Friar Basketball

Hoop Mountain Prep Classic Preview

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Note from Kevin Farrahar: A year ago the Hoop Mountain Classic provided one of the most exciting games of the prep season.  After being held scoreless for the first 10 minutes of South Kent’s upset bid against Nerlens Noel, Wayne Selden and Tilton, future Friar Ricky Ledo went off.  The Providence native scored 18 points over the final 10 minutes of the first half, triggering a 26-6 South Kent run that turned a nine point deficit into a halftime lead South Kent would not relinquish.  It was a heated contest that was shamefully called with 37 seconds to go with both teams at each other’s throats.  Ledo finished with 34 points in a big time upset.  You can read my article from that day here.    

 

Hoop Mountain is holding a potentially great prep tournament this weekend at the St. Andrew’s School in Barrington, RI. Here is the full schedule courtesy of the New England Recruiting Report:

While there are intriguing match-ups on Friday and Saturday, Sunday, in particular, should be very interesting for Providence fans as several current and former recruiting targets will be featured.

A look at the the highlights:

11:30 Vermont Academy vs. New Hampton Prep 

New Hampton features a Friar recruiting target in Jeremy Miller, a 6’9 power forward in the class of 2015. Miller has been offered by Providence and has been on the PC campus a number of times. Here is what I had to say about Miller earlier in the year:

Miller possesses a great outside shot for a 6’9 player, but needs to work on his low post skills. When I last saw him at the PC Elite Camp you can tell he is already doing this. Still a young player, Miller could be one of the top players in his class if he continues to improve.

New Hampton also features former Friar target Noah Vonleh who is currently the 8th ranked player in the class of 2013.  He’s headed to Indiana next season.  Another former PC target Daquein McNeil leads Vermont.

1:00 Brewster Academy vs. Worcester Academy

Jason Smith’s Brewster Academy team is once again loaded and includes a couple of players who PC is recruiting. Jared Terrell is a 6’3 combo guard whom the Friars have been recruiting for quite a while. Here is what I previously had to say about Terrell:

Jared Terrell is a 6’4 combo guard who transferred in from New Hampton Prep. Terrell has a Big East-ready body right now and is a real handful when driving to the basket. At this point in his career Terrell is still a streaky shooter, but the times I have seen him he has demonstrated very nice form on his shot.  He is ranked 48th in the ESPN Top 60 for 2014.

The other Brewster player that PC is recruiting is 6’2 class of 2014 point guard Kevin Zabo, who the Friars have recently offered.

There are several other great players on Brewster, including Kyle Washington (2013, 6’9 PF, 69th nationally, signed with North Carolina State), Chris McCullough (2014, 6’10 PF, 16th nationally, committed to Syracuse), former Friar recruit Ron Patterson (2013, 6’3 SG, signed with Syracuse), and Elijah Macon (2013, 6’9 PF, signed with West Virginia) among others.

Worcester Academy features a couple of players of interest for Friar fans, including 6’10 class of 2014 power forward Matt Cimino and 2013 power forward Darryl Reynolds. Earlier in the year I had these comments on Cimino:

Cimino has great range on his outside shot for a player his size, to go along with a lot of innate basketball skills. When I saw him at the Providence Jamfest he put on a 3 point shooting clinic. He needs to improve physically and add muscle to his frame, but he is young so there is plenty of time to do so. Definitely a player to watch, Cimino has recently made some Top 100 lists

Another player on Worcester Academy that Friar fans may be interested in is former PC recruit Rene Castro, who recently committed to Butler.

2:45 Tilton vs. Bridgton Academy

Tilton features one-time Friar recruit Wayne Selden who is currently ranked 16th in the class of 2013 and recently signed with Kansas. Another player to watch on Tilton is 2015 6’5 small forward Terrance Mann who could be the next special player out of New England.  Mann’s mother is the head coach at Northeastern University’s women’s team.

4:30 Cushing  Academy vs. Wilbraham and Monson

Wilbraham and Monson’s front line is now anchored by Tilton transfer and current Friar recruit 6’9 PF Goodluck Okonoboh. Another player to keep an eye on is 6’7 2016 G Luis Montero who could wind up as one of the top players in the country in a couple of years. Keep an eye on local product Marcel Pettway, a 2015 6’6 power forward who is one of several prospects on this very deep, but young Wilbraham and Monson team.

Cushing Academy features PC target Kaleb Joseph, a 6’2 2014 guard who was recently featured on Friarbasketball.com.

Another player Friar followers may be interested in is 6’0 2015 SG Jalen Adams who recently received an offer from PC.

The hosts, St Andrew’s, are in action on Friday vs. REDA at 1:00, and on Sunday vs. Salisbury at 6:00. St Andrew’s is coached by Mike Hart and features a couple of  players that PC has shown interest in at one point, including Henry Bolton ( 6’1 2014 G) and Bonzie Colson (6’5 2014 PF). St. Andrew’s has had several players move on to high major college programs, including Friar alum Jonathan Kale and current Syracuse guard Michael Carter-Williams.

The Hoop Mountain Prep Classic figures be a terrific three day prep school tournament offering a glimpse of elite prep school teams and some current and future Friar recruiting targets.  St Andrew’s is located just outside of Providence in Barrington RI. Click here for directions.

 

Email Craig at craig.leighton@friarbasketball.com

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