By Sam Federman (@Sam_Federman)
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Ace Bailey came to the middle of the court and threw his hands in the air.
The No. 2 recruit in the country and Rutgers signee had just given Scarlet Knights fans a sneak peek of what he brings to the table by scoring 40 points and grabbing 21 rebounds on his future home court.
He earned every last clap of that raucous standing ovation.
On the floor at Jersey Mike’s Arena, ten elite high school basketball teams played five games Friday in an afternoon’s journey into the night billed as The Battle. While the event was supposed to be headlined by Rutgers commit Dylan Harper, it was Bailey, a fellow five-star future Scarlet Knight, who stole the show, and left with praise from everybody in attendance.
“It felt like I was already playing (for Rutgers) in the RAC,” Bailey remarked after his herculean effort leading his McEachern Indians over Camden High School in blowout fashion.
Following a sequence in which Bailey went on a personal 8-0 run to give McEachern an eight point lead in the third quarter, the crowd erupted into the famed “R-U” chant.
“It was just a high school game,” Bailey said. “I wonder what it’s gonna be like when I get here. It made me feel good that they came to watch me and supported me.”
Bailey’s performance started with an emphatic slam dunk, instantly igniting the crowd.
“Once I got that one, I knew it was going to be a good night,” the future Rutgers star said.
Boy, was he right.
By halftime, Bailey had 19 points and 13 rebounds, completely taking over segments of the game on both ends. His ethereal explosiveness and fantastic finishing was on display for all to see in the opening frame. The five-star forward was able to get to his spots with ease, gliding across the floor.
While he tired easily and began to give less consistent hustle on the defensive end, he showed off his shotmaking prowess in the second half. Bailey drained three triples and nine of his 13 field goals in the second half to finish with his 40-point stat line.
While Bailey may have stolen the headlines, he was not the only highly-touted recruit to take the court on Friday. Here’s a quick look at the rest of the day’s games.
Richwoods (IL) vs. College Achieve Central (NJ)
Fellow Rutgers commit Lathan Sommerville also starred in his RAC debut, scoring 28 points and grabbing seven rebounds. For a player of his size, at 6-foot-9 with a big frame, his touch around the rim was extremely impressive. He hit multiple fallaway jumpshots while also cashing in a plethora of triples. Sommerville didn’t show excellent physicality, perhaps surprising for somebody of his size, but CA’s David Munro deserves credit for keeping him away from the rim.
The Peorians came all the way to the Garden State simply for Sommerville, and he did not disappoint, leading his team to victory on his future home hardwood. Nick Louderman also showed off his three-point shooting, while Daquan Little scored in a variety of ways in the second half for Richwoods.
As for College Achieve, it was a very young team that turned the ball over 15 times and simply didn’t have the size to deal with what Richwoods brought to the table. Freshman Anthony Mauro flashed some ability to get out in transition and grab steals.
Hudson Catholic vs The Patrick School
Three Division I commits took the floor, along with a plethora of other players with Division I offers, for an excellent high school basketball game that went all the way down to the wire.
In the early going, Brandon Lee, who has offers from Missouri State and NJIT, hit a pair of threes to build a lead for the Celtics, but Auburn commit Tahaad Pettiford brought Hudson Catholic back into it in the second quarter.
Pettiford scored in isolation in an impressive amount of ways, getting to the basket for a moon-touching floater, while also draining stepback three-pointers. However, his game was marred with inefficiency and the tendency to be a ball hog. Pettiford finished the game with 26 points on 9-of-27 shooting, with zero assists and five turnovers. He dribbled the ball a ton, and sometimes he created excellent looks for himself, but others, not so much.
St. John’s signee Jaiden Glover struggled to shoot the ball for much of the game, but came alive with two triples in the fourth quarter to put his team into the drivers’ seat. Glover is known as a three-point specialist, as he shot nearly 40 percent on the AAU circuit this past summer, and finishing 3-of-8 from deep is nothing to scoff at.
Penn commit Alex Massung only scored eight points, but displayed an impressive ability to get the basket and finish through contact, regardless of the size of who was defending him. On a Quaker team filled with shooters, having guards who can really get to the basket can open up that offense.
With The Patrick School ahead by three and less than 10 seconds to play, Pettiford missed a stepback three that would have tied the game. It was definitely not the best shot that Hudson Catholic could have gotten, but it was also a shot Pettiford made earlier in the game.
Overtime Elite: JellyFam vs RWE
It was the game with the most high-major talent on the floor of any on the afternoon, and it didn’t disappoint.
North Carolina commit Ian Jackson opened the game with back-to-back triples, and a drive to the basket. He makes the game look so easy with how smooth and explosive he is as an athlete. He looks like a ready-made NBA combo guard thanks to his three-level scoring ability and athleticism.
Jackson finished the night with 26 points on 10-of-22 shooting from the field, also grabbing seven rebounds. However, his JellyFam team couldn’t hold onto the early lead that they’d gained for very long. The matchup was close the whole way, and clutch shotmaking from former Providence commit Daquan Davis stood out. Davis had 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting for RWE, knocking down multiple important triples down the stretch in his team’s 73-69 win.
Other Notes
Peyton Marshall, Missouri: One of the biggest human beings I’ve ever seen on a basketball court, and a really good outlet passer. Just needs a ton of refinement.
Brandon Crawford: 2024 prospect with offers from a plethora of schools including Manhattan. Was very impressed with his ability to protect the rim. He swatted four blocks and kept Jackson and the JellyFam guards from getting what they wanted at the basket.
Dellquan Warren, Mississippi State: The former Rutgers commit seems like a perfect fit for what Chris Jans wants to do. Gives off serious Shakeel Moore vibes.
Don Bosco Prep vs. Cardinal Hayes
This game was supposed to be the headliner, with Dylan Harper making his first appearance as a Rutgers commit at the RAC. However, due to the injury that he suffered in his last game, he didn’t suit up.
With Harper sitting on the bench, cheering on his teammates in a Rutgers shirt, a star may have been born in New Jersey high school basketball. Brady Loughlin, a junior with just four offers, including from Iona and Fairfield, took over the game.
Loughlin is well-regarded for his shooting ability, but it wasn’t the only impressive part of his performance on Friday. He scored 11 of his 22 points in the third quarter, while also grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out seven assists. Loughlin’s big third period coincided with Bosco extending its lead to double digits and beyond, eventually winning, 68-49.
Led by seven-foot sophomore Keiner Asprilla, Bosco outrebounded a very small Cardinal Hayes team by an outrageous 40-16 margin, keeping its opponents out of the rim at an exceptional level.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.