opposition's best defender.  Would he?
• Speaking of decision making, Jamine Peterson will shoot up from good to great if he ever learns to give the ball up at the appropriate time and take better shots.  Yes, the jump from his freshman season is remarkable, but for this team to make a bubble push next season they will need better decisions, especially with Sharaud Curry leaving.
• Curry has his flaws, and certainly his detractors, but he's been a solid four year player at Providence.  He hit huge 3s in the first half when it looked as though the Friars were falling out of the game and when he fouled out Providence really missed him offensively.  Many will play the "he gives up more than he scores" card with Curry, but there aren't many players on this roster than you can't say that about.  He's averaging 18 ppg, on 89% from the free throw line and 43% from 3 in Big East play.  Numbers that won't be easy to replace next year, especially on a team lacking shooters.  Maybe Joe Young replaces him as our shooter next year and starts 23 games, scores 11.9 per game, shoots 36% from 3, and 89% from the FT line - Curry's freshman year numbers.
• Bilal Dixon had a thunderous dunk that sent him to the deck and not a single teammate checked to see if he was okay, chest bumped him, or even acknowledged the play.  Not saying that is a good or bad thing, just not the reaction you see from most college kids when their teammate makes such a nice play.  You be the judge below (props to Friarblog for posting the video)
• Great timeout by Keno Davis with under 2 minutes to play.  Providence was down 9, the game was slipping away, and the shot clock was running down.  Keno calls a timeout, the Dixon dunked ensued, and Providence closed to within two buckets heading into halftime.
• Bad shots and all, this team plays with a lot of fight.  They went down 11-3 early and came right back, trailed by 9 late in the first half and took a 42-40 lead early in the second, and regained the lead with a 7-0 run after trailing 46-42.  It was this kind of fight that Tim Welsh's teams seemed to lack, which keep me believing that Keno is going to get it done here.
• Another solid outing for Vincent Council and Dixon.  Dixon got to the line seven times in the first half and didn't miss a shot from the field, while Council filled the stat sheet, most notably by getting to the line nine times.
• West Virginia might be Providence's best shot at a victory during this run of top 10 teams.  They aren't particularly tall and don't put a ton of points up on the board.  If only they weren't coming to town off of back to back losses.
• Kyle Wright gave PC decent minutes early, but faded late.  Might be a better option than Brian McKenzie at this point.
• Word is, Shabazz Napier doesn't have a final list yet and things will become clearer once the season ends.  Here's hoping Providence's early work pays off.
• Big shot at redemption for Gerard Coleman February 22 at Brewster. 
• Speaking of Brewster, Naadir Tharpe's squad won an 80-79 thriller over a good New Hampton Prep team and takes on Northfield Mount Hermon and Winchendon next week.  Winchendon defeated Brewster in overtime two weeks ago.

Highlights/Interviews from 2010 NPSI

Highlights from the NPSI.

This highlight reel features quick shots of a few Friar targets including Andre Drummond (1:25, 1:53, 2:06, 2:13, 2:48, 2:50), Naadir Tharpe (:15,:44, 1:32, 2:23) Ron Giplaye (alley oop at 2:23), Shaq Thomas (3:15), Shabazz Napier (his game winning bomb at the 1:45 mark), Ricky Ledo (2:41) and Byron Allen (kicking off video, 2:03).

Other Friarbasketball favorites are featured including Majok Majok, Eric Ferguson (:40), and CJ Fair.



Also, Cox did a great job catching up with a few PC targets. Some better highlights.

Here is Alex Murphy:

Shooters Wanted, Pillar 2 Emerging

In fear of beating a dead horse, Providence simply has to bring in better shooters if they expect to win playing Keno Davis' style.  The lack of interior depth is an obvious issue, the defensive woes are apparent, but the under the radar issue on this roster is the lack of pure shooters.

Providence led by 7 almost midway through the second half against a top 10 team on a night in which they hit only 7 of 27 3 pointers (26%) and missed 11 free throws.  This coming off of a 6-22 effort from beyond the arc against Marquette (good for 27%) and 6-21 from 3 (28%) verus Syracuse.  That's 19-70 over the last three games.

They shot 60% from the free throw line against Marquette and Syracuse.  How much different are the Georgetown and Marquette home tilts if they made 70% of their free throws or even 33% from 3? 

Does this problem improve next season when Sharaud Curry graduates? 


Dixon Emerging as Block #2

Vincent Council is officially the point guard of the future.  You won't find a Friar fan who isn't thrilled with his basketball IQ and leadership potential.  Is Bilal Dixon emerging as the second building block of the freshman class?  With 30 rebounds in his last two games, 16 on the offensive glass, Dixon is asserting himself as a force in the paint and he's doing it largely on his own.

Undersized at 6'8 and playing next to a 6'5 power forward, the Jersey City, New Jersey native has been asked to do a lot for Providence this year.  Bilal is the only effective interior defender on the roster, and it has been drilled into his head not to get into foul trouble, but as the consciousness of his foul woes has diminished, his dominance on the glass has gone skyward.  And he's doing this all in his freshman season.

What makes Dixon's rebounding surge so impressive is that he held his own against massive frontcourts in Connecticut and Georgetown and took it to a smaller frontcourt in Marquette.  In addition to the spike in rebounding, Dixon is defending the rim much more effectively. 

Most importantly, he's adding an element of aggression and toughness that Providence has lacked on the glass since Geoff McDermott's sophomore season.

Put better shooters around Council and watch his assist numbers sky rocket.  Give Dixon a backup or a fellow starting big man and his numbers should take off as well. 


Quick hits:

• Curry has his flaws defensively, but his shooting will be missed next year.
• After seeing a few of his passes fly towards no one in particular, I found myself hoping Greedy Peterson would put up one of his wild shots in traffic, that he so often gathers and puts back in, instead of trying to find an open teammate.  Can't say I expected that coming in.
• Marshon Brooks' shot selection was a killer tonight.  At the end of the first half he turned it over twice in the final two minutes when Providence could have expanded upon a 4 point lead.  Up 47-40 Brooks fired up a bad three and Georgetown took it the other way for a layup.  A 14-1 run for the Hoyas ensued.  PC never recovered.  Some late layups and free throws helped make a poor night look okay in the box score.
• Russ Permenter is probably over his head talent-wise, but he's willing to mix it up and hit the floor.  It was interesting to see Keno pull him after taking a bad jumper in the first half.
• Johnnie Lacy and Chris Carter played equal minutes tonight.
• After providing a spark against UConn and connecting on a few jumpers early against Cincinnati, Duke Mondy has gone scoreless in the last three games.  Duke has to learn to either foul guys or let them go.  The soft reaches are a killer.

2/8 Providence Recruiting Power Rankings

In Friarbasketball.net's 2nd installment of the recruiting rankings we will rank our top 7 prospects overall.  In January they were rated by class and those rankings will come later this week.  For now, here are the top 7 overall.

As noted previously, these rankings are not simply based on talent.  We're looking at talent, need, fit, and the possibility of the student becoming a Friar.

Kevin's 7 for 2/8/2010:

1. Khem Birch, 2012 6'9 power forward, Winchendon.  Keno Davis has shown he can land guards (Vincent Council, Gerard Coleman, Joe Young), the next step is getting an impact big man.  Birch is quick off of his feet and times blocks well.  With so many scorers on Winchendon Birch only takes a handful of shots a game, but he tops this list as a game changing defensive player who has noted that PC is his leader.  The Friars need a shot blocker in the worst way and Birch was great around the rim against a solid St. Mark's frontline. 
2. Shabazz Napier, 2011 5'11 point guard, Lawrence Academy.  For a kid as good as Napier things have been quiet publically in terms of his recruitment.  With Naadir Tharpe recently taking in the Marquette game and Napier continuing to blow up, the feeling among many Friar fans is Tharpe may be a closer lean.  Until I see it written that PC is out of the running for Shabazz he'll be the top guard on this list - the kid is great.  With Council on campus for his first two seasons, Napier could play a microwave role off of the bench before being handed the reigns.
3. Ricardo Ledo, 2012 6'5 shooting guard, St. Andrew's.  After a subpar opener at the NPSI (0-5 from 3), Ledo carried St. A's home in a nice win over MCI.  Currently ranked among the top 25 players in the country in the class of 2012, the Providence native will see plenty of love from across the country, but the thought here is that Providence will be in this fight until the end.  Not as polished as fellow 2012 Rhode Islander Alex Murphy at this point, but gut tells me that he is a more realistic get.
4. Naadir Tharpe, 2011 6'0 point guard, Brewster Academy.  Some of the big boys are sniffing, but Boston College is PC's biggest name competition for a kid who recently said he'd like to stay local.  Then again, Gerard Coleman was quoted in his junior year as saying he'd like to get away from home.  Tremendous quickness and an above average passer who would make teammates better.  Can he play with Council?  Is a better player than he showed at this NPSI.
5. Alex Murphy, 2012 6'8 small forward, St. Mark's.  On talent alone, Murphy might be the top player on the list.  It's all coming together for Murphy, who is being recruited by seemingly every big name in the country.  A dominating game in a win over Winchendon at the NPSI won't stop the big boys from calling.  Landing Murphy would mean the PC staff fought off tremendous competition.
6. Kadeem Jack, 2010 6'9 power forward, Rice (NY).  A relatively new name to Friar fans who Providence has a good shot at.  As has been reported, he visited Arizona, but since his visit the Wildcats grabbed a commitment from Jordin Mayes and may have to sacrifice a scholarship due to self-imposed sanctions.  They were low on scholarships as it was and may not have room for Jack.  Kadeem would immediately help a frontcourt in need of immediate help.
7. Nerlens Noel (pictured), 2012 6'9 power forward, Everett (MA).  Shh.  Things have been quiet on the Noel front who broke his leg a few weeks ago.  A fine alternative (or better yet pairing) to Birch, Noel is a big kid for someone so young and flashes good defensive instincts.  Doesn't get the buzz of a Birch, Ledo, or Napier, but would be an impactful get for his size and defensive potential.

Who is your top target for the Friars?  Vote at the poll on the left.

Shabazz Napier Shines

Made the trip down to URI for the third and final time of the weekend and was treated to an outstanding final 8 minutes of action from Shabazz Napier.  The Napier versus Naadir Tharpe debate has swung strongly in favor of Shabazz, but not just because he scored 38 points, including a game winning 30 foot pull up with three seconds left to top Northfield Mount Hermon.

What impressed most about Napier was that his shot wasn't falling early (a shocking 1-8 from the free throw line in the first half), but he found ways to impact the game by making nifty passes and pressuring the ball as well as any point guard Friarbasketball saw all weekend.  He forced the action a bit throughout the afternoon, but made huge plays in the final five minutes to pull this one out for Lawrence.  A stark contrast to the Marquette game a day earlier.

Napier capped a 23 point second half by connecting on a 30 foot game tying 3 pointer with 15 seconds to go, committing an overly-aggressive foul with 11 seconds left leading to 1 NMH free throw, and then knocking down what must have been a 32 foot 3 off of a crossover with 3 seconds left to win it.  He did this while playing all 40 minutes in his third game in three days.  His Lawrence Academy team remains undefeated with wins over Tilton, St. Mark's and now Northfield Mount Hermon.

Need in indication of how big the Napier buzz has gotten?  When I called my better half after the game all I said was "I just saw an amazing performance by a kid PC has to get" and she responded "Was it Shabazz?"  Yes, indeed it was.


Other notable performances from the St. Andrew's win over MCI, a Winchendon drubbing of Canarias Basketball Academy, and the Lawrence/Northfield game.

• Mike Carter-Williams is a big time player.  After scoring 36 in his Invitational debut he dropped 26 first half points on a variety of jumpers, layups, and leaners.  Carter-Williams has great length, plays with poise, and seemingly didn't miss all weekend.  He may not be the best player in the tournament, but he played better than anyone I saw.  Had no idea he was this good.  A possible tournament MVP.
• Majok Majok of NMH had some buzz heading into the weekend and didn't disappoint.  Playing a small Lawrence team he displayed surprisingly good footwork around the basket and shot well from the free throw line.  Word is academics are important to Majok and he may end up at Harvard with teammates Matt Brown and Laurent Rivard.  Majok would be a huge get for Harvard and a good get for a Big East level team.  He has dramatically improved from last year's NPSI.  Rivard is a solid small forward with a solid stroke who is another good find for Tommy Amaker. 
• Ricky Ledo played better today after struggling on Friday.  His first half resembled his first game against Westwind Prep, but Ricky came alive in the second, finding his outside stroke and carrying the offense after MCI focused more attention on Carter-Williams.  He needs to get better off of the dribble, but he is a willing passer and a good athlete.
•  As I wrote previously, Levan Shegalia is a nice find for Jim Baron at URI.  The 6'9, 265 pound power forward has range out to the 3 point line, loves to mix it up inside, sprints up the court, and is a good passer for a player his size.  I've seen him twice and in each game he got into it with the man covering him: Ron Giplaye got into a shoving match with him in December and today it was Youri Dascy sharing words with him after Shegalia slapped his hand away when jockeying for a rebound.  This kid will raise the ire of PC fans, guaranteed.
• It was a quiet afternoon for Khem Birch.  Winchendon seemed to sleep walk through their win against Canarais Academy.  Birch had a few blocks, including one which he pinned against the glass.  Friarbasketball favorites Anthony Ireland and Eric Ferguson had opposite days.  Ferguson was quiet for once, while Ireland, the heady Winchendon point guard, was tough as always. 
• Still not seeing it with Angel Nunez.  He doesn't seem to be playing with a lot of confidence and his offense consisted of missing, often badly, from 3.  Interestingly, he's backing up Ferguson, who was quiet all year as a junior for Winchendon until an end of the year explosion that carried into his senior year.  Will Nunez follow the same path?

Marquette Quick Hits

Some quick thoughts after PC's 82-79 loss to Marquette.

• Not sure how many of the prep teams from the NPSI were in the house, but I spotted Westwind Prep (AZ), Canarias Basketball Academy, and Mountain State Academy (WV).  It would be nice if the tournament coincided with a home game every year.
• Buzz Williams' work at Marquette is impressive.  After losing James/McNeal/Matthews a letdown year would have been reasonable, then you factor in that a top 100 recruit transferred and another top 100 was lost for the season and it's remarkable what they've done.  Of course, having a player as skilled and intelligent as Lazar Haywood doesn't hurt.
• Sharaud Curry's defense has been a liability all season, but if Joe Young shoots like Donnie McGrath in year 1 who is going to consistently hit from beyond the arc in 2010-11?  After the Syracuse beatdown I posted that PC's lack of shooters has been an under the radar problem.  6-22 (27%) from 3 and 9-15 (60%) from the free throw line in a 3 point loss is a killer.  Without Curry today this team shoots 1-13 from 3.  Where are the shooter on this team next year?
• Bilal Dixon (3 blocks, 14 rebounds, a few turnaround Js in the 1st) is improving weekly and he looks like the type of kid who could become a leader as early as next year.  It will be interesting to see what kind of presence he is with another year's experience and not having to worry about fouling out and leaving PC with no big man to replace him.
• Hayward matched Greedy Peterson with 28 points and only had one more turnover.  Why then, did it feel like his 28 came so much easier?  A star who was left alone far too often when it counted most.  Great ball movement from MQ today.
• Only three Friars attempted a free throw against a tiny team. 
• Marshon Brooks had as many turnovers as he did points in 25 minutes. 
• Keno shortened the rotation today and four players logged over 30 minutes (Curry, Dixon, Peterson, and Council)
• A full house, but a quiet one at the Dunk. 

Day II NPSI: More Khem Birch Please

Now, this is what I was hoping for.  Friarbasketball took in five games, with Friar targets everywhere.  The NIA Prep/Brewster and Winchendon/St. Mark's games were won at the buzzer.

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. 

NPSI Day I

Quick hits on a somewhat uneventful opening day for Friar targets.

Day I

Friarbasketball arrived just in time for the start of Ron Giplaye and Notre Dame Prep's beatdown of Canarias Basketball Academy.  Canarias is an interesting story, their coach Rob Orellana spent 15 years coaching D1 basketball and opened the Academy in the islands in hopes of developing young basketball players overseas.  I was intrigued to see what the school produced in hopes that Providence could score the occasional overseas big man, but it became apparent early on that they weren't on the same level as ND.  The game turned ugly quickly and nothing new was learned from Giplaye's efforts that hasn't been written about previously.  Ryan Hurd played his backups for a majority of the 2nd half.

Hotchkiss and Brewster in the 7:15 game featured a matchup of star junior point guards, Naadir Tharpe and Derrick Wilson.  Wilson, built like Baron Davis, is an aggressive lead guard who Prepstars has ranked in the top 40 nationally.  I caught him a year ago in Springfield, loved his game, and was looking forward to seeing him again.

The hope here was that Wilson and Georgia Tech-bound wing Jason Morris could keep Hotchkiss in the game, and while Wilson outplayed Tharpe on this night, Brewster had a 30 point lead mid-way through the second half as another rout was on.

Tharpe was credited for 13 assists, but his impact on this game seemed minimal when the game was still in question.  He didn't shoot well or score much, but seeing as it was a 30 point blowout I was willing to overlook a lackluster effort.

Syracuse commit CJ Fair was terrific, in what would become a trend over the first two days.

The night cap featured New Jersey's NIA Prep (Shaquille Thomas) taking on a very good Westwind Prep team out of Arizona.  Thomas was surprisingly outstanding from 18 feet.  Bo Barnes impressed for Westwind.

Winchendon defeats Brewster in OT

In what might have been a matchup of the two top prep teams in New England, Mike Byrnes' Winchendon squad traveled to Brewster and knocked off the hosts in overtime, 75-69. 

Both teams are stacked and head into the NPSI as two of the heavy hitters.  The loss snaps a great of string play by Brewster who is now an impressive 21-3.


PC Notes:

• Ron Giplaye's Notre Dame Prep team heads into the tournament hot, having recently topped Winchendon, South Kent, MCI, St. Thomas More, and Brighton.
• Gerard Coleman's next 'circle your calendar' game comes on February 22nd, as his Tilton squad returns to Brewster, home of their ugliest loss of the season - a 40 point drubbing that set Brewster Twitter pages on fire.  It will be interesting to see how each team approaches the rematch of a game that never was a game.

National Prep School Invitational Preview

The University of Rhode Island will once again serve as host to one of the best prep tournaments in the country this weekend.  The four day tournament (February 4-7) features some of the top prep talent in the country and several Providence targets.

This tournament served as a coming out party for Shabazz Napier a year ago, as the sophomore sensation put on a scoring display throughout the weekend and won the co-MVP award with Oklahoma commit Andrew Fitzgerald (Brewster).  A rare feat for an underclassman.

Notable Providence targets expected to play include:

Napier (Lawrence Academy), Angel Nunez (Winchendon), Khem Birch (Winchendon), Naadir Tharpe (Brewster), Ricky Ledo (St. Andrew's), Andre Drummond (St Thomas More), Alex Murphy (St. Mark's), Kaleb Tarczewski (St. Mark's), Vince Van Nes (Northfield Mount Hermon) and PC commit Ron Giplaye (Notre Dame)

Looking for star power?  Will Barton (Brewster-Memphis), Nate Lubbick (St. Mark's-Georgetown), Derrick Wilson (Hotchkiss), Jason Morris (Hotchkiss-Georgia Tech), Eric Ferguson (Winchendon-Georgia Southern), CJ Fair (Brewster-Syracuse, JJ Moore (South Kent-Pitt), Russ Smith (South Kent-Louisville, and Marus Kennedy (Winchendon-Villanova) will be in the house.

Underrated players include Anthony Ireland (Winchendon-Loyola Marymount), Hector Harold (Northfield Mount Hermon-Pepperdine), Melsahn Basabe (St. Mark's-Siena)

Featured Games:

February 4 - Giplaye and Notre Dame Prep make the first of their two appearances in the tournament versus Canarias Basketball Academy (5:45pm)

Prep monster Brewster Academy faces the impressive backcourt of Derrick Wilson and Jason Morris in what could be an outstanding game in the 7:15pm tilt.

February 5 - Perhaps the best day of the tournament for PC fans has Brewster (Tharpe) in the second game of the day, followed by St. Thomas More (Drummond), then Notre Dame Prep at 1:30, St. Andrew's at 3 and what might be the most interesting game of the day for Friar fans with Winchendon (Angel Nunez, Khem Birch) taking on St. Mark's (Alex Murphy, Kaleb Tarczewski) at 4:45.

February 6 - On Saturday Giplaye makes his final appearance of the tournament while PC takes on Marquette and then Napier debutes at 2:30. 

February 7 - Super Bowl Sunday is highlighted with a string of games involving the biggest of the big time PC recruits.  Andre Drummond plays at 11, Ledo plays in the next game at 12:45, Birch and Nunez are next at 2:30, and Napier plays in the 4 o'clock game.


While there are a number of PC targets identified, what makes this tournament most interesting is identifying under the radar kids.  A year ago PC fans wrote of how impressed they were with Giplaye and he was a Friar commit five months later.  Chris Gaston and Hassan Whiteside exploded last year and Doug Gottlieb is talking about the 6'11 Whiteside as a one and done kid out of Marshall now. 

Given the chance to see Giplaye, Johnnie Lacy, Vincent Council, and Gerard Coleman at last year's tournament provided a real glimpse into the future of Friar basketball and my hope is this year's Invitational is just as informative.

For more information, here is the website for the tournament.  http://www.nationalprepinvitational.com/

PC's Five Biggest Flaws on Display in Syracuse

Playing against the elite teams in the country will expose you and that's just what Syracuse did to Providence Tuesday night.  The 3 point halftime deficit was nothing more than a mirage, as the Orange proved in the first two minutes of the second half.  So, what are the five biggest flaws of this Providence team?

1. Lack of penetrators: Vincent Council is the only player on this roster capable of taking good Big East defenders off of the dribble.  Sharaud Curry is more shifty than quick, Greedy Peterson's bull in a China shop drives are inconsistent, Duke Mondy and Brian McKenzie cannot take players off of the dribble at this level, and we've not seen enough of Johnnie Lacy to properly gauge his speed.

Can this improve next year?  Yes, and it is one of the reasons why this site will insist that Gerard Coleman is a starter from day 1 next season.  The impact of a guard who can get into the teeth of the defense and make plays was on display tonight when Vincent Council was taken out of the game.  Keno Davis did not start him in the 2nd half and the game got away from the Friars immediately.  When Council went into attack mode in the final 10 minutes of the first half PC made it a game.

In the 2nd half Syracuse made a concerted effort to close on Council and they did a better job on him.  Providence needs another guard who can make plays off of the dribble and Coleman will instantly upgrade the Friars in that area. 

2. Big Man Depth: It's been talked about, but not enough in Providence circles.  This team is sorely lacking big men.  Bilal Dixon has given PC good minutes as a freshman, but the fact is he is a first year player and Providence relies on him more than they should have to. 

Dixon is undersized at the 5, but is PC's only option there at this point.  Ray Hall is a great story, but watching him struggle to finish at the rim, as the first big man off of the bench, is a telling sign of how far James Still and Kadeem Batts have to go and an indication of what a miss Russ Permenter was. 

Can this improve next year?  It has to.  One of the reasons why this site doesn't have Providence realistically looking at a tournament bid until 2011-12 is the projected lack of big man depth next season.  Production from the 1-3 positions should be sufficient with Council, Brooks, Mondy, Peterson (assuming he slides to the 3, which isn't looking likely right now),Wright, and two good freshman options on the way, but who spells Dixon?

Optimists point to the improvement of Peterson in his redshirt year, but is that an anomaly?  Time will tell.  How many kids can PC fans realistically expect Keno Davis' staff to transform to the extent that Peterson did in the last year?

On the bright side, PC doesn't need Still or Batts to make a Greedy-like quantum leap, they just need them to be able to provide solid minutes off of the bench - score around the basket and hold their own defensively.  Throw in the physically ready Ron Giplaye into the mix and you have three kids who PC will be looking to step up.  If two of them can give Providence a rebounding and interior defensive presence this team could find itself on the bubble.  If Dixon is on an island again this team is a 7-9, 8-8 Big East team tops.

The wild card: does Keno land a fourth recruit this year to boost next year's frontcourt?

3. Shooters: This team is putting up numbers, so it has been overshadowed a bit, but where are the true shooters on this team?  Peterson hits 3s when his feet are set, same with Curry, and Mondy shows flashes, but Providence is lacking that "the entire crowd is watching our gunner curl off of a screen in hopes of a back-breaking 3" shooter. 

PC is shooting 33% from beyond the arc this season.

Can this improve next year? It's tough to say.  Mondy has a quick release and the sense here is that he is a better shooter than he's shown during his freshman season.  Curry is the best outside shooter on the team and he'll be gone, so fans will look to freshman Joe Young as a possible immediate replacement.  I'll take my chances with the great slasher (Coleman) coming in and having an earlier impact than the great shooter, as there are different ways for the slasher to impact the game (finishing at the rim, getting to the line, drive and dish). 

The most highly regarded shooter coming into Providence in recent memory was Donnie McGrath, who struggled in conference play, connecting on only 26% from 3 during his freshman season. 

4. Basketball IQ: Missed assignments on defense and poor shot selection have really hurt Providence this year.  Never was the lack of situational basketball IQ on display more than just before halftime against Syracuse.  The Friars had snuck back into the game, pulling to within 3 by getting to the key and finding cutters and McKenzie pulls the trigger on a 27 foot 3 with 15 seconds left on the clock.  Just awful.

Can this improve next year?  It's the classic chicken or egg debate: do these players take bad shots because they don't high a high basketball IQ or because Davis' style allows for too much offensive freedom?  We'll find out soon enough, but the guess here is the shot selection will improve as the talent level does.  If Keno gives every player on the court the green light to fire at will, then why don't we see Council jacking forced 3s?

5. Transition Defense: The most frustrating part of this season has been the poorous transition defense.  It allowed South Florida to hang around and let teams like Syracuse run a layup drill. 

Struggling in the interior defensively is reasonable considering how shallow this roster is, but players trotting back on defense and barely grazing guys on the way to the basket instead of fouling with force is tough to stomach for Providence fans.  How many times did Syracuse get an and-1 in which they were barely touched?

#4 affects 5 as better shot selection will lead to fewer transition opportunities.

Can this improve next year?  Another aspect that has to.  The lack of transition defense often looks like a lacking sense of urgency, which is just a bad look.