Dan Block to Denison; Game Notes
by Alex Schwartz
I went to West Windsor-Plainsboro South (NJ) today to watch the Pirates take on the Trenton Central (NJ) Tornadoes in a battle between the two best public school teams in Mercer County, the class of the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC). My notes on the game will be listed below, but one thing I wanted to point out separately is that while I was there I learned of a commitment by one of WWPS's players. Dan Block '09, a 6'3 forward, has verbally committed to Denison, a quality academic Division III school in Ohio. Block is a rugged big man, though he is obviously undersized. Dan works hard in the post and is a starter, captain, and key member of the Pirates' team. While he will need to continue developing his overall game, get quicker, and improve his jumper, Block has a chance to be a solid player for the Big Red. Again, Dan Block of WWP South has committed to Division III Denison, in news being first reported by Northstar Basketball.
- West Windsor Plainsboro South is very, very good, and has a legitimate chance at winning the Mercer County Tournament. The Pirates defeated Trenton 58-48, and never trailed at the end of a quarter, as it was tied after one, and they had the lead at half, after the third, and defended their home turf with a win. Austin Witter '09 was extremely impressive. While I don't have exact stats on him, I would think he had 20 to 25 points, 8 to 11 rebounds, about 5 blocks, and around 6 assists. He had a monster dunk and nailed a key trey right in a Trenton player's face. Austin was very good last time I saw him, but this time he was great. Chris Johnson '09 and Dan Block played well for WWPS as well. Trenton—which clearly misses its best player, Darrin Elam '09, who is currently ineligible—is not the same this year, as Randy Morrison's team is young (one junior and two sophomore starters). This may be a down year for TCHS, but a down year by its standards is still quite good. Expect Trenton Central to return to its normal dominating self next season. Bruce Brittingham '11 and Justin Williams '09 kept Trenton in the game, but could not do it all themselves, and the team had no answer for Witter.
- A few NBA notes on a quartet of former high school and college stars from a game I attended: I was at the Chicago Bulls' 100-87 win over the New Jersey Nets the other day at the Meadowlands, and despite the double-digit win, it was a very good affair until there was about five minutes to go when Vinny Del Negro's squad pulled away. Vince Carter (North Carolina) led all scorers with 31 points and showed why he has been so good for so long, as he has a complete offensive arsenal. Devin Harris (Wisconsin) has got to be one of the NBA's budding stars. The former top 10 pick, who had 26 points, is a talented point guard with a bright future. The fact that he cooled off in the fourth quarter killed the Nets. Derrick Rose (Memphis) is going to be an NBA All-Star many, many times during his career. He has all the makings of one of the very best point guards to play this game. The rookie is quick and scores with ease from all over the floor. His 21 points do not demonstrate how well he played. Ben Gordon (UConn) may well be the key to the Bulls' season though. A former top 5 pick, the combo guard led the Windy City squad with 24 points, yet did so quietly, as he is just an overall effective player.
I went to West Windsor-Plainsboro South (NJ) today to watch the Pirates take on the Trenton Central (NJ) Tornadoes in a battle between the two best public school teams in Mercer County, the class of the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC). My notes on the game will be listed below, but one thing I wanted to point out separately is that while I was there I learned of a commitment by one of WWPS's players. Dan Block '09, a 6'3 forward, has verbally committed to Denison, a quality academic Division III school in Ohio. Block is a rugged big man, though he is obviously undersized. Dan works hard in the post and is a starter, captain, and key member of the Pirates' team. While he will need to continue developing his overall game, get quicker, and improve his jumper, Block has a chance to be a solid player for the Big Red. Again, Dan Block of WWP South has committed to Division III Denison, in news being first reported by Northstar Basketball.
- West Windsor Plainsboro South is very, very good, and has a legitimate chance at winning the Mercer County Tournament. The Pirates defeated Trenton 58-48, and never trailed at the end of a quarter, as it was tied after one, and they had the lead at half, after the third, and defended their home turf with a win. Austin Witter '09 was extremely impressive. While I don't have exact stats on him, I would think he had 20 to 25 points, 8 to 11 rebounds, about 5 blocks, and around 6 assists. He had a monster dunk and nailed a key trey right in a Trenton player's face. Austin was very good last time I saw him, but this time he was great. Chris Johnson '09 and Dan Block played well for WWPS as well. Trenton—which clearly misses its best player, Darrin Elam '09, who is currently ineligible—is not the same this year, as Randy Morrison's team is young (one junior and two sophomore starters). This may be a down year for TCHS, but a down year by its standards is still quite good. Expect Trenton Central to return to its normal dominating self next season. Bruce Brittingham '11 and Justin Williams '09 kept Trenton in the game, but could not do it all themselves, and the team had no answer for Witter.
- A few NBA notes on a quartet of former high school and college stars from a game I attended: I was at the Chicago Bulls' 100-87 win over the New Jersey Nets the other day at the Meadowlands, and despite the double-digit win, it was a very good affair until there was about five minutes to go when Vinny Del Negro's squad pulled away. Vince Carter (North Carolina) led all scorers with 31 points and showed why he has been so good for so long, as he has a complete offensive arsenal. Devin Harris (Wisconsin) has got to be one of the NBA's budding stars. The former top 10 pick, who had 26 points, is a talented point guard with a bright future. The fact that he cooled off in the fourth quarter killed the Nets. Derrick Rose (Memphis) is going to be an NBA All-Star many, many times during his career. He has all the makings of one of the very best point guards to play this game. The rookie is quick and scores with ease from all over the floor. His 21 points do not demonstrate how well he played. Ben Gordon (UConn) may well be the key to the Bulls' season though. A former top 5 pick, the combo guard led the Windy City squad with 24 points, yet did so quietly, as he is just an overall effective player.
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