Better Than Telfair In Pass Dept
Japhet McNeil, a crafty 5-10, 155-pound point guard from Christ the King High School in Queens, New York, has recently had a number of schools visit to evaluate him.
McNeil worked out for UMass, Villanova, Holy Cross, and Drexel over the past couple of weeks. Other schools who have inquired include Seton Hall, UConn, Hofstra, and Stanford.
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McNeil, who averaged 14.8 points this season for head coach Bob Oliva, is one of the more distinctive looking lead guards in New York City, sporting a pair of braids that flop around as he tears through opposing defenses.
McNeil, a native of the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, is also one of the craftier point men around. He is a capable ball handler, but his real gift is in distributing the ball. Japhet is a gifted passer with excellent vision.
He has an outstanding passing touch, and few can throw the basketball or three-quarter court pass with more accuracy or precision. Countless times this season, teammate Mitch Beauford was the recipient of one of McNeil's pinpoint heaves for an easy deuce.
McNeil is arguably the best passer in New York City. Lincoln's Sebastian Telfair excels at passes of the draw and dish variety, but with the long toss, no one in the city is better than McNeil.
McNeil is definitely going to have to get stronger, at a waifish 155 pounds and there are times when he has lapses on the defensive end. But his ability to put teammates in positions to score make him an intriguing prospect in the Class of 2003.
McNeil will compete with the Brooklyn Queens aka Sonday Express AAU team this summer. He will attend the Gym Rats Tournament in Albany over Memorial Day
weekend with Sonday, as well as the Three Stripes Tournament at Hofstra over the summer and the Vegas Big Time Tournament.
Japhet will also attend the Nike Tournament in Indianapolis and the Five Star Camp. McNeil has an 84 scholastic GPA. He will take the SAT for the first time in June.