Open Gyms: Bishop Eustace Preparatory School (Olympic Conference – National Division NJ) –
For Eustace the 2017-18 campaign ended with an NJSIAA Non-Public A 2nd round loss to St. Joseph Metuchen by a 55-53 score that with one play here or there it might have been the Crusaders advancing to the South Jersey A semi’s. They do however bring back a solid nucleus of contributing players that obviously have their sights set on a much better finish to the coming season starting with the always tough Olympic Conference National Division. With a deep and talented roster that has excellent shooters plus some up front size that can cause problems for their opponents Eustace can earn a high seed in the Non-Public South A group with a top of the conference finish. The difference for them this year may be the overall play of their pluggers those guys that do all the things that don’t show up on the stat sheets but contribute with their effort to pile up wins. Just looking at this team as it went through their open gym workout you can see they have talent and depth and if it all comes together by the time the season starts they can be one of the top 5 teams in South Jersey.
The Backcourt:
When looking at the guard line on any roster you start with the PG to try and gage if a team will be successful and Eustace has a good one in 5’9” ’20 David Cross. While small in stature he’s big in skillset with a nice tight handle underrated speed and rally good court vision to distribute the rock to open shooters. He has a quick burst to the basket to create his own shot and a smooth looking jump shot with range to the arc. 6’3” ’19 Matt Kempter is a shooter with a velvet touch from beyond the arc and is working hard to not be labeled as one dimensional by putting it on the floor and driving it to the basket where he can hit the contested layup or reverse the ball to a perimeter shooter and it’s coming together for him slowly but surely. 6’3” ’20 Matt McCaffrey can bounce back and forth between the SF/SG role as he looks to be an opportunistic scorer who takes what the defense gives and makes the most of it whether it’s a quick hitting weakside layup or a pull up jumper from the wing. He also appears to be a scrappy defender who plays the passing lanes with an eye for picking off errant feeds. Two more guys I liked are my pluggers 6’2” ’19 Daniel Swallow and 5’9” ’19 Ryan Makaila both of whom roam the court looking to harass opponents into submission. Makaila has a nice handle and a good idea how to distribute the ball to his teammates and Swallow plays harassing defense and is an opportunistic bucket getter like McCaffrey. This backcourt might not pass the look test but like they say never judge a book by it’s cover.
The Frontcourt:
The Crusaders big guys are athletic for sure but all have solid skillsets that just need more refinement. Starting with 6’6” ’19 Mattia Morini an Italian import in his second season with Eustace. This young man plays with good intensity on both ends of the floor and is drawing D-1 interest with his athletic ability and smooth stroke. He can create off the bounce and get to the basket and finish at the rim thru contact as well. He’ll be counted on to provide an offensive spark for the Crusaders and his play will be instrumental in their overall success. 6’7” ’20 Vince Popejoy shows promise as an emerging power forward who needs to consistently provide the power part of the equation as he sometimes shies away from contact. In this open gym though he was banging down low for boards and interior scores and he has to establish himself more this season in the paint to cause opponents more consternation when devising their game plans. A couple of newcomers should also play huge roles for Eustace as 6’7” ’21 Swedish import Will Humer looks to be quite skilled on the block with decent footwork and finishing touch and has proven to be an excellent rebounder too and 6’8” ’21 Christian Tamasco who decided to come back to South Jersey after a year at St. Joseph Prep in the Philly Catholic League. Tomasco has great touch on his 10-12 foot jumper and can make runners in the paint after catching the ball. He does need to add some muscle in his upper body and improve his defensive intensity to include more than an occasional blocked shot but should be a contributor for the Crusaders this year. They also had a few more guys in the 6’4” – 6”6” range that showed some flashes of being able to help this team as well and with open competition for spots on the varsity hanging in the balance it should make for some interesting battles for positions on the final iteration of Bishop Eustace’s roster.
Newcomers:
Having already mentioned the two frontcourt newcomers from the class of ’21 there were two more backcourt guys in the same class that caught my eye starting with 6’2” Amiri Atkins who showed an athletic build with a hint of toughness thrown in. He played defense in the open gym in a gritty fashion and using some quick hands got a few steals or forced turnovers creating his own offense in the process. 5’11” ’21 Colin Merriman was impressive handling the ball and feeding it to open teammates in scoring positions with his head on a swivel and good court vision. When he got an open look he showed an ability to knock it down as well. Both of these young men should compete for spots this fall but look like they’ll get plenty of playing time to improve their games at the JV level which isn’t all bad given their age.
Outlook:
Playing in a tough conference like the Olympic can only help to prepare your team down the stretch toward the state tourney and there is little doubt that Bishop Eustace, in my mind at least, is good enough and tough enough to finish at the top of the conference and earn a high seed in the Non-Public South A states. That is saying a lot since fellow N-P A squad Camden Catholic is in their division as well as perennial SJ power Camden HS. No matter how this division shakes out Bishop Eustace will be in the thick of the race and I believe they can garner a top 4 seed in the state non-public south tourney and from there we’ll see how it plays out. This team has some veteran leaders and a good mix of young talent and while a state title may be a reach for this squad at this early junction the ability to compete for one is a commendable goal indeed.