Prep matchup headlines Sunday’s games at Spalding Hoophall Classic

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Sunday saw a number of prep schools take the court in five games at the Spalding Hoophall Classic. The day started with a blowout and then had two that were somewhat convincing wins for the victors, then came the game everyone was waiting for. The last game was well-contested, but wasn’t as good as its predecessor.

With that, we take a look back at the scores and some notes from Sunday’s games at Blake Arena.

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2011 National Prep Showcase – Friday Recap

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The opening day of the National Prep Showcase is in the books. It featured some great shooting, a close game and several games that were close until one team pulled away in the second half. With that, here’s a look back at what happened on the day.

Friday Scoreboard

Lee (ME) Academy 70, Fork Union (VA) Military Academy 63

Chatham (VA) Hargrave Military Academy 115, Fitchburg (MA) Notre Dame Prep 91

North Bridgton (ME) Bridgton Academy 74, Delafield (WI) St. John’s NW Military Academy 71

Oakdale (CT) St. Thomas More 83, Waynesboro (VA) Fishburne Military School 56

South Kent (CT) School 94, La Jolla (CA) Prep 74

Landover Hills (MD) New Hope Academy 84, Winchendon (MA) School 62

Northfield (MA) Mount Hermon 97, Woodstock (VA) Massanutten Military Academy 93

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Syracuse adamantly denies molestation allegations by associate coach

The biggest storyline of the day broke late afternoon Nov. 17 when ESPN reported that Syracuse police are investigating allegations that Syracuse associate coach Bernie Fine sexually molested a couple of ball boys during a period that lasted more than a decade.

ESPN is taking a risk with this story. The rumors about Fine molesting a former ball boy emerged more than five years ago. In fact, in a statement posted on the university’s website last night, Syracuse heard about the allegations from an adult male who said he talked to police. The university conducted its own investigation, which included interviews with people that the accuser named. None of those people corroborated the accusations.

That leaves ESPN in a precarious position. The network is bringing this story to the forefront now because a second person has launched molestation charges at Fine. That person happens to be the older stepbrother of the other accuser. Syracuse police are looking into the accusations again. But there’s nothing certain.

However, if you watch the eight-minute segment about Mark Schwarz’s research for ESPN, you get the sense that he is siding with Bobby Davis, the 39-year-old who previously accused Fine. Schwarz questions why no one asked whether it would be inappropriate for Davis and Fine to share hotel rooms during travel and spend significant secluded time together. Those are legitimate questions, but his reporting seems wholly one-sided, and we don’t hear the opinions of other people involved.

In another statement posted on Syracuse’s site, coach Jim Boeheim denies the accusations, citing the university’s 2005 investigation and his 40-year relationship with his associate coach. In an article accompanying the interview with Schwarz, Boeheim told ESPN that he believes the accusers are seeking money and using ESPN as part of their scheme.

That’s a brash accusation in its own right. On one side, we have two individuals — who have a family relationship — making sordid accusations that scarily resemble the scandal unfolding at Penn State. On the other side, we have Syracuse representatives and Boeheim vehemently denying the charges and painting the accusers as mercenaries.

This will not end well for someone.

So far, Syracuse seems to be handling the events fairly well, placing Fine on administrative leave while police continue their investigation. That’s probably an appropriate reaction that allows the school to reinstate the coach if the charges are unfounded. But if there’s truth to these accusations, the university can quickly terminate Fine and avoid the negative appearance of callously paying a sexual predator.

Although it’s somewhat hard to tell based on the mess in State College, Pa., people are innocent until proven guilty in this country. Syracuse seems to be on the right track to allow the police and attorneys to do their jobs.

ESPN, on the other hand, will appear to be less objective if it turns out that the Worldwide Leader in Sports was played in a plot to achieve personal gains.

Fortunately, we have lots of great basketball ahead this weekend to keep our attention on the hardwood. Here’s a rundown of some of the top match ups on tap.

Friday

• Davidson at Duke
• Temple vs. Purdue in Puerto Rico Tip-Off
• Wichita State vs. Alabama in Puerto Rico Tip-Off
• Arizona vs. Mississippi State in 2K Sports Classic in New York City
• Texas A&M vs. St. John’s in 2K Sports Classic in New York City
• Drake at Ole Miss
• Akron at Valparaiso

Saturday

• Louisville at Butler
• James Madison at La Salle in Philly Hoop Group Classic
• Long Beach State at San Diego State
• Charleston at Clemson
• Vanderbilt vs. NC State in TicketCity Legends Classic in East Rutherford, N.J.
• Texas vs. Oregon State in TicketCity Legends Classic in East Rutherford, N.J.

Sunday

• Championship and third-place game of Puerto Rico Tip-Off
• Washington at Saint Louis
• Rhode Island at Nebraska
• Murray State at UAB
• Creighton at Iowa

We go coast to coast with other news from the college basketball nation.

• UCLA’s Reeves Nelson convinced coach Ben Howland that he’s had an attitude adjustment and is ready to return to action after Howland suspended him earlier this week, writes Peter Yoon for ESPN Los Angeles.
• For Louisville’s big game against the national runners-up, Butler, the Cardinals likely won’t have their starting point guard, Peyton Siva, according to the Associated Press. Siva injured his ankle in practice, and he could need another week or so to fully recover.
• The dust is beginning to settle on the initial signing period for 2012 recruits, and Rivals.com has the ACC as the big winner thus far. The conference sneaks past the Big East for the top spot, with NC State and North Carolina as the headliners.

Wilbraham & Monson Tries to Contend With a Plethora of Guards

WILBRAHAM, Mass. – Back in July, Wilbraham & Monson Academy looked like its quick rise since Chris Sparks took over the program was poised to reach a high point. Two big-time prospects, both good friends and travel teammates, had committed to come to the school. In the end, one went back to the public school he attended his first three years and the other opted to go to college instead of a post-graduate year. While the projections for this team won’t be the same as they were in July, the Titans will still put a good team on the floor, albeit one with a little less size.

Leading the way will be three main point guards, starting with Jaylen Brantley (5’9″ Jr. PG, Springfield (MA)), who returns for his second season at the school. A consistently good point guard for the BABC program the last couple of years, he’s always calm and can just as easily burn a defense with several three-pointers as he can by finding teammates. On Sunday, his mid-range game was on display.

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New Feeling as Tabor Tries to Contend Once Again

MARION, Mass. – There’s a feeling of newness at Tabor Academy, a school that once upon a time was among the best in New England. It was only a decade ago that they were winning NEPSAC championships back in the days of Jermaine Watson and Torin Francis, along with a host of good supporting players. The landscape is very different, with Tabor now being in the new Class A, but thoughts of contending for a championship are very much there for Chris Millette’s team.

Part of the newness is obvious once you step onto the court. The floor is new, and there is new lighting in the building. It was done this past off-season in addition to work done on the athletic fields right behind the facility, so there is something of a new lease on life at the school right by the water near Cape Cod.

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2011 Hoop Group Fall Top 100 Recap

BOSTON – The Hoop Group Top 100 moved to a new location this time around, as Basketball City right near the Boston Garden was the site for this one. The event brought a decent amount of talent into the gym, although it had to compete with the SAT for upperclassmen and a team tournament elsewhere in the area.

Here, we take a look at some of the talent that competed on Saturday.

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New Hampton Gets an Injection of Young Talent to a Good Base

NEW HAMPTON, N.H. – Last season, few expected the NEPSAC Class AAA final matchup of New Hampton vs. Maine Central Institute. Although the two were seeded third and fourth among the eight schools, they showed what can happen when it comes down to one game in single elimination. This year, few will be surprised if New Hampton gets that far, as Pete Hutchins has a team with more talent, albeit a little more youth as well.

Although there are talented underclassmen here, the best player on the floor on Wednesday was Olivier Hanlan (6’2″ Sr. PG, Hull (Que.)). A plus athlete with some leadership abilities, he shot the lights out from all over the floor, mostly off the dribble and several times going behind a screener with the defender going behind the ball screen. It seemed like he didn’t miss all night.

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If the Frontcourt Performs, Milton Academy Could Contend

MILTON, Mass. – Lamar Reddicks enters his third year at Milton Academy, the basketball team now established as not just a team of bright kids who have little ability on the hardwood. This year’s team isn’t loaded, but they have a few pieces and should be able to win more than their fair share of games, especially since there appears to be some leadership.

To that last point, the team’s floor leader is also the captain and unquestioned leader of the team, Travis Sheldon (5’10″ Sr. PG, Woodstock (NY)). Sheldon actually ran Sunday’s open gym from start to finish, competing all the time and showing how much of a vocal leader he is for this team. He has a good body and can get to the basket despite not being overly quick, and he passed well while hitting enough jumpers to look like his shot must be respected.

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New England Best 40 Brings Talent to Boston

ROXBURY, Mass. – The New England Best 40 Presented by Hoopville was held on Saturday at Roxbury Community College. The event brought some good prospects, a number of whom have been under the radar, together for a few hours to go through some drills and games. All high school classes were represented, although a good majority were underclassmen.

One of the instructors was former UMass standout Anthony Gurley, who recently completed his college career. A Newton North alum who grew up in the city, Gurley and fellow coach Deshawn Gibbons were once where these kids are. Gurley is now working on getting his Anthony Gurley Skills Academy off the ground, basing his work at his alma mater.

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Amidst Changes in Class AA, Tilton Tries to Reign Supreme Again

TILTON, N.H. – Last year, the old Class B in NEPSAC had a new look as it became Class AA. Among other things, it became much more competitive from top to bottom than before. But one thing that didn’t change was the team that came out on top, as the Tilton School took home their fourth straight title. If they make it five in a row this time around, that wouldn’t be a surprise.

Iowa State-bound Georges Niang (6’7″ Sr. PF, Methuen (MA)) has been around for all four of those titles and is primed for one more. His calling card is inside efficiency at both ends, as he battles inside and knows what he is. While he’s not trading those in for something else, he is expanding his game away from the basket and is moving better, and he also made a nice long lead pass on one play. Simply put, he does winning things for a team, and it shows in the results over his career both at the school and playing for the BABC program.

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Northfield Mount Hermon Still Has Size, Now More Guards

NORTHFIELD, Mass. – Northfield Mount Hermon always draws a good number of college coaches. Aiding that is the fact that the school is excellent academically and consistently has prospects who could play in the Ivy or Patriot League. This season, 11 alumni will be playing in the Ivy League, and already two more from this year’s team have committed to Ivy schools.

In recent years, the academics aren’t the only reason for the good college coach draws. The team has had plenty of size, and while this year’s team is no different, they will have more true guards on the roster. Last year, Aaron Cosby and Joe Sharkey were the only true guards they had.

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South Kent Has a Lot of Pieces to Work With

SOUTH KENT, Conn. – A day earlier, it was clear Brewster Academy was going to be a tough team to beat in NEPSAC Class AAA. If there’s a team that appears to have a chance at topping them on paper, it’s a team at the other end of New England in South Kent. There is size, depth and some star power, which means Kelvin Jefferson again has a lot to work with.

The star power starts on the perimeter, led by Chris Thomas (6’5″ Jr. SG-SF, Denver (CO)) and Ricardo Ledo (6’6″ Sr. SG-SF, Providence (RI)). Ledo has not yet made it to campus, but will soon, and when he does the Providence commit will give them a big-time scorer on the wing. Thomas had a wisdom tooth pulled earlier in the day, then was the best player on the floor in the team’s workout. A very athletic slasher who can be a showman at times, he has good range on his jump shot and can score all day, and Jefferson also expects to play him at the point from time to time.

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No Surprise: Brewster is Loaded Once Again

WOLFEBORO, N.H. – It’s gotten to the point where anyone paying attention to NEPSAC fully expects Brewster Academy to have the most talent in Class AAA. This year’s team looks to fit that description, and that was true even before a recent addition made them even stronger. That new addition also made a decision on Tuesday that had coach Jason Smith responding to a number of text messages.

As impressive as the team looks, the prospect with the most buzz wasn’t even playing on Tuesday as Mitch McGary (6’10″ Sr. PF, Porter (IN)) is nursing a minor left ankle injury. Still, he was very much present, as he was encouraging teammates from the sideline the entire time. McGary had a big off-season and is now ranked by most recruiting services as one of the top five players in the class of 2012.

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With No Stars, St. Andrew’s Should Still Compete

BARRINGTON, R.I. There seems to be something different about Mike Hart this time around. Although the St. Andrew’s head coach and athletic director got fired up a couple of times during a visit to the school, overall he seems more at ease than before about his team. He has a younger group and no studs like Michael Carter-Williams or Ricardo Ledo, who he had the past two years, but he seems fine with that. Instead, he has a team that might not pass the look test but doesn’t figure to be an easy out.

The senior leader will be Cedric Kuakumensah (6’8″ Sr. PF, Worcester (MA)). An excellent student who will likely wind up in either the Patriot or Ivy League, he has a solid body and looked like the good post presence he’s capable of being.

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Youth Movement Takes Shape at Worcester Academy

WORCESTER, Mass. – The youth movement is in full effect at Worcester Academy, in contrast to what the team used to look like. Long a home for seniors and post-graduates during its many years in the old Class A of NEPSAC, the Hilltoppers have been younger in recent years and enter their second season in Class AA with perhaps the youngest team they have had in years.

Part of the youth movement is the result of a coaching change. Long-time coach Ed Reilly stepped away and remains the athletic director, and he handed the reins over to long-time assistant Jamie Sullivan. Going with a young group was Sullivan’s strategy to put his own stamp on the program right away.

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New England Elite 75 Frosh/Soph Edition Moves to a New Location

MANSFIELD, Mass. – After being held at Boston University for the entirety of its existence, the New England Elite 75 Frosh/Soph Edition moved south to the Mansfield Sportsplex this year. Well over 200 players competed in the event, with freshmen playing in the morning session and sophomores in the afternoon.

The freshmen competed well during their time. Unfortunately, although the sophomores had better talent overall (owed in part to being more of a known quantity than the freshmen), they didn’t play as well. In one game, a number of possessions between the two teams saw two and three players not even attempting to get back on defense. To say they were making a mockery of the game would be generous.

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Cushing Academy is a Little Deeper

ASHBURNHAM, Mass. – Although it’s noticeable that Cushing Academy has had a nice influx of talent since last season, Barry Connors thinks his team isn’t very different at the top. Where the Cushing mentor sees the difference is in the depth he has after his starters and first reserve or two, and because of that they have a chance to contend in NEPSAC Class AA.

The prospect with the most upside might be floor leader Kaleb Joseph (6’2″ So. PG, Nashua (NH)), who had just scored an offer from Boston College. Already known for his passing ability, the baby-faced point guard looks more athletic and was attacking all day. His development as a scorer will only make him tougher to guard, especially as he continues to hit mid-range jumpers like he did on Thursday.

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Notre Dame Prep Has Plenty of Guards

FITCHBURG, Mass. – Ryan Hurd will shoot you straight about his team. If they’re not playing well, he’ll tell you as much, just like he’ll tell a player he needs to get off the court if the effort is lacking. And he wasn’t afraid to admit that his team’s workout on Thursday was not up to par, although he also figures it will prove to be an aberration.

Hurd will have two good guards to hang his hat on in Sam Cassell, Jr. (6’3″ Sr. PG-SG, Baltimore (MD)) and Myles Davis (6’2″ Sr. SG, Plainfield (NJ)). Both return for their second season at the school and give the Crusaders two dangerous shooters from behind the arc. While Davis’ credentials doing that have long been established, Cassell had a jumper that had to be respected but was far from deadly last season. Since returning to campus, Cassell has been playing about as well as any Crusader, and that remained the case on Thursday. While the Xavier-bound Davis still shot it well on the day, he also continues to be better off the dribble, although he’ll never be as good a scorer as he is a shooter.

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Winchendon Ready For a Better Season

WINCHENDON, Mass. – Matt Quinn’s first season leading the Winchendon School wasn’t exactly one for the books as far as the win-loss column was concerned. The team was not as stacked with talent as in previous years, in part because Quinn took over as head coach in July, by which point most prep-bound players have long chosen their destinations for the following year. They finished eighth in NEPSAC Class AAA and were promptly blown out in the quarterfinals by the top seed. But this season should be a little different at the school that has long been a NEPSAC powerhouse.

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St. Thomas More Marks Good Start to Open Gym Slate

OAKDALE, Conn. – Our first prep school open gym workout of 2011 was at the school that took home last season’s National Prep Championship.  St. Thomas More has one of the best prep coaches in Jere Quinn, one who has coached a number of future college stars.  In fact, when a colleague asked him on Monday to come up with his own all-time St. Thomas More team, suffice it to say that Quinn kept changing his mind on one player or another as worthy players kept coming back to mind.

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