National Prep Showcase: Nerlens Noel Prep Debut

Believe the BABC hype.

When going to huge prep tournaments like this weekend’s National Prep Showcase the natural inclination is to focus on the biggest stars and kids who reportedly have interest from the Friars, but somewhere along the way an under the radar type grabs your attention and leads to a night of digging through articles to find where their recruitment stands.

I still remember a UConn message board moderator dismissing my excitement over Shabazz Napier by comparing him to Jeff Xavier in February of 2008, wondering how Marshall landed such a big time talent in Hassan Whiteside that same year (they have another good one headed there in Notre Dame’s Jamir Hanner who committed to Seton Hall a year ago), and catching Winchendon’s Eric Ferguson last season and swearing he was far too underrated.

Fast forward a bit and now Whiteside is a first round pick, Napier proved to be a lot more than a spot-up shooting Xavier-type in leading Lawrence Academy to an undefeated season last year, and Ferguson hung 26 points on Notre Dame on 14-16 from the free throw line in his college debut a few weeks ago.

Yes, catching a glimpse of top ten players, possible future NBA stars, is a treat for any basketball fan, but what I enjoy most is the “this kid looks pretty good – now he’s really heating up – who in the world is this guy?” progression that takes place when an underrated kid impresses.

My disappointment heading into Sunday was this hadn’t happened for me yet.  I really liked Todd Mayo and Myles Davis of Notre Dame Prep, St Thomas More’s Damion Lee caught the eye on Friday night, but wasn’t nearly as impressive in an overtime loss on Saturday, and the most exciting under the radar recruit , the lightning-quick lead guard Kareem Storey of Princeton Day, plays a position the Friars are stocked at.

Then the revamped Tilton School took to the floor on Sunday and changed all of that.

From BABC to Tilton

Quickly, Tilton is churning out high level talent, and a majority of it is coming from BABC.  Two years ago they rode Connecticut-bound Alex Oriakhi, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, and Gerard Coleman to a shocking National Prep Championship run.  All three were BABC products.

Last spring Coleman and Georges Niang were the catalysts for a Tilton team that won their third straight NEPSAC Class B championship.  Niang’s AAU program?  You guessed it – BABC.

A fourth straight title will be a challenge in 2010-11.  Marcus O’neil’s Rams will be young, and with the realigned NEPSAC they will now be competing with St. Mark’s, Worcester Academy, and St. Andrew’s among others in class AA.

Niang returns from last year’s title winner, along with sophomore power forward Goodluck Okonoboh (another BABC product) who held his own as a freshman a season ago.

The departure of Gerard Coleman means Tilton will have to find a way to replace his nearly 30 points per game this season, and if their season opener Sunday night was any indication, they plan on doing it behind ferocious defense and a freshman scorer who is a near certainty to get recruited at the highest level.

 

Starting Strong

The revamped Rams are indeed young, with many of their key players making their prep debut Sunday night.  Yet, this was a cohesive defensive unit from the start, thanks in large part to their familiarity with each other as AAU teammates for BABC.

As noted, Niang and Okonoboh are BABC products and joining them on Tilton this year is URI commit Domonique Bull, very impressive freshman Wayne Selden, and of course the prized Providence recruit Nerlens Noel.

Playing against a Wilbraham & Monson team starting two Big East players (7’1 Enosch Wolf heading to UConn and 6’8 DePaul commit Braeden Anderson) the Rams blitzed them from the start with a ferocious full court press resulting in an almost immediate 18-3 lead.  By night’s end Tilton had an easy 97-64 win, impressive considering how many players were making their first appearance at this level.

The defensive intensity and competitive level of these BABC products, turned prep teammates, can be best described as startling.

What leaps out immediately is this is a group that doesn’t just value defense, but relishes creating havoc.  They not only defend with energy, but also an edge.  The guards were relentless picking up full court and with Noel and Okonoboh backing them, layups were hard to come by on this night.  There is a real chemistry and swagger among this group and it was on full display Sunday night.

 

This year I wasn’t smitten with an individual prospect like in the past, but rather a group of teammates and what that could mean for the future of Providence basketball.

Landing Noel and Selden won’t be easy, Kansas assistant Danny Manning was just of many assistants from a powerhouse in the gym last night, but last night hammered home the significance of a potential BABC to PC pipeline.

Sometimes the mind wanders and fans start to imagine how a certain prospect would look playing for their school, I found myself not just wondering about individuals, but a style of play of a team that almost seems insulted at the thought of being scored on.

 

The Prospects:

Nerlens Noel: I was unable to see Noel last season as he suffered an early season injury and did not return to the lineup.  He did not disappoint in his first game at Tilton.  In my notes I jotted down “Khem Birch with an edge.”  Noel had maybe five or six blocks and altered several other shots.  What I wasn’t expecting was him to be so vocal on the defensive end, and the aforementioned edge that he played with.  He started a fast break by swatting a shot that landed somewhere around half-court followed by him repeatedly yelling “let’s go”, with a few other adjectives spliced in.  He didn’t look to score much, as I had him down for about 10 points, most notably on a one handed tip dunk early.  Has a decent looking jumper from what I could tell in warm-ups, one that could very easily be developed.  Well deserving of the hype.

Goodluck Onokoboh: He’s still so young and highly rated in most services.  A good athlete who is worth monitoring over the upcoming years.  He showed flashes a year ago and it will be interesting to see what type of shot blocker and rebounder he turns in to.Wayne Selden: Expect to hear this name a lot over the upcoming years.  Only a freshman, Selden was one of the most impressive prospects I saw, regardless of class.  He’s very well built for a freshman, is good taking it to the basket, and while his shot doesn’t look all that fluid, he hit on 6-9 from 3 point territory on his way to 26 points.  I had no idea the kid was this good.  Not many freshman are ready to score as he did in his debut at the prep level.  Very, very impressive kid who Providence fans should keep a close eye on.  Outstanding night for him.

George Niang: I’ve been holding onto the belief that at 6’6/6’7 Niang may not have the size and athleticism to be an effective power forward at the Big East level, but he’s making me question myself by scoring in so many ways against top competition.  He’s a terrific scorer, having gone for 33 and 11 last night after a great summer scoring the ball for BABC.  He is very good with his left, has a refined back to the basket game and can step out and hit the 3.  Scored 36 against Brewster a year ago when Coleman was out.  Niang is now a 2012 prospect.

Domonique Bull: He’s a gritty, tough kid who really gets after it defensively.  A really vocal kid who flashed the ability to get to the basket.  The Rams seem to stock up on these types of kids who give the Friars fits.