Seven Sweet Scoops is a weekly column by Sean Moran, the RTC recruiting guru. Once a week he will bring you seven notes from the high-stakes world of college basketball recruiting. We also encourage you to check out his contributions at The Intentional Foul, dedicated to recruiting coverage and analysis. You can also follow Sean at his Twitter account @Seanmohoops for up-to-date news from the high school and college hoops scene. If you have any suggestions as to areas we are missing or different things you would like to see, please let us know at rushthecourt@yahoo.com.
Note: Scout.com used for all player rankings.
The National Prep Showcase held each year at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven is the signature event to kick off the high school season. With a variety of prep schools competing against each other a variety of college coaches were seen in the stands from low major schools from the east coast to high major programs from the west coast. A lot happened during and after the three day tournament, so let’s catch up with the seven sweet scoops of the week.
1. Kobie Eubanks Excels And then De-commits
In the spring of 2014, four-star shooting guard Kobie Eubanks chose Baylor over schools such as Pittsburgh, Florida State, and Minnesota, but failed to qualify academically. He subsequently ended up at Elev-8 Prep School in Delray Beach and after two standout performances last weekend he decided to re-open his commitment. What does this mean? With only four of the top 35 shooting guards still available in the class of 2015, Eubanks just became a hot commodity. Numerous schools reached out to Eubanks expressing interest including Louisville, Virginia, Maryland, Iowa State, Michigan, Providence, UConn, and more. The 6’5” strongly built guard scored 37 points in a Saturday performance which included high arcing shots from the perimeter and strong drives to the basket. Baylor’s loss will soon be another team’s blessing.
2. Anyone Interested In A 6’7” Scorer?
Throughout the National Prep Showcase, observers were impressed with Jeremy Harris and the consensus was that Coastal Carolina got themselves a steal.
Playing for Fishburne Military Academy in Southern Virginia, Harris averaged 24 points and 8.5 rebounds in two games including a 32 point explosion to kick things off on the opening day. The smooth looking lefty from North Carolina was one of the best offensive players in the tournament and most likely caught the eyes of a variety of mid major schools in attendance. A bit slight of frame, Harris will need to continue to add strength, but his offensive arsenal and height makes him suited to contribute to a team as soon as he steps on campus. What teams step up to make Harris a priority is a question, but the loss was a blow to Coastal Carolina and shows just how hard recruiting is for lower level Division One programs.
3. Brewster Academy Is Loaded….But
Brewster Academy’s starting line-up includes players heading to Arizona, Louisville, Connecticut, UVA, and Georgetown; however it was a few of their unsigned bench players that stepped up in Brewster’s two games. Senior shooting guard Joe Sherburne from Whitefish Bay (WI) shot 8 from 10 behind the arc. The Midwest sharpshooter has good size at 6’5” and certainly impressed as one of the surprise players of the tournament. Also, senior point guard Kamali Chambers from Apple Valley (MN) is the brother of former Harvard point guard Siyani and showed good poise and leadership off the bench.
4. JaQuan Lyle Steals The Show
6’4” point guard JaQuan Lyle has certainly made his rounds. After committing to Indiana, Louisville, and Oregon at certain points in his high school career, the former five-star guard is now at IMG Academy in Florida. After finishing up his senior season at Huntington Prep last year, Lyle enrolled at Oregon in the fall until his name was removed from the roster in September. Now at prep school, he scored 37 points in his second game of the tournament and is going through the recruitment process again. With Oregon playing close by at the Barclays Arena in Brooklyn, the whole Duck coaching staff was in New Haven to watch him play. Along with Oregon, Lyle recently took a visit to LSU and has several other interested schools including Ohio State, Indiana, and Xavier. It’s been a tumultuous ride for Lyle, but he is still a high scoring guard that the high majors are after.
5. Christian Vital Making Waves Off The Bench
St. Thomas Moore’s top player is four-star power forward Steven Enoch who has committed to defending champion Connecticut, but its most important player is junior three-star guard Christian Vital. The New York native brings toughness and athleticism off the bench and is an instant impact player. Currently the 6’1” guard is either receiving interest or has offers from the majority of A-10 schools but is also hearing from Providence. Vital noted that a Providence assistant coach was at his first game and after scoring 20 points to go along with 10 rebounds the interest from Providence and other Big East schools may pick up.
6. Tremont Waters: A Top Guard In 2017
Last year as a freshman, point guard Tremont Waters made waves with his play in front of his hometown crowd in New Haven. The four-star point guard is ranked No. 30 in his class, but showed a lot more confidence and his poise to start his sophomore season at South Kent (CT). Not an overly quick point guard, Waters is more in the mold of a Kendall Marshall that can beat defenders with a hesitation dribble or change of pace. While he definitely forced some shots and over-dribbled in the paint, Waters has an advanced offensive arsenal given his small stature and slight frame. Most people don’t know the name Tremont Waters right now, but they will soon as the sophomore point has offers from Connecticut, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Wake Forest, and Purdue among others.
7. The Wisconsin Badgers Of High School Hoops
The Badgers are known for their offensive efficiency, ability to spread the floor on the offensive end and knock down the deep three. Say hello to Northfield Mount Hermon, a prep school from Massachusetts. In a two day span, NMH won their games by an average of 20 points that were not as close as the final score indicated. 6’8” four-star forward Aaron Falzon leads the way and is a three point specialist headed to Northwestern. He hit seven three’s in a two day span, but it was the play of 6’2” guard Ian Sistere who had the gym buzzing. The tough New Hampshire guard was a force in all aspects and helped turn a close game against Hargrave Military Academy into a blowout with 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists.