Hoop Group Showcase Challenge Series Recap with School Lists & Scouting Reports
by Alex Schwartz
I went to Rider University today to check out a pair of high school basketball games featuring some very good teams and a many talented players. At 2:30pm EST, The Hun School (NJ) Raiders met Chestnut Hill Academy (PA) Blue Devils and in the second half of the double header, the St. Patrick's (NJ) Celtics squared off against the Pennsbury (PA) Falcons. Both games were Garden State/Keystone State matchups, with the latter of the two pitting the top team in New Jersey against arguably the best squad in Pennsylvania. In this article I'll have a rundown of the games as well as a couple of school lists and a number of scouting reports.
The gym did not really start to fill up until the fourth quarter, as the second game was the real attraction, but the contest between the Hun Raiders and the Chestnut Hill Blue Devils was, nonetheless, hard-fought and close throughout. The game drew coaches from Brown, UPenn,
and Holy Cross. Hun features Rice-bound power forward Egheosa Edomwonyi '09, Dartmouth-commit RJ Griffin '09, Jon Lee '09, and DeOliver Davis '10—amongst others—while Chestnut Hill is led mainly by Gary Lawrence '09 with some help from Todd Cramer '10 and Patrick Connaghan '10. The game started out slow, as both teams struggled to score, and it was 10-8 Chestnut Hill after one quarter of play. Edomwonyi led the way for Hun, while Lawrence was the key for CHA. The action started to pickup in the second period, as the teams began to find their groove. Strong play from Lawrence and Cramer gave the Blue Devils a three-point cushion entering halftime, leading 24-21. Lee, Griffin, and Myles Melville '12 fought to bring Hun back into the game after the intermission, but Cramer and Lawrence continued to play solid basketball, with Connaghan, Andrew Kraft '10, and Kevin Maguire '09 helping too. After 24 minutes of play, Hun was behind 35-31, as CHA increased its lead by a point for the second straight quarter. The question was whether the Blue Devils would be able to hold on their advantage. Hun surged back in the fourth quarter, eventually taking a 38-36 lead with 3:25 left. The teams went back and forth and it was knotted up at 40 with less than two minutes to play, and it was even at 42 with 60 seconds to go. Hun had the ball late in the game and was holding for the last shot, and Jon Lee drove to the rack, drawing a foul with the clock showing 3.1. The post grad from Flint Carman Ainsworth HS (MI) drained both shots, giving the Raiders a come-from-behind 44-42 win. Todd Cramer was chosen as MVP for Chestnut Hill, while RJ Griffin was the honoree for Hun.
The main attraction of the day was the game between St. Patrick's and Pennsbury, a contest that coaches from UConn and Villanova came to see. St. Patrick's, coming off of an incredible 26-point thrashing of St. Benedict's (NJ) and a win over Hun is a top 10 team in America, while Pennsbury is having a great season as well, yet the main blemish is a big loss to St. Pat's at the Beach Ball Classic earlier in the season. Just like last time, the Celtics would be without one of their star guards, but it would be the other one this time around. Last time the teams met, Kyrie Irving '10 had to sit out due to transfer rules. This time, North Carolina-signee Dexter Strickland '09 was out with a face injury he suffered against Hun. The superstar combo guard told me that this would be the only game he would miss due to the injury. Pennsbury was also hurt by injuries, as 6'6 Goran Dulac '09—the Falcons' biggest player—missed his second in three days with what I hear is an ankle injury. The Celtics are led by Irving, George Mason-signee Paris Bennett '09, and super sophomore Michael Gilchrist '11, while West Virginia-bound Dalton Pepper '09 and Philadelphia University-pledge Eddie DiRugeris '09 lead the way for Pennsbury. Both squads were rusty in the first half, as St. Pat's led 13-7 after eight minutes of play and took a 20-11 lead into the break. The low-scoring slow-paced game continued into the second half, as it took nearly five and a half minutes for Pennsbury to get on the board in the third quarter. Finally, Dalton Pepper hit a three to make it 23-14. The Celtics had a 27-16 lead entering the final eight minutes of play, with Pepper scoring all of the Falcons' points in the third quarter. From there, Pennsbury began to creep back into the game. A 5-0 run in the first 1:05 of the fourth quarter made it 27-21, the smallest deficit of the half. The points came off of a pair of free throws and a trey from Pepper, as the wing scored the first 10 points of the half for his squad. St. Patrick's would not let Pennsbury get too close, as Irving and Bennett scored back-to-back
baskets, making it 31-21 with 5:20 to go. A trifecta from the corner from Tom Marcinkowski '09 made it 31-24 with the clock showing 31-26. A free throw from Gilchrist was followed up by a layup by Dante Devine '10, making it 32-26 with 4:40 to go. Devine then scored an old-fashioned three points after a free throw by Irving, slicing the Celtics' lead down to four, 33-29, with 3:50 left in regulation. A layup from Irving—who turned on the jets in the fourth quarter after struggling early—made it 35-29 with two minutes left. Pepper scored on a layup with 1:40 left, closing the gap back to four-points. A three-ball from Jesse Krasna '10 made it a 10-4 run for Pennsbury, and cut the Celtics' lead to a mere one point, 35-34, with 61 seconds to go. Gilchrist made a pair of free throws with 46.8 seconds left and then DiRugeris hit one for Pennsbury with 27.4 to go. The Falcons got the offensive board after he missed the second one and got the ball to Pepper. The future WVU Mountaineer drove to the rack and missed a layup with about 15 seconds to go. The shortest player on the court, Kevin Boyle, Jr. '10 got the rebound as was fouled with 10.1 left. The junior guard hit both of his shots at the line, and at the other end Irving grabbed a rebound off a missed layup by DiRugeris, ending the game, with St. Pat's taking home a tough 39-35 victory. Dalton Pepper was chose as MVP for Pennsbury, while Kyrie Irving received the award for the victors, dropping 15 points. The victory by the Celtics gave New Jersey wins over Pennsylvania in both of the day's affairs.
SCHOOL LISTS
Jon Lee '09, The Hun School (NJ): Fairfield, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Cornell, Brown, Tulsa, Toledo, Central Michigan, and NJIT
Offers: Fairfield, Holy Cross, and Lafayette
Favorites: "Probably Holy Cross and Cornell."
Note- Lee said he has about an 83 average in school.
Gary Lawrence '09, Chestnut Hill Academy (PA): Binghamton, New Hampshire, Temple, and Loyola (MD)
Offers: "No offers yet."
Favorites: "Binghamton [and] Loyola (MD). [Pause] Temple too."
SCOUTING REPORTS
Egheosa Edomwonyi '09, The Hun School (NJ)
A 6'8 power forward, Edomwonyi is a hard worker—especially on the offensive glass and when running up and down court in transition—who plays active, though he is not much of a scorer in the low post on offense. Egheosa has long arms and runs with long strides. The future Rice Owl is a solid athlete who sets a lot of screens at the top of the key in the Hun offense. He does have to improve his free throw shooting. Right now, Edomwonyi is a raw player who works hard and is solid on defense, and though he likely won't be able to contribute much as a freshman, he certainly has some potential.
Ryan Adams '10, The Hun School (NJ)
Although he started, the 6'5 Adams did not show much today, and did not have a particularly good game. It is clear that he has to bulk up, though he does have nice overall size.
Myles Melville '12, The Hun School (NJ)
The younger brother of former Hun star and current Colgate freshman Sterling Melville, Myles is a very good young player with nice potential. Standing 6'3, he has a solid frame for a kid his age and is a stellar athlete. As well, he knocks down his free throws. Basketball clearly runs in the family, as the younger Melville has a bright future and will be a key component of the Raiders' attack for three more years. Watch for him down the road.
Todd Cramer '10, Chestnut Hill Academy (PA)
For the most part, Cramer out shined his more highly touted teammate, senior Gary Lawrence today, en route to earning MVP honors. Todd is 6'4 and has good size and a nice build. He is an intense, smart player and is also appeared to be a team leader despite being a junior. He does a good job on the offensive glass, and although his free throw stroke isn't pretty, he does shoot well from the line.
RJ Griffin '09, The Hun School (NJ)
Griffin, who is 6'4, a solid, yet somewhat quiet game, garnering the MVP award in his team's victory. He is a nice shooter, as he can knock it down from both the charity stripe and three-point land, where he has a nice, smooth stroke. Griffin should be a nice fit in the Ivy League at Dartmouth.
Gary Lawrence '09, Chestnut Hill Academy (PA)
Although Lawrence did not win the MVP award, the 6'6 wing did attract the most attention from the Hun defense. It was clear that he has a nice skill set, as he showed an ability to drove strong to the hoop and also hit a pull-up jumper despite an awkward shooting motion. Gary's overall frame is good, but a little bit more bulk would do him some good. He is a good athlete with a smooth game. Defensively, Lawrence does a nice job of blocking shots. He passes the ball well and has a stellar spin move in the post. Gary is not a very good three-point shooter or free throw shooter, though his inside-outside game is solid, and he could be a solid small forward at the next level, where it seems he would be a good fit at the low DI level.
Jon Lee '09, The Hun School (NJ)
Lee, a 6'1 point guard, showed more of a score-first point guard mentality today, but that is what his team needed to win. He is a good athlete and does a nice job of driving to the rack. Meanwhile, Jon plays nice, tight defense and showed an ability to contribute on both ends of the floor.
Note- photo on the left is of RJ Griffin and is from http://njhoops.rivals.com/default.asp; photo on the right is of St. Patrick's warming up before the game.
I went to Rider University today to check out a pair of high school basketball games featuring some very good teams and a many talented players. At 2:30pm EST, The Hun School (NJ) Raiders met Chestnut Hill Academy (PA) Blue Devils and in the second half of the double header, the St. Patrick's (NJ) Celtics squared off against the Pennsbury (PA) Falcons. Both games were Garden State/Keystone State matchups, with the latter of the two pitting the top team in New Jersey against arguably the best squad in Pennsylvania. In this article I'll have a rundown of the games as well as a couple of school lists and a number of scouting reports.
The gym did not really start to fill up until the fourth quarter, as the second game was the real attraction, but the contest between the Hun Raiders and the Chestnut Hill Blue Devils was, nonetheless, hard-fought and close throughout. The game drew coaches from Brown, UPenn,
and Holy Cross. Hun features Rice-bound power forward Egheosa Edomwonyi '09, Dartmouth-commit RJ Griffin '09, Jon Lee '09, and DeOliver Davis '10—amongst others—while Chestnut Hill is led mainly by Gary Lawrence '09 with some help from Todd Cramer '10 and Patrick Connaghan '10. The game started out slow, as both teams struggled to score, and it was 10-8 Chestnut Hill after one quarter of play. Edomwonyi led the way for Hun, while Lawrence was the key for CHA. The action started to pickup in the second period, as the teams began to find their groove. Strong play from Lawrence and Cramer gave the Blue Devils a three-point cushion entering halftime, leading 24-21. Lee, Griffin, and Myles Melville '12 fought to bring Hun back into the game after the intermission, but Cramer and Lawrence continued to play solid basketball, with Connaghan, Andrew Kraft '10, and Kevin Maguire '09 helping too. After 24 minutes of play, Hun was behind 35-31, as CHA increased its lead by a point for the second straight quarter. The question was whether the Blue Devils would be able to hold on their advantage. Hun surged back in the fourth quarter, eventually taking a 38-36 lead with 3:25 left. The teams went back and forth and it was knotted up at 40 with less than two minutes to play, and it was even at 42 with 60 seconds to go. Hun had the ball late in the game and was holding for the last shot, and Jon Lee drove to the rack, drawing a foul with the clock showing 3.1. The post grad from Flint Carman Ainsworth HS (MI) drained both shots, giving the Raiders a come-from-behind 44-42 win. Todd Cramer was chosen as MVP for Chestnut Hill, while RJ Griffin was the honoree for Hun.The main attraction of the day was the game between St. Patrick's and Pennsbury, a contest that coaches from UConn and Villanova came to see. St. Patrick's, coming off of an incredible 26-point thrashing of St. Benedict's (NJ) and a win over Hun is a top 10 team in America, while Pennsbury is having a great season as well, yet the main blemish is a big loss to St. Pat's at the Beach Ball Classic earlier in the season. Just like last time, the Celtics would be without one of their star guards, but it would be the other one this time around. Last time the teams met, Kyrie Irving '10 had to sit out due to transfer rules. This time, North Carolina-signee Dexter Strickland '09 was out with a face injury he suffered against Hun. The superstar combo guard told me that this would be the only game he would miss due to the injury. Pennsbury was also hurt by injuries, as 6'6 Goran Dulac '09—the Falcons' biggest player—missed his second in three days with what I hear is an ankle injury. The Celtics are led by Irving, George Mason-signee Paris Bennett '09, and super sophomore Michael Gilchrist '11, while West Virginia-bound Dalton Pepper '09 and Philadelphia University-pledge Eddie DiRugeris '09 lead the way for Pennsbury. Both squads were rusty in the first half, as St. Pat's led 13-7 after eight minutes of play and took a 20-11 lead into the break. The low-scoring slow-paced game continued into the second half, as it took nearly five and a half minutes for Pennsbury to get on the board in the third quarter. Finally, Dalton Pepper hit a three to make it 23-14. The Celtics had a 27-16 lead entering the final eight minutes of play, with Pepper scoring all of the Falcons' points in the third quarter. From there, Pennsbury began to creep back into the game. A 5-0 run in the first 1:05 of the fourth quarter made it 27-21, the smallest deficit of the half. The points came off of a pair of free throws and a trey from Pepper, as the wing scored the first 10 points of the half for his squad. St. Patrick's would not let Pennsbury get too close, as Irving and Bennett scored back-to-back
baskets, making it 31-21 with 5:20 to go. A trifecta from the corner from Tom Marcinkowski '09 made it 31-24 with the clock showing 31-26. A free throw from Gilchrist was followed up by a layup by Dante Devine '10, making it 32-26 with 4:40 to go. Devine then scored an old-fashioned three points after a free throw by Irving, slicing the Celtics' lead down to four, 33-29, with 3:50 left in regulation. A layup from Irving—who turned on the jets in the fourth quarter after struggling early—made it 35-29 with two minutes left. Pepper scored on a layup with 1:40 left, closing the gap back to four-points. A three-ball from Jesse Krasna '10 made it a 10-4 run for Pennsbury, and cut the Celtics' lead to a mere one point, 35-34, with 61 seconds to go. Gilchrist made a pair of free throws with 46.8 seconds left and then DiRugeris hit one for Pennsbury with 27.4 to go. The Falcons got the offensive board after he missed the second one and got the ball to Pepper. The future WVU Mountaineer drove to the rack and missed a layup with about 15 seconds to go. The shortest player on the court, Kevin Boyle, Jr. '10 got the rebound as was fouled with 10.1 left. The junior guard hit both of his shots at the line, and at the other end Irving grabbed a rebound off a missed layup by DiRugeris, ending the game, with St. Pat's taking home a tough 39-35 victory. Dalton Pepper was chose as MVP for Pennsbury, while Kyrie Irving received the award for the victors, dropping 15 points. The victory by the Celtics gave New Jersey wins over Pennsylvania in both of the day's affairs.SCHOOL LISTS
Jon Lee '09, The Hun School (NJ): Fairfield, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Cornell, Brown, Tulsa, Toledo, Central Michigan, and NJIT
Offers: Fairfield, Holy Cross, and Lafayette
Favorites: "Probably Holy Cross and Cornell."
Note- Lee said he has about an 83 average in school.
Gary Lawrence '09, Chestnut Hill Academy (PA): Binghamton, New Hampshire, Temple, and Loyola (MD)
Offers: "No offers yet."
Favorites: "Binghamton [and] Loyola (MD). [Pause] Temple too."
SCOUTING REPORTS
Egheosa Edomwonyi '09, The Hun School (NJ)
A 6'8 power forward, Edomwonyi is a hard worker—especially on the offensive glass and when running up and down court in transition—who plays active, though he is not much of a scorer in the low post on offense. Egheosa has long arms and runs with long strides. The future Rice Owl is a solid athlete who sets a lot of screens at the top of the key in the Hun offense. He does have to improve his free throw shooting. Right now, Edomwonyi is a raw player who works hard and is solid on defense, and though he likely won't be able to contribute much as a freshman, he certainly has some potential.
Ryan Adams '10, The Hun School (NJ)
Although he started, the 6'5 Adams did not show much today, and did not have a particularly good game. It is clear that he has to bulk up, though he does have nice overall size.
Myles Melville '12, The Hun School (NJ)
The younger brother of former Hun star and current Colgate freshman Sterling Melville, Myles is a very good young player with nice potential. Standing 6'3, he has a solid frame for a kid his age and is a stellar athlete. As well, he knocks down his free throws. Basketball clearly runs in the family, as the younger Melville has a bright future and will be a key component of the Raiders' attack for three more years. Watch for him down the road.
Todd Cramer '10, Chestnut Hill Academy (PA)
For the most part, Cramer out shined his more highly touted teammate, senior Gary Lawrence today, en route to earning MVP honors. Todd is 6'4 and has good size and a nice build. He is an intense, smart player and is also appeared to be a team leader despite being a junior. He does a good job on the offensive glass, and although his free throw stroke isn't pretty, he does shoot well from the line.
RJ Griffin '09, The Hun School (NJ)
Griffin, who is 6'4, a solid, yet somewhat quiet game, garnering the MVP award in his team's victory. He is a nice shooter, as he can knock it down from both the charity stripe and three-point land, where he has a nice, smooth stroke. Griffin should be a nice fit in the Ivy League at Dartmouth.
Gary Lawrence '09, Chestnut Hill Academy (PA)
Although Lawrence did not win the MVP award, the 6'6 wing did attract the most attention from the Hun defense. It was clear that he has a nice skill set, as he showed an ability to drove strong to the hoop and also hit a pull-up jumper despite an awkward shooting motion. Gary's overall frame is good, but a little bit more bulk would do him some good. He is a good athlete with a smooth game. Defensively, Lawrence does a nice job of blocking shots. He passes the ball well and has a stellar spin move in the post. Gary is not a very good three-point shooter or free throw shooter, though his inside-outside game is solid, and he could be a solid small forward at the next level, where it seems he would be a good fit at the low DI level.
Jon Lee '09, The Hun School (NJ)
Lee, a 6'1 point guard, showed more of a score-first point guard mentality today, but that is what his team needed to win. He is a good athlete and does a nice job of driving to the rack. Meanwhile, Jon plays nice, tight defense and showed an ability to contribute on both ends of the floor.
Note- photo on the left is of RJ Griffin and is from http://njhoops.rivals.com/default.asp; photo on the right is of St. Patrick's warming up before the game.
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