Sunday’s Apparel
Challenge at Christ the King provided a great start to the 2019 portion of this
basketball season. It provided an opportunity for scouts and fans to see many
of the area’s best players, and in turn gives the young players a chance to
show scouts and coaches how they might be able to help teams at the next level.
Cardinal Hayes, Long Island Lutheran, South Shore and Christ the King all
earned impressive wins with the home standing Royals earning a come-from-behind
win over PSAL rival Thomas Jefferson. Here, and in my next post, are some notes
and observations on individual players with team notes contained within.
Andre Curbelo’20 6’ PG Long Island Lutheran: Don’t be
fooled by the modest numbers (10 points 7 assists) in his team’s 69-43 win over
Boys & Girls because his focus in this game was right where it should be,
on leadership, defense and getting others involved. After a strong first
quarter that gave the Kangaroos a brief lead, he and senior big man set the
tone defensively and in transition as the Crusaders gained some traction and
eventually pulled away. Curbelo continues to show good defense and shot making
ability finishing around the rim. Given his experience here with LuHi and in
international hoops he may be as talented and well prepared a point guard
prospect as there is in the country.
Essam Moustafa ’19 6’9”C Long Island Lutheran: He’s
the center for the Crusaders while Curbelo plays point guard but the common
trait they share is that both of their games are full of intangibles. He
pursues every rebound and loose ball with great hustle and LuHi’s other “bigs”,
Zed Key and Drissa Traore follow his lead. It’s easy to see his limitations,
lack of explosion that keeps him from finishing every play around the rim, but
he’s a passer, a guy who catches nearly everything the guards throw to him and
a leader who will help whatever team lands him be a winner.
Jahi Mukoro ’21 5’10” G Boys & Girls: Playing
against LuHI, a team loaded with D-1 prospects he displayed shot making ability
and poise as a young player. He tied for
team high scoring honors with senior teammate Dorian Haynes (12 points) His
frame is slight for the moment but he’s just a sophomore and will need time to
grow and mature physically. He’s very early in the process but certainly has
the look of a prospect and should be followed closely.
Jaylen Murray ’20 5’11” G Cardinal Hayes: Murray has
long ago established himself as one of the top shooters in our region and that
was on full display Sunday as he scored a team high 21 points as Hayes pulled
away late from Brooklyn Law & Tech. In this game he showed he’s made some
good strides as a playmaker and transition passer as he shares those duties
with Iowa commit Joe Toussaint. His summer and senior year will be interesting
to watch once Toussaint moves on and he assumes a leading role. The feeling
here is that he’s well on his way to becoming a complete point guard.
Davonta Cook ’19 6’ G Brooklyn Law & Tech: Cardinal
Hayes could never completely shake coach Kenny Pretlow’s squad and Cook, who
finished with a game high 25 points, was the chief reason why. He scored effectively at all 3 levels and did
a terrific job getting in the lane and making strong and aggressive plays in
traffic. The feeling here is that he’s a guy low majors should eye because he’s
the kind of player coaches win with in those leagues; maybe not quite the right
size for his position (scoring guard) but a kid who plays with both a great
motor and a high skill level.
Jaquan Carlos ’21 5'11" PG Thomas Jefferson: Jefferson
played in a highly competitive game against Christ the King and held the lead
for much of it until the Royals’ balanced lineup and clutch play helped them
close out a win late. Carlos, the highly touted sophomore tied for team high
scoring honors with 15 points as he faced a tight matchup zone for much of the
day. Right now, his middle- distance game is the strongest part of his scoring repertoire
as he can stop, change directions and knock down those shots against long
defenders. Other parts of his offense, especially 3-point shooting and passing
are a little less consistent. Perhaps because of the early rave reviews fans
are forgetting he’s just a sophomore because there has been some unfortunate
negative web chatter about him. My advice to all the naysayers is watch the
game, he’s poised confident and a very good teammate and all of that makes him
a terrific prospect.
Quaran McPherson ‘20 6'3" SG Christ the King: Quaran
capped a terrific 27-point performance with a clutch three-pointer with a
little more than a minute remaining that finally gave the Royals some distance
from a scrappy Jefferson squad in a game that the Royals would go on to win 71-64.
The three-point shot is an improving part of McPherson’s game but he demonstrated
in this game and has demonstrated throughout his junior season is that he is
perhaps our region’s most versatile scorer. With the Royals short-handed
through much of the early season coach Joe Arbitello has moved Q all over the court
and he has shown both scoring and playmaking ability from the mid and high post,
the short corner and, as his clutch shot indicated, from beyond the arc. Thanks
to good length and vision he has also been a consistent force on the defensive
end. With continued success this season he should draw high major interest this
summer.
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