Ja’Quan Newton (right) is a big reason the Saints’ will be favorite to repeat as Catholic League champs in 2012-13. (Photo: Philly.com)
Andrew Koob (@AndrewKoob)
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(Ed note: Over the next few weeks, high schools all around the greater Philadelphia area will have open gyms for their basketball teams after school, giving college coaches a chance to see drills and scrimmages. CoBL will be attending many of the open gyms; Andrew Koob gets us started with a look at Neumann-Goretti.)
The Saints come into the season with an impressive 70-game win streak in the Philadelphia Catholic League and, with the talent shown on Monday afternoon, have a great chance to extend it.
Coaches from Division-I schools such as Villanova, Temple, St. Joseph’s and Georgetown were in attendance to take in the five-on-five scrimmage and get a chance to see plenty of talent. From Monday’s scrimmage, CoBL gives you some insight on six Saints that will make a big impact both on the court and on the recruiting trail.
Ja’Quan Newton
Point Guard, Class of 2014
Newton was the focal point of the offense for his team, and it won’t be a surprise when he takes the same role once the season starts. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard is not a player anyone wants to guard one-on-one. He uses his combination of size and speed well, driving through the lane and absorbing contact while getting off an easy layup. Newton also has the ability to shake off any defender playing man defense against him, showcasing how he can dribble, spin and lose the defender all while making sure he doesn’t turn the ball over.
Talking with Newton back in early August, he said he had numerous scholarship offers from schools in the SEC, ACC and Big East. According to Rivals.com, the biggest schools in contention are Georgetown, Villanova and Rutgers; the Scarlet Knights were the only school who didn’t send a scout for the day.
A number of coaches were on hand to see 6-5 senior John Davis, who has a number of mid-major offers. (Photo: Philly.com)
Johnnie Davis
Small Forward, Class of 2013
Davis is a forward in a wing’s body. The only issue is that he doesn’t have the ability to shoot like a wing. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound small forward started off settling for mid-range jumpers that wouldn’t fall, but ultimately started to use his size in the post as the scrimmage went on. One other issue he had was trying to use speed to get past his defender when he had the ball on the perimeter. The only problem with that was that he didn’t have the speed to get past smaller, lankier defenders.
While Davis didn’t impress in this particular scrimmage offensively, he is getting plenty of Division I scholarship offers based primarily on his defense, toughness and rebounding ability. Towson (who was in attendance), Drexel, La Salle and VCU have all offered and are all considered players when Davis decides.
LaMarr Kimble
Point Guard, Class of 2015
There’s never too much of a good thing. The Saints are going with this motto with their two extremely talented point guards in Newton and Kimble. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound sophomore has great vision, especially under pressure, and has the ability to hit the open man under any kind of defensive pressure. He is a relentless defender and if he can get the ball in transition, he’ll look for the open jumper and has the ability to hit if the defense can’t recognize quick enough.
Per NCAA rules, schools cannot contact high school players before their junior year, but expect plenty of Division I head coaches talking to “Fresh,” as he’s known, in another year. If he continues to develop his game and grows a couple of inches, Kimble can be a top recruit who could possibly crack Rivals’ Top150.
Tony Toplyn
Small Forward, Class of 2014
Toplyn was paired against Davis throughout the scrimmage and held his own. Toplyn gave up at least 15 pounds to Davis, but played well-enough defense to keep him out of the post for a good portion of the scrimmage. He used his size (6-foot-6) and athleticism to grab a number of rebounds, but had trouble getting his post game going because he was undersized. If Toplyn can pack on a few pounds, he can be a definite Division-I basketball player.
Troy Harper
Point Guard, Class of 2014
Newton and Kimble are the two guards that most scouts will focus on, but Harper is an athletic guard that, if given the opportunity, can light it up. Simply watching him in drills opened some eyes, as he was extremely athletic and bounced right off the floor. The 6-foot-1, 170 pound junior is undersized, but is quick and tough enough to cut through the lane for easy layups. His outside game is where he needs to work most on, as he seemed to be forcing a lot of shots beyond the arc. Newton and Kimble will be the main players scouts will look at, but Harper will definitely be a Division I basketball player after his time with the Saints comes to an end in two years.
ESPN.com has Niagara as his only offer, but Harper says he also has offers from Towson and Manhattan (who were both in attendance), as well as Boston and Robert Morris.
Hanif Sutton
Point Guard, Class of 2014
While not as well known as his point guard teammates, Sutton focuses his game on an aspect that coaches love: defense, defense and more defense. The 5-foot-9, 150-pound junior isn’t an offensive force, as shown by his willingness to take low percentage shots, but was relentless on the defensive end, forcing a good number of turnovers against the likes of Newton, Toplin and Harper.
good info