Primetime Shootout Preview at Kean University

This is one of my favorite basketball events of the year and it is cby far and away the premier high school basketball event in the country. It has grown more and more each year and currently has games in several college cities such as Villanova, Morgantown, Kean(it was New Brunswick at the RAC last year) and Trenton. There's a number of great players I have seen in this showcase such as Ty Lawson, Eric Devendorf, Andrew Bynum, Michael Beasley, Lance Stephenson, etc. Some of these matchups prove to be very exciting games and a lot of the time are out of state matchups that you're not going to get a chance to see much in the course of a season. The more intriguing games generally are the Oak Hill-St. Pat's matchups as well as basically any public or parochial school in NYC. They almost always give you exciting games. The coaches are pretty animated too such as Lincoln's Dwayne "Tiny" Morton as well as some of the lesser known schools coaches such as a school in Maryland who I can't think of right now where he was absolutely insane and sceaming the entire game. Then you also have the legendary coaches in Bob Hurley and Oak Hill's Steve Smith. So this event always turns out a good product. There's many established teams and well known national programs in this event combined with names most basketball fans know as well as getting a chance to see the future of college and professional basketball. At last year's event in Trenton, I saw Bob Huggins and Jay Wright which was pretty cool and it's a commonality to see collegiate coaches at this event which makes the event even better cause you will be able to see these guys play with them in college. This year's games aren't the best, but are far from bad. I haven't decided yet if I go Saturday. If I d, it'll be for the last 3 games which are: St.Anthony's-Montrose Christian, Rice-St. Pat's, St. Peter's Prep-Oak Hill. The first two should be good games but the last on paper looks like a considerable mismatch, but it would be a big win for the state of NJ if Peter's can beat Oak Hill.I don't think it will be a blowout but Peter's will probably lose by 15 or so. But anyway, here are the matchups for tomorrow night at Kean University, the first of the three day Shootout in New Jersey.

5:30PM Monroe vs. Ridge
This to me is an intriguing game right off the bat. Monroe has put together a very good season once again with a 17-2 and look like they're going be seeded #1 in the Central Jersey, Group IV bracket. They are a very experienced team led by Kenny Pace who is averaging 16 points a game this season, as well as Timmy Brix and Blake Bascom. Danny Brix, Timmy's younger brother has averaged nearly 12 points a game, which is an invaluable contribution for any plaer,let alone one who is a sophomore. Ahmid Williams is averaging 6 points a game and is also making invaluable contributions as a sophomore with his defense as well as things not as well noted on the scoreboard such as rebounding and assists. Monroe has also played in a lot of close games this season so they're not going to feel much pressure if the game is close. Bob Turco has really done another nice coaching job with the Falcons, leading them to their first outright division title in history as well as going a solid 38-9 since the start of last season. Now looking at Ridge, obviously the coach of the Red Devils is former St. Joe's head coach Mark Taylor, who coached Jay Williams as well as Andrew Bynum. I've got a couple problems with him althought I like the team he's put together. First off, I don't know of any coach who has as big an ego as him for a high school coach. On Ridge's website, he has his own page. It also mentions some players he coached who he really didn't. You know right off the bat if the coach has his own page on a HIGH SCHOOL team, he has a hell of an ego. Bottom line. I also don't think he's that good of a coach. He couldn't win a county championship with Sean Baptiste and Andrew Bynum and didn't win a state game either with them in Bynum's last 2 years which is an absolute disgrace. With Jay, Jay had more heart than Bynum in high school and to me much better than Bynum on the high school level. I could've coached Jay Williams for four years and he would've gotten me at least a couple county and state titles. But looking at Ridge, they are going to be a top 3 seed in North II, Group IV and they could prove to be very dangerous. Their 3 losses are to Irvington, Hillsborough, and Passaic and all 3 of those teams are decent. Their leading scorer is Christian Frisoli who averages 13.5 per game as well as Andrew Madlinger, a lethal 3 point shooter who averages about 13 a game. Nick Cefalo averages 12 and Connor Skea averages 8.5. Both teams are pretty similar to me. They both rely heavily on guard play and play tough defense. I think a big theme for tomorrow will be the coaching. It will play heavily in who wins these games tomorrow. I expect Monroe's experience, competition(GMC ball i better than Somerset county ball) as well as coaching to make a difference in this one.

Predicted Score: Monroe 58, Ridge 51

7:00PM Lakewood vs. St. Benedict's
The next game I'm not going to even bother previewing because it is a total mismatch and probably the worst game in the entire tournament. It features nationally ranked powerhouse St. Benedicts taking on Lakewood who is #3 in Ocean County which isn't really a hotbed for high school basketball. Benedict's BIG.

Predicted Score: St. Benedict's 83, Lakewood 40

9:00PM St. Patrick's vs. Oak Hill ESPNU
Easily the game of the night. It pitts two top 15 national powerhouses against each other in what has budded into a big rivalry. It could be an incredibly emotional day tomorrow for St. Pat's because they will find out in the morning their fate in the state tournament and whether they are allowed in. Either way, I expect Pat's to play a great game but believe me, they will play with a chip on their shoulder if they are banned and if they are, expect them to play the game of the season. I would go so far to say as if they are banned, tomorrow night could very well be their swan song because even Coach Boyle's son has said that his father is probably going to leave sometime after next year. Given all the latest controversy surrounding St. Pat's and how the NJSIAA may recommend Boyle to take a leave of absence, it would not surprise me much at all if he left after this year. St. Pat's with or without Boyle coaching tomorrow night is one hell of a basketball team. Obviously, the most we hear about is Kyrie Irving, the senior guard who is going to Duke next year. Junior Michael Gilchrist has for the last couple year's been ranked near the highest in his class. He has averaged 22 points per game and is definitely living up to the hype. Derrick Gordon is a Western Kentucky commit who is averaging 13 points a game. Kevin Boyle Jr. also provides sparks by hitting some big 3's. Oak Hill Academy is currently 23-3 and has struggled more than usual this season. They have a lot of close games but nonetheless have won most of them. Their losses are to some of the best teams in the nation and none have relaly been any big upsets. Their big three is Roscoe Smith, Doron Lamb and Bryon Allen. Lamb and Allen are both among the best guards in the country and are extremely talented. They are good at shooting three's but do a superb job of driving to the hoop as well. I think these two teams fate will come down to whoever's guards do better, but I think the game will be decided by Michael Gilchrist. Oak Hill doesn't have anyone outside of Smith that matches up well with Gilchrist and I expect him to have a big night tomorrow. Pat's, but it will be a close one. Perfect for national television.

Predicted Score: St. Patrick's 74, Oak Hill Academy 72

10:30PM Plainfield vs. St. Joe's (Metuchen)
This to me is the game I think most St. Joe's fans have penciled into their schedule. Plainfield is the crown jewel of public schools in the state of New Jersey and this is a measuring stick game to see how good Joe's really is and if they are deserving of the #11 ranking in the state. I tend to believe both teams are legit and defuinitely capable of making runs in the state tournament. St. Joe's only loss in the month of January and February was their 11 point setback to St. Anthony's. Even then, they were down just 5 heading to the 4th quarter which is a better performance than anyone could have expected. Their other big tests this year were Union and East Brunswick. They're both good teams but not on the level of Plainfield. Plainfield's only losses are to the best and third best team in the state with St. Patrick's and St. Anthony's. They are currently ranked 5th and are likely going to be the #1 seed in what is usually one of the toughest public brackets over in North II, Group IV. This is easily the best of the 3 games featuring two NJ schools. It's the 11th vs. the 5th ranked team in the state. This will be the 4th time in 6 years St. Joe's has participated in the Primetime Shootout. They are 2-1 in 3 games. They beat a 1 loss East Rochester school with Andrew Bynum 78-68 back in 2005. They lost to Notre Dame by 5 in a ridiculously early game 2 years ago and got the win of last year's season in this event with their 10 point triumph over eventual non-public A winner Immaculata. Both teams were ranked last year. So Joe's has showed the tendency to play well in games like this. I would say an improtant difference in a game like this is experience and St. Joe's definitely has more. They are led by Steve Rennard, a UPenn commit as well as Andrew Morgan. Both players are very good three point shooters and are pretty good at getting to the hoop. They also have 2 more very experienced players in senior Eric Peterson and junior Robbie Ashamole who is in his last year of eligibility because of his age. And lastly, they have a very solid sophomore in Quenton Decosey, who is a multi-faceted player. He is also a pretty good three point shooter and does a great job of getting to the rim. He also plays solid defense and has deceptive speed. He could be a big difference maker in this game. Plainfield's led by junior guard Tyrone Johnson who is undoubtedly one of the best guards in the state. They also have a senior in Nathan Grant-Dewitt who has some height which could cause some trouble for a St. Joe's team that is lacking in it. He is also a very capable three point shooter. Overall, they are a pretty young team who has come a long way in a hurry and clearly look like they are the team to beat in North II, Group IV and perhaps of all the public schools in the state tournament. I think this game comes down to how much we get from Quenton and Robbie. I also think that goes the same way for the county and state tournament. We will only go as far as those 2 take us. We know we'll get decent games from Andrew and Steve but we need a couple other guys to finally win a county tournament or state sectional crown. I also think coaching will make a big difference here. While I think Jeff Lubreski is a pretty good coach, I would prefer to have Coach Turco. Some of the teams we have had recently do not look like they'd be capable of winning a county or state sectional but yet we always somehow manage to get there. Another big difference is experience and as I said, we have more of it and I expect that to make a big difference. I'm also not sure if Plainfield outside of Ant's and Pat's as faced a defense as tough as ours. Granted the teams we have played recently aren't that great, but in 3 weeks, the msot we've allowed is 42 and that was Piscataway. I just don't know if their sophomores are ready for a game like this. Lastly, the start time is a little screwy which could also make a difference. The Pats game is not likely to get over until at least 10:30 and it wouldn't surprise me if it ended even later than that, so it could make a difference taking court at 10:45 or so tomorrow night. That's later than some teams on the West Coast will take court. Nonetheless, I expect us to be ready to play in our biggest game up to the season this far and like our chances to win.

Predicted Score: St. Joe's 52, Plainfield 47

If anyone is interested in basketball in New Jersey, definitely come check this event out. It's a great opportunity to see the future talent on the collegiate and professional level. 3 of these games should be exciting and are definitely interesting matchups which could be close games.