by Alex Schwartz

I've been looking forward to the Prime Time Shootout, a fantastic annual event, for quite some time, as this year's lineup, as usual, will have some of the best players and teams in the nation. The PTS is finally here, and will kick off tomorrow night at the Louis Brown Athletic Center (aka The RAC) on the campus of Rutgers University. Here's a rundown of how I expect tomorrow night's games to go:

5:00pm EST- Immaculata (NJ) vs. St. Joseph's Metuchen (NJ)
This game is a showdown between two Non-Public rivals with rich tradition. Last year, Immaculata made a run and won Non-Public A to make it to the NJ Tournament of Champions, while St. Joseph's Metuchen is always a factor in the state rankings, and has produced players such as NBA Draft top ten picks Andrew Bynum and Jay Williams. Immaculata is led by the tandem of Gomal Mohammed '09 and Theo Riddick '09, a Note Dame commit for football. St. Joe's is paced by Steve Rennard '10, easily the squad's best player, and Nikko Vastola '09 at the guard spots and Gerard Lewis '09 and Robbie Ashamole '11 down low. Although St. Joe's has the better record and one of the best coaches in the state, Dave Turco, Immaculata may well be a better team. This will be a close game.
Prediction- Immaculata by seven, 59-52 . . . It will be close throughout, but 'Lata will get the win

6:30pm EST- Duncanville (TX) vs. LeFlore (AL)
There will be at least seven high-major division one players on the court for this one, and it should be a dandy. LeFlore has been great this year, and features one of the top ballers in the nation, 6'10 mammoth DeMarcus Cousins '09, a face-up big man who can stroke it from beyond the arc. The squad also has South Alabama-commit Kentari Nettles '10, an athletic big man. As for Duncanville, a seven-loss team that was ranked number one in America by just about everyone before the season began, it all starts with Shawn Williams '09, a wing who has signed with Texas. Reger Dowell '09 brings up the point and fellow Oklahoma State signee Roger Franklin '09 is a scorer at the two-guard spot. Julian Washburn '10 and Baylor-pledge Perry Jones '10, who is the team's top prospect, start down low, with Jamison Sterns '10 coming off the bench. You would think that with all that talent I would have to go with Duncanville, but clearly it hasn't been enough so far. This game has the potential to be a thriller.
Prediction- LeFlore by six, 68-62 . . . The Duncanville skid will continue, and DeMarcus Cousins will have a huge game

8:00pm EST- Paterson Catholic (NJ) vs. Lincoln (NY)
Big city vs. THE city. Private vs. public. Rising power vs. perennial power. NJ vs. NY. This battle has the makings of a great game. Paterson Catholic boasts a deep, star-studded lineup, which is anchored by Fordham-bound Lance Brown '09. Fuquan Edwin '10, TJ Clemmings '10, Derrick Randall '11, and Myles Mack '11 are some of the high-major DI prospects on the team. All-everything freshman Kyle Anderson '12 is another big name. Paterson Catholic started off the year 2-3, but has since found its stride, recently defeating Trenton Catholic (NJ) by 10. As for Lincoln, the New York City superpower has seemed everything but super this year. Besides Lance Stephenson '09, who may well be the best player in the nation, the Railsplitters have been very inconsistent. Sometimes Maryland-bound big man James Padgett '09 will step up, as will players such as Darwin "Buddha" Ellis '09, Anthony Allen '09, Davon Walls '09, and Shaq Stokes '11, but it has not been enough for a shocking five-loss Lincoln team that finished top five in the nation last season. The talent is there, it's just a matter of putting it together.
Prediction- Lincoln by thirteen, 79-66 . . . The Railsplitters will get back on track here with a nice W

9:30pm EST- Plainfield (NJ) vs. Piscataway (NJ)
This is going to be the best game of the night. Despite there being only two high DI ballers on the court, Tyrone Johnson '11 and Pitt-pledge Isaiah Epps '10, both of Plainfield, this one will be one to stick around for. These two teams may well be the two best public school squads in the state, aside from Newark Science Park. Only one of them will make if out of sectionals, as both are in North II of Group IV, and this should be a sectional final preview, unless Ridge (NJ)—which has already beaten Piscataway—has something to say about it. Plainfield has four losses, including two to Group III favorite Shabazz (NJ), while Piscataway's lone loss was to Ridge. Plainfield has played the tougher schedule, with wins over Paterson Catholic (NJ) and St. Anthony's (NJ), and seems to play its best in big games. Anthony Baskerville '09 teams with Johnson and Epps to form a three-headed monster of guards for the Plainfield Cardinals, all of whom can shoot, dribble, drive, and pass. Piscataway has just one quality guard in Jeff Adkins '09, so the Chiefs need to avoid a run 'n gun game. The squad does have a huge advantage when it comes to low post play, with Tristan Benjamin '09, Temple-bound (football) Aaron Hush '09, and Wayne Newsom '10. Benjamin is a big bruiser, while Hush is a really aggressive, and Newsom is a phenomenal athlete. If the bigs play well for Piscataway, and the team can keep it a slower-paced game, they may well pull off the upset. Expect a fantastic battle.
Prediction- Piscataway by three, 74-71 . . . The "home" fans and size advantage will be too much for Plainfield to overcome

Note- first photo is of DeMarcus Cousins and is from http://scouthoops.scout.com/Note- second photo is of Aaron Hush and is from http://rutgers.scout.com/