Notes From Coaches vs. Cancer Showcase

BLAIRSTOWN, N.J. – Blair Academy hosted the 2008 Coaches vs. Cancer Showcase, which featured four prep schools. Two came from New England, Lakeville (CT) Hotchkiss School and Northfield (MA) Mount Hermon, and the Hun School from Princeton joined Blair among New Jersey schools for the event.

In Sunday’s first game, Hotchkiss held on for a 54-47 win over the Hun School in a game that went back and forth at times. Hotchkiss made enough free throws and stops down the stretch to clinch the game.

Hotchkiss was without their top prospect, Jason Morris, who is sick.

The second game of the day was the best matchup of the weekend. Northfield (MA) Mount Hermon looked ready to run away with it early, as they rode some hot shooting early on to a 29-10 lead after the first quarter and a 47-25 halftime lead. Blair Academy rallied in the second half and got within single digits, but Northfield Mount Hermon had answers for every rally en route to an 85-69 win.

Northfield Mount Hermon was without head coach John Carroll, who has pneumonia. In his absence, assistant Matt Pennie coached the team to two wins over the weekend.

Player Notes

Monty Brown (6’11″ Jr. C, Mounds (OK) Hotchkiss School) has a key thing you can’t teach: height. His body needs work, although he’s not a baby physically, and his hands didn’t look good as he lost a few balls and didn’t catch some others. He wasn’t quite the factor he looks like he can be in this game.

Egheosa Edomwonyi (6’8″ Sr. PF, Newark (NJ) Hun School) is a well-built forward who struggled to score. The Rice commit didn’t always go up strong and wasn’t the factor he looks like he could be.

Brian Fitzpatrick (6’7″ Sr. SF, Cheshire (CT) Northfield Mount Hermon) was the best of a few blender players his team has that are similar. The lefty guard went for 13 points, scoring in flow and showing a touch from long range.

R.J. Griffin (6’4″ Sr. SG-SF, Middletown (DE) Hun School) had 15 points in the losing effort on Sunday. His body’s not there yet, but he has some room to grow offensively.

Hakeem Harris (6’0″ Jr. PG, Bergenfield (NJ) Blair Academy) ignited his team’s offense in the second half when they rallied. He did it through making shots and some good passes, including a few drive and dish plays. He scored most of his 18 points in the second half.

Austin Johnson (6’8″ Sr. PF, Elkins Park (PA) Blair Academy) didn’t have his best day despite going for 18 points. He uncharacteristically missed a lot of close shots he normally makes, and then couldn’t get tip-in attempts to go as well. The Rutgers-bound forward simply had an off day.

Kellen Jones (6’2″ Sr. SG, Memphis (TN) Hotchkiss School) struggled to score, going for just eight points in his team’s win. His body isn’t there yet, but he’s a plus athlete with some room to grow.

Jonathan Lee (6’2″ Sr. SG, Flint (MI) Hun School) is a lefty guard with a good upper body. He had a quiet 15 points in Sunday’s losing effort.

Ryan Lubreski (6’3″ Jr. SG, North Plainfield (NJ) Blair Academy) showcased his shooting once again en route to 19 points. Several of his three-point shots helped his team’s rally in the second half.

Mike Marra (6’4″ Sr. SG, Smithfield (RI) Northfield Mount Hermon) looked like a player going to Louisville in this game. Not only did he shoot the ball well en route to 22 points, but he made clutch shots and had one nice pass for an assist, all at key junctures when Blair tried to make a run.

Andrew McCarthy (6’7″ Sr. SF-PF, Sudbury (MA) Northfield Mount Hermon) looks more and more like his old self each time out. This time around, the Brown commit went for 18 points on a variety of close baskets, with some offensive rebounds mixed in.

Myles Melville (6’3″ Fr. SG, Plano (TX) Hun School) is a young player to keep an eye on as he had his moments while playing a lot of minutes. He has a good body for his age, scored on a couple of drives and was active on the floor.

Alex Miller (6’2″ So. SG, Claremore (OK) Hotchkiss School) led the way for Hotchkiss with 26 points, including five three-pointers. At times he looks like a shooter with no conscience, but overall he played a solid game. He has a very quick release and showed the ability to shoot off the dribble as well as the catch, especially on a play where he pump faked, then hit a baseline mid-range jumper. His dribble is just okay, but he can improve that.

Laurent Rivard (6’5″ Jr. SG-SF, Montreal (Que.) Northfield Mount Hermon) helped his team with 15 points, although he didn’t look as impressive as he did a couple of weeks ago. He finished with the left hand and was active, but a couple of times he got away with a travel and also used his arm enough that he could easily have been called for a charge or two.

Joe Sharkey (6’2″ So. PG-SG, Needham (MA) Northfield Mount Hermon) had a quietly good game. He didn’t score much, but capably helped run the show and made the offense run well while he was out there.

Derrick Wilson (6’2″ So. PG-SG, Anchorage (AK) Hotchkiss School) is a well-built guard who was around the ball often. He got his share of loose balls, but struggled a bit offensively.