Sunday marks the final day of the National Prep Showcase and these are some of the standouts from the day’s action:
Tyrese Martin (Rhode Island) 6’7” SF Massanutten Military Academy- VA (Allentown, PA)
Martin first drew my attention as an athletic but inconsistent wing player at William Allen HS in Allentown, PA. He was capable of putting up big numbers one night then putting up pedestrian numbers in his next outing. But always the talent was evident and the spirit was willing and I was pretty sure he was starting to evolve into a player during his senior year. After deciding on a prep year to increase his recruiting profile it seemed his mind was at ease and during the summer playing with We R 1 on the Under Armour circuit you could see he was finally putting it together and his play here this weekend was indicative of the strides he’s made since the spring. In a win over New Hampton he had 24pts 11reb and 3 treys displaying his various skills from slashing drives with explosive finishes to a silky smooth release on his perimeter jump shots. He has a good nose for the ball and rebounds well getting 19 total in two games. His handle needs work and he can do a better job at recognizing double teams (he had 3 offensive fouls) but with his work ethic he’ll no doubt get these squared away too. He also defends very well using his long frame to disrupt the passing lanes to force turnovers or get steals. Putting it into context I would simply say that Martin’s best basketball may be ahead of him and all you can do is sit back and enjoy the ride.
Jalen Pickett 6’3” SG Spire Academy- OH (Rochester, NY)
In a game that was played at breakneck speed and neither team ran very many offensive sets it was Pickett who seemed to thrive most in this fast break affair. When all was said and done Spire came out on top vs. Tilton School (NH) 102-91 and Pickett finished with 32pts 6 treys 8reb (6 offensive) 4asts and 4stls. I had only seen him one time in his Jr. year and was not overly enthralled but today he certainly opened my eyes with his quickness, explosive leaping ability and his range from downtown combined with his court sense and he is a totally different player than the guy I saw 2 years ago. He converted 4 of his 6 offensive rebounds into baskets and several of his 6 treys were catch and shoot bombs with a defender trying desperately to close out on him. His anticipation and nose for the ball certainly played a part in his board work as well has his penchant for intercepting lazy passes. He didn’t put it on the deck excessively instead he kept his head up and on a swivel finding teammates with crisp accurate passes and one stat that obviously was important in this nonstop runathon, he had just 1 turnover which is pretty impressive. If he can continue to play this consistently moving forward it can only help in his recruitment.
Ty Perry 6’3” CG Woodstock Academy- CT (Boston, MA)
After an up and down effort on Friday Perry came back here on Sunday as a man on a mission draining 5 three pointers enroute to 19pts and 5reb so you might say mission accomplished. Against a tough Montverde Academy Prep team Perry, while not a true PG, seemed to control the tempo of the game while working along the perimeter probing for gaps which he could attack. On several occasions in the 1st half he dumped the ball down low then hedged the defender to get open took the kick out pass then calmly deposited a trey. Along with 6’7” Lehigh SF commit Jeameril Wilson (19pts 6reb 3stls) they kept Montverde’s defense off balance for much of the contest with solid ball movement, precise fast break run outs and in the trenches defense. While Woodstock can play fast they seem to do it under control not rushing or forcing the issue if an advantage is not imminent. For Perry his IQ on this day was spot on as he didn’t over dribble and kept his head up reading the defense and making solid basketball plays. His passes were short and on target and while he did commit 3 turnovers two of them came during contact that the officials deemed acceptable. With plenty of guards on this roster Perry appeared to be indispensable to the Woodstock attack which should help in his recruitment as the year progresses.
Jermaine Couisnard 6’4” 2019 CG Montverde Academy CBD Prep- FL (East Chicago, IN)
After his Saturday performance (17pts 6reb 4asts) which was overshadowed by the outstanding contest posted by teammate Kevin Zhang I put Couisnard on my pay attention to his next game list and I can tell you I was not disappointed. He put up another 17 point game and added 3asts 3stls while playing at an extremely high level for the second straight day. If nothing else Couisnard proved to be consistent playing hard on both sides of the ball and getting results for not only himself but his teammates as well. He was a surprisingly good passer and his handle is also quite good and while Montverde’s big guys did a good job on the boards he still managed to pull in 5reb in his squads loss. His long range jumper was slightly off but he has nice form and good ball rotation he simply didn’t hit a 3 ball today. Defensively he plays good positional D and has the strength and foot speed to keep opponents from gaining an advantage on him. On a team with several possible HM recruits Couisnard has certainly opened a few eyes with his play here and possibly expanded his recruiting interest.
Dana Tate (Rhode Island) 6’7” F MacDuffie School- MA (Brockton, MA)
With Tate and Tyrese Martin headed to URI next year the future looks bright for the Rams in the A-10. In the 1st half of their game with Blair Academy (NJ) Tate acted as facilitator and didn’t take shots to get his as they say. With his team down 2 entering the 2ndsession Tate with some prodding from his coaches no doubt decided to get more involved in scoring the ball and it worked out rather well as MacDuffie pulled out a 4 point win. He scored 18 of his 20pts in this frame while corralling 15reb hitting 2 treys with 4asts 3stls in an all around solid outing. He plays poised and stoic never letting emotion interrupt his focus and determination. He goes after rebounds like their prized possessions and he’s very careful handling the ball gripping it like his hands are a pair of vice grips. His passing game was more impressive than I remember it from summer play and he took to playing defense as a responsibility not to be taken lightly. His footwork on the block was good though he could stand some improvement there and he used his strong body to get to the rim and at least draw contact when he didn’t make the layup. In the end I would have to say that it was a very productive day for both Rhode Island recruits.
Tucker Richardson (Colgate) 6’5” G/F Blair Academy- NJ ( Flemington, NJ)
Deceptive Athlete would be a fitting description for Richardson as he not only led all scorers in his Game vs. MacDuffie with 25pts 4 treys but also contributed a team leading 10reb plus dished 3asts in his teams close loss. To sum up the value of Richardson to his team they were up 3 when he headed to the bench with his 3rd foul and when he returned his team was down 6. Known as a shooter I was not surprised at his smooth and balanced jump shot nor his seemingly unlimited range but I was impressed with his ability to slash to the cup for layups some of them of the contested variety. He showed excellent court sense by pulling up and dishing the rock to a wide open cutter and he also seemed to have a feel of when to pull up and rotate the ball out. While not super quick as far as foot speed is concerned he held his own on defense with smart positioning and playing the angles to cut off driving lanes to the basket. While Richardson may not be a HM athlete he is a steal for Colgate and should enjoy a very productive career as a Raider.
Simisola Shittu (Vanderbilt) 6’10” PF Vermont Academy- VT (Burlington, Ontario, CAN)
There were several top notch performances throughout the weekend but my vote for the best one was Shittu’s 25pts 19reb 6stls 2asts effort vs. The Academy Spain despite the fact that VA lost the contest. He played with tremendous energy controlling the painted area on both ends so much so that the Spanish collective stopped attacking the rim with him patrolling the lane. When I first saw him play at Montverde Academy I marveled at his end to end ability and his sky hopping dunks but wondered if he could shoot it beyond 10 feet. Well here we are several years later and his shot has certainly evolved into a credible threat. He hit a three as well as knocking down 8-12 FT attempts and a couple midrange jumpers. In the past he rushed his passes and often missed his mark but as he’s matured and the game has seemingly slowed down for him those passes are crisp and on the money. As far as his dominance on the boards he goes after every missed shot with the idea that he’s going to get it and that entails the ones in his area and beyond. On defense he was a force even though he only had 1 block he changed quite a few shots and as I mentioned earlier The Academy Spain changed their game plan slightly to offset his effectiveness. At the games conclusion despite the setback the Commodores have to be excited to have Shittu joining the team next season.
Sunday Scores:
Mount Zion Prep (MD) over Brewster Academy (NH) 72-68
Massanutten Military Academy (VA) over New Hampton School (NH) 67-58
Spire Academy (OH) over Tilton School (NH) 102-91
Woodstock Academy (CT) over Montverde Academy CBD Prep (FL) 89-78
MacDuffie School (MA) over Blair Academy (NJ) 62-58
The Academy Spain (ESP) over Vermont Academy (VT) 78-69
That will wrap up Sundays action at the National Prep Showcase