Starting Five: Stars in action
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Over the weekend, there were a couple of games featuring high-profile players
that were nationally televised. During this week's Starting Five we recap what
we saw in these games and discuss wings Tyson Jolly,
Joshua Langford and
Newman and Callaway best Stone and DominicanFor a while, undecided five-star prospects Malik Newman and
Diamond Stone were very public about their desire to attend the same college if it
could be worked out. As it turns out the two close friends won't likely end up
at the same school. But, on Valentine's Day they at least got to lock horns in a
nationally televised game as Newman's Jackson (Miss.) Provine squad traveled to
Wisconsin and put a 76-47 hurting on Stone's Whitefish Bay (Wisc.) Dominican
team
A 6-foot-4 shooting guard who currently ranks No. 3 overall in the class of
2015, Newman led all scorers with 31 points on the night. It isn't a surprise
that Newman led everybody in the scoring column, the explosive scorer tends to
do that. It was the way in which he did it that impressed. Rather than settle
for jumpers, Newman was relentless in attacking the rim and used his first step
to exploit defenders who couldn't match his quickness.
Scorers like Newman are always going to take some questionable shots but save
for one bad three-pointer launched from just a couple of steps inside of
halfcourt, Newman took good shots. On the school front, Newman continues to say
to run short with him in state playoffs and the April 15 start date for the late
signing period approaching. Newman has seen Kentucky, Ole Miss and
Mississippi State unofficially.
One the other side, Stone had his moments as well while racking up 28 points and
15 rebounds. The biggest and strongest player on the court, he continually got
position in the low post and usually converted at the rim. The length and
quickness of Callaway was bothersome to him at times, but Stone also showed
touch to around 12 feet and his ability to turn, face and hit a baseline jumper
should be very good for him on the next level.
Unlike Newman who hasn't scheduled any visits, Stone has taken official visits
to his final four schools. During the fall he visited Connecticut,
the home state Badgers has and continues to be strong with UConn and Maryland
splitting the other votes and the Cowboys looking like a long shot at the
moment.
Roselle Catholic gets win over Our SaviorOn Sunday, Roselle (N.J.) Catholic earned a hard fought 63-59 win over
Centereach (N.Y.) Our Savior in a game played in the Zoom Arena that Nike set up
in New York City during the NBA's All-Star Game festivities. The playing surface
was actually made up completely of LED lights and featured all sorts of graphics
and Nike promotional information throughout the course of the game.
As for the game itself, Roselle was led by 29 points from five-star point guard
Isaiah Briscoe who had his future head coach John Calipari of
Kentucky sitting courtside. Currently ranked No. 9 in the class of 2015,
Briscoe's points didn't come easy. The big floor general was just 4-19 from the
field but converted on 19-22 free throws while also grabbing five rebounds and
dishing out a pair of assists.
Briscoe suffered a broken foot at the end of the summer and it looks like he may
still be working his way to 100 percent. He doesn't look to be in quite as good of
condition as he did during the summer and he's not getting by defenders quite as
easily off the dribble. But, you can always count on Briscoe to play in attack
mode and he certainly proved that again by earning 22 trips to the free throw
line.
For Our Savior, the star player is 6-foot-9 power forward Cheick Diallo.
Like Briscoe, Diallo is a McDonald's All-American but he is undecided between
Kentucky, Kansas, St. John's, Iowa State and Pittsburgh. After
a pretty quick start, Diallo slowed a little late as teammates settled for
jumpers while trying to get back into the game. He did finish with 16 points and
nine rebounds.
As is usual with Diallo, he showed off a high running motor and elite level
rebounding. Most encouraging were a pair of mid range jumpers that he hit where
he caught and got off nice looking shots quickly and with a nice high release
point. He will need to add more strength to his lean frame, but his energy and
relentless playing style should allow him to be an instant contributor
regardless of who he chooses.
Also impressive in the loss for Our Savior was Rivals150 junior power forward
Kassoum Yakwe. The 6-foot-7 lefty was very active as a shot blocker,
ran the floor and really did an excellent job of using his athleticism to change
things on the interior and discourage drives by Roselle Catholic. For Roselle,
freshman power forward Nazreon Reid also showed some flashes of
potential with his ability to run the floor, hit the glass and play above the
rim when necessary.
Strong junior campaign for LangfordThe No. 21 player in the class of 2016, 6-foot-6 shooting guard Joshua Langford is in the midst of a huge junior season at Madison (Ala.) Academy.
Fully healthy after being plagued by the injury bug over the summer, Langford is
scoring 26 points while grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out five assists per
outing.
Already the owner of one state championship, Langford's play has helped his team
to the regional finals and they appear to be primed for another strong run at
the title. Though he's been busy with his junior season, Langford has also fit
in some visits.
Langford's father Tellus told Rivals.com that his son has visited
State this season. With more offers from places like Alabama,
heavily recruited players in the South.
For now, Langford has not set any plans to cut his list and is focused on
finishing out his junior season.
Need for SneedLast week Rivals.com made a swing through St. Louis, one of the players that we
didn't get to see is junior wing Xavier Sneed. A 6-foot-5 athlete at
Florissant (Mo.) Hazelwood Central, Sneed is very much on our radar and that of
college coaches though.
A three-star prospect headed into the season, Sneed has taken his game to a new
level as a junior. Reports from coaches who have seen him and game film show
that Sneed has gone from athlete who happens to play basketball (he's also a
very good wide receiver) to basketball player who is also an athlete.
Sneed is a big time competitor, can lock up opponents and he is a highlight
finisher in transition. He has improved his shooting and ball handling to the
point where he's not just likely to enter the 2016 Rivals150 when it gets
updated next month, he's got a good chance to enter as a four-star prospect.
Last week, Illinois head coach John Groce was in to see Sneed
and became the latest to offer a scholarship. Others who are getting more and
Sneed will hit the grassroots circuit with St. Louis Eagles again this spring
and he's sure to draw even more attention playing alongside five-star wing
Jayson Tatum and four-star big man Tyler Cook.
Jolly continues to attract attentionOne of the best stories in the class of 2015 is that of 6-foot-4 shooting guard
As a junior, Jolly missed most of the season and nearly saw his career come to
an end due to blood clots. Now fully healthy, Jolly is having a huge senior year
and has positioned himself for a jump from unranked three-star prospect to
Rivals150 member when senior class rankings get finalized in April.
More importantly, Jolly has seen things really heat up on the recruiting trail.
His efforts last week included a 43 point night and a triple double and he now
been in recently include California, Minnesota and
Missouri and interest in his game seems to be growing on almost daily
basis.
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