So I watched a lot of basketball and bullshitted with a bunch of people on Sunday. If you were there and I didn't get to say hello or meet you, I am sorry as I was really focused on watching kids and working the gym for info. I did get to talk to Halldan which is always fun. I stayed for the whole event.
First off, I'd like to compliment Jimmy S and Marcus on how well the event was planned. You had a lot of high impact players and schools at this event. Usually you get a lot of no shows from players, that wasn't the case here. A lot of big time college coaches showed up as well and for only $10 it was a great deal to see it all.
Next what I want to mention is that our staff did a great job of setting up shop right in front of the locker room doors. Every kid had to walk by them and say hello. The RU HC was stuck in a corner of the bleachers and you could barely see him or notice him. These things are important. Shaheen and Willard were chatting up some very important HS coaches as well. They worked the room very well. This is a huge improvement from when they started off years ago. Eventually when the games started, they moved into key spots either next to the bench of under the basket. Being seen by the kids is so important more so then watching the play.
Lot's of former SHU people were at the event like Kelly Whitney(son is a top 75 class of 2019), Jamar Wise(Roselle Catholic Asst), Marcus Toney-El, George Jackson, and Bill Garrett. Always good to see old faces and see how they are doing.
Here is my thoughts on players from each team
Patrick School
Al Dawes - This kid is good, enough said. Good size for a PG/Combo. Athletic and can shoot. IMHO he will be a top 40 kid by next year. Played with a lot of composure.
Marquis Nowell - I don't see it guys, to me he is just way too small. If he was 5'5 I'd be shocked. A lot of his shots got blocked and I mean a lot. What he does very well is get into the lane and dish. But the scoring and defense are going to be major issues. He also is not nearly as good as Jordan. I'd pass on him. Honestly, I think he is an A10 player.
As Dan mentioned, Manuel was back in his native country but should be back soon. Don't expect to see him too much in the AAU scene either. I think he is being "hidden" to help our cause. St Pats was missing 4 of their best players and all of their size. They will be a force again this year.
SHU Prep
Jabri Abdur-Rahim - This kid is going to be a studdddddd. He is orig from CA and moved to NJ because his father works for the NBA. If you don't know much about the NBA, his father was an All Star and elite basketball player Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who by the way is a very nice guy. Jabri is super skilled and long. He isn't done growing either. I expect him to finish out to be about 6-11. He reminds me of a young Lamar Odom. Can handle and shoot, goes to the rim, blocks shots. Did I mention he is going into his Soph year? We are talking top 5 player in the country potential.
Ashton Miller - Rising junior who really impressed me. Bigger guard at around 6'4, pretty athletic and tough nosed. Very smart with the ball and buried some jumpers. Def one to keep an eye on.
Don Bosco
Ron Harper - Sr 6'5ish Wing who is about 30 lbs too heavy but boy can this kid play. There is always one guy who you don't know about at these events and they grab your attention. He reminds me of Desi his Jr year at Lincoln. For a kid who isn't in great shape, he can jump and handle the ball. He banged a few impressive dunks. He was also lights out shooting from the perimeter. Bosco destroyed a Naz Reid less RC team in the first half almost single handedly by Harper. If I had an extra ship, I would use it on Harper, because if this kid does what Cheese Powell did, he is a huggeeeee sleeper.
Christ The King
Kofi Cockburn - He is a monster size wise. I mean he was all of 6'11 and 260 at the least. He is a mountain. CTK played awful and got ran off the court by Don Bosco. I don't know what was up with Kofi but he was lumbering. I was find him not getting back on offense and defense more often then not. Was he hurt? Is he out of shape? I don't know, but I do know it wasn't his best day on the court.
Immaculate
Jalen Carey - He is a really nice combo. He is all of 6'3 and long arms. He is really athletic and can shoot it well. What I like about Carey is his defense. He plays the passing lanes well and he is tremendous on the ball. Offensively he does a good job of creating space. He attacks the basket well and is crafty finishing. He has a smooth handle He needs to get stronger as he is pretty thing at this point.
Elijah Hutchins-Everett - 6'10 2010 kid that we just offered. This kid has some stones man. He went at Naz Reid the whole game and did not back down. He was blocking shots and going to the rim aggressively. I love his attitude on the court. This kid will be special if he keeps improving.
Roselle Catholic
Naz Reid - Beast, flat out beast. 6'10 ish 250 lbs and can lead the break. I close my eyes and see a poor mans Chris Weber. Very very unselfish on the break and does a good job of giving the ball in the right spot. It's like a big mac truck coming down the highway when he is on a break, big and fast. Physically imposing but yet highly skilled. He only played one game but he brought the motor. To top it off, he can really knock down long range bombs.
Kahlil Whitney - 2019 6'4 SG who is athletically gifted but still needs to learn the ins and outs of the game. He was probably the best run and jump guy at the event and he flashes a solid jumper. My problem was that he kind of hung on the perimeter at times and disappeared. I don't know he if he is lacking the killer instinct or what. He played better in the 2nd half of the game that Naz didn't play in so that was a positive. Def someone we should be after.
Hudson Catholic
Luther Muhammad - I have seen Luther play 4 or 5 times now and I just don't see it. To me, he isn't a top 100 recruit. He isn't that athletic and doesn't really do too much above average. His jumper is ok at best. Maybe he is an above average defender, but I am grasping at straws. I'd rather have Nelson and I'd rather take a chance on Harper to be honest. He wouldn't play at Seton Hall for a few years, if at all.
JQ - If I had to win a game today, this is the PG I would take. He has the ball on the string and is one of the best finishing under the rim guards I have seen in a long time. He is wiggly and elusive, more then he is fast or athletic. To me he isn't a one and done, more like 4 year college guy. The ceiling is probably where he is now. He is top level when it comes to being crafty and smart, so I just can't see him improving those skill sets. He has a really nice jumper that he can get off whenever he wants. His frame is super thin and if he adds weight will it take away his + quickness? He is really good, but this isn't Lonzo Ball or Trevon Duvall. Side note, I had one coach say to me that the worse thing he can do is goto Nova. They don't see it as a system fit.
Louis King - From an upside POV, this was the best player I saw. 6'9 Wing who can shoot, handle, and is really long and athletic. He is a true SF. I was really impressed defensively, as his arms and hands were everywhere. He deflected and stole a lot of balls. From the corner he is lights out. Some times he fades out of the action, but when the kill switch is flipped, he can get buckets. Runs the floor really well and caught a pretty nasty alley opp from JQ. Consistency is the key with him and what I think is preventing the Dukes and UK's of the world from offering. Their lose and our gain. The player he reminds me of is Rashard Lewis who played with the Sonics.
Bonus Section - What I heard and what I think
Naz Reid - The birds are chirping in all different directions. I had one person tell me a few weeks ago that they had a really good feeling about Naz and SHU. Then I had someone tell me that Naz and JQ were going to be a package deal to LSU. Finally I had someone tell me that the LSU visit was only because his GF was there and he wasn't going(He didn't even know who the HC was). If we get him on campus with JQ, I think we got a shot.
Louis King - Everything I hear says he is all ours if UK doesn't offer, so I will hold my breath.
JQ - I get the feeling that he is cooling on Nova. To me, if you get him on campus with Naz and you sell them hard we have a chance.
Carey - He loves Shaheen and Sha has really done everything he can in this recruitment. Carey likes Ollie at UConn(and what guard wouldn't want to play for an NBA PG). My sources say that the father is friends with Red Autry at Cuse and that is where he is pushing him. I'd say we are in the race but not out in front.
Manuel - I continue to believe this is as much of a lock as possible, to the point that he might be held out of national AAU events so he doesn't get seen.
Al Dawes - I believe we are in really really good shape here. Again, Sha is bringing his A game.
Final Bonus - Had a really good talk with the father of an All League Player who just graduated. I was told that his son' #1 choice and what he wanted since he was a small boy was to goto Seton Hall. But he chose to goto a different school so he could be close to his parents. During the conversation, I almost felt like the father felt guilty for the son's choice. He would of been a heck of a player at The Hall though.
I hope everyone enjoyed this post. It's really awesome to goto a huge event like this and hear/see positive things as far as recruiting and Seton Hall goes. Huge improvement from Year 1 to current days for Coach Willard and Holloway! I continue to feel as if we will land a top echelon recruiting class in 2018.
First off, I'd like to compliment Jimmy S and Marcus on how well the event was planned. You had a lot of high impact players and schools at this event. Usually you get a lot of no shows from players, that wasn't the case here. A lot of big time college coaches showed up as well and for only $10 it was a great deal to see it all.
Next what I want to mention is that our staff did a great job of setting up shop right in front of the locker room doors. Every kid had to walk by them and say hello. The RU HC was stuck in a corner of the bleachers and you could barely see him or notice him. These things are important. Shaheen and Willard were chatting up some very important HS coaches as well. They worked the room very well. This is a huge improvement from when they started off years ago. Eventually when the games started, they moved into key spots either next to the bench of under the basket. Being seen by the kids is so important more so then watching the play.
Lot's of former SHU people were at the event like Kelly Whitney(son is a top 75 class of 2019), Jamar Wise(Roselle Catholic Asst), Marcus Toney-El, George Jackson, and Bill Garrett. Always good to see old faces and see how they are doing.
Here is my thoughts on players from each team
Patrick School
Al Dawes - This kid is good, enough said. Good size for a PG/Combo. Athletic and can shoot. IMHO he will be a top 40 kid by next year. Played with a lot of composure.
Marquis Nowell - I don't see it guys, to me he is just way too small. If he was 5'5 I'd be shocked. A lot of his shots got blocked and I mean a lot. What he does very well is get into the lane and dish. But the scoring and defense are going to be major issues. He also is not nearly as good as Jordan. I'd pass on him. Honestly, I think he is an A10 player.
As Dan mentioned, Manuel was back in his native country but should be back soon. Don't expect to see him too much in the AAU scene either. I think he is being "hidden" to help our cause. St Pats was missing 4 of their best players and all of their size. They will be a force again this year.
SHU Prep
Jabri Abdur-Rahim - This kid is going to be a studdddddd. He is orig from CA and moved to NJ because his father works for the NBA. If you don't know much about the NBA, his father was an All Star and elite basketball player Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who by the way is a very nice guy. Jabri is super skilled and long. He isn't done growing either. I expect him to finish out to be about 6-11. He reminds me of a young Lamar Odom. Can handle and shoot, goes to the rim, blocks shots. Did I mention he is going into his Soph year? We are talking top 5 player in the country potential.
Ashton Miller - Rising junior who really impressed me. Bigger guard at around 6'4, pretty athletic and tough nosed. Very smart with the ball and buried some jumpers. Def one to keep an eye on.
Don Bosco
Ron Harper - Sr 6'5ish Wing who is about 30 lbs too heavy but boy can this kid play. There is always one guy who you don't know about at these events and they grab your attention. He reminds me of Desi his Jr year at Lincoln. For a kid who isn't in great shape, he can jump and handle the ball. He banged a few impressive dunks. He was also lights out shooting from the perimeter. Bosco destroyed a Naz Reid less RC team in the first half almost single handedly by Harper. If I had an extra ship, I would use it on Harper, because if this kid does what Cheese Powell did, he is a huggeeeee sleeper.
Christ The King
Kofi Cockburn - He is a monster size wise. I mean he was all of 6'11 and 260 at the least. He is a mountain. CTK played awful and got ran off the court by Don Bosco. I don't know what was up with Kofi but he was lumbering. I was find him not getting back on offense and defense more often then not. Was he hurt? Is he out of shape? I don't know, but I do know it wasn't his best day on the court.
Immaculate
Jalen Carey - He is a really nice combo. He is all of 6'3 and long arms. He is really athletic and can shoot it well. What I like about Carey is his defense. He plays the passing lanes well and he is tremendous on the ball. Offensively he does a good job of creating space. He attacks the basket well and is crafty finishing. He has a smooth handle He needs to get stronger as he is pretty thing at this point.
Elijah Hutchins-Everett - 6'10 2010 kid that we just offered. This kid has some stones man. He went at Naz Reid the whole game and did not back down. He was blocking shots and going to the rim aggressively. I love his attitude on the court. This kid will be special if he keeps improving.
Roselle Catholic
Naz Reid - Beast, flat out beast. 6'10 ish 250 lbs and can lead the break. I close my eyes and see a poor mans Chris Weber. Very very unselfish on the break and does a good job of giving the ball in the right spot. It's like a big mac truck coming down the highway when he is on a break, big and fast. Physically imposing but yet highly skilled. He only played one game but he brought the motor. To top it off, he can really knock down long range bombs.
Kahlil Whitney - 2019 6'4 SG who is athletically gifted but still needs to learn the ins and outs of the game. He was probably the best run and jump guy at the event and he flashes a solid jumper. My problem was that he kind of hung on the perimeter at times and disappeared. I don't know he if he is lacking the killer instinct or what. He played better in the 2nd half of the game that Naz didn't play in so that was a positive. Def someone we should be after.
Hudson Catholic
Luther Muhammad - I have seen Luther play 4 or 5 times now and I just don't see it. To me, he isn't a top 100 recruit. He isn't that athletic and doesn't really do too much above average. His jumper is ok at best. Maybe he is an above average defender, but I am grasping at straws. I'd rather have Nelson and I'd rather take a chance on Harper to be honest. He wouldn't play at Seton Hall for a few years, if at all.
JQ - If I had to win a game today, this is the PG I would take. He has the ball on the string and is one of the best finishing under the rim guards I have seen in a long time. He is wiggly and elusive, more then he is fast or athletic. To me he isn't a one and done, more like 4 year college guy. The ceiling is probably where he is now. He is top level when it comes to being crafty and smart, so I just can't see him improving those skill sets. He has a really nice jumper that he can get off whenever he wants. His frame is super thin and if he adds weight will it take away his + quickness? He is really good, but this isn't Lonzo Ball or Trevon Duvall. Side note, I had one coach say to me that the worse thing he can do is goto Nova. They don't see it as a system fit.
Louis King - From an upside POV, this was the best player I saw. 6'9 Wing who can shoot, handle, and is really long and athletic. He is a true SF. I was really impressed defensively, as his arms and hands were everywhere. He deflected and stole a lot of balls. From the corner he is lights out. Some times he fades out of the action, but when the kill switch is flipped, he can get buckets. Runs the floor really well and caught a pretty nasty alley opp from JQ. Consistency is the key with him and what I think is preventing the Dukes and UK's of the world from offering. Their lose and our gain. The player he reminds me of is Rashard Lewis who played with the Sonics.
Bonus Section - What I heard and what I think
Naz Reid - The birds are chirping in all different directions. I had one person tell me a few weeks ago that they had a really good feeling about Naz and SHU. Then I had someone tell me that Naz and JQ were going to be a package deal to LSU. Finally I had someone tell me that the LSU visit was only because his GF was there and he wasn't going(He didn't even know who the HC was). If we get him on campus with JQ, I think we got a shot.
Louis King - Everything I hear says he is all ours if UK doesn't offer, so I will hold my breath.
JQ - I get the feeling that he is cooling on Nova. To me, if you get him on campus with Naz and you sell them hard we have a chance.
Carey - He loves Shaheen and Sha has really done everything he can in this recruitment. Carey likes Ollie at UConn(and what guard wouldn't want to play for an NBA PG). My sources say that the father is friends with Red Autry at Cuse and that is where he is pushing him. I'd say we are in the race but not out in front.
Manuel - I continue to believe this is as much of a lock as possible, to the point that he might be held out of national AAU events so he doesn't get seen.
Al Dawes - I believe we are in really really good shape here. Again, Sha is bringing his A game.
Final Bonus - Had a really good talk with the father of an All League Player who just graduated. I was told that his son' #1 choice and what he wanted since he was a small boy was to goto Seton Hall. But he chose to goto a different school so he could be close to his parents. During the conversation, I almost felt like the father felt guilty for the son's choice. He would of been a heck of a player at The Hall though.
I hope everyone enjoyed this post. It's really awesome to goto a huge event like this and hear/see positive things as far as recruiting and Seton Hall goes. Huge improvement from Year 1 to current days for Coach Willard and Holloway! I continue to feel as if we will land a top echelon recruiting class in 2018.
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