| 1-25-2002
East Coast Jamboree Notes Part 2
Bob Gibbons
Here is the second part of our notes and player evaluations from last weekend's East Coast Jamboree held on the campus of Seton Hall University. In this story we'll look at some of the players who impressed us from Redemption Christian, Christian Faith Center, Life Center, and the Riverside Church winter club. This weekend we'll be covering the Scholastic Play By Play Classic at Temple University.
Notes from the East Coast Jamboree Part 2
Christian Faith Center
J.R. Morris - 6'6 205 lbs. G/F
Morris, who's originally from Washington HS in Milwaukee, WI, is prepping at CFC this year and heading to Seton Hall next fall. Morris is very strong, a good (if somewhat streaky) shooter, and a tough penetrator. He's first and foremost a scorer, and he impressed on Sunday with 28 points, including several down the stretch and in overtime to put the game away for CFC. He and Seton Hall freshman John Allen will form one of the better wing tandems in the Big East for years to come.
Doug Thomas - 6'7 225 lbs. F/C
Doug let's people know when he's in the building with his physical play and rim-rocking slams. If he was 3 inches taller, he'd be one of the more heavilly recruited players in the nation. Even at a generous 6'7 he's got offers from Charlotte and USC. Plus, Iowa State and UCLA are taking a look and maintaining contact respectively. Thomas attended the 2000 ABCD camp where he impressed us with his intensity and athleticism. He's orignially from Pasadena HS in Pasadena, CA, before transferring to Inglewood HS, then to CFC. Doug had 12 points on Sunday, and that's about what he's averaging this season. He has some ground to make up on the SAT.
Demarshay Johnson - 6'9 190 lbs. PF
Johnson, another Califonia product, is a wiry athlete with a chance to be at least a part time player on the wing. He's a terrific leaper and can block shots at the defensive end. Kind of a tweener right now, how he develops physically and skillwise will dictate where he plays in college. USC, Wake Forest, Iowa State, and Florida State have been showing the most interest lately. Boom or bust type player.
Lewis Fedipe - 6'9 215 lbs. C
Fadipe, a terrific student originally from England, has only been with CFC for two weeks. He's a very strong interior player who can rebound and defend at the high major level. American University and Bucknell are on him early, but look for Wake Forest to take a good look as well as other superior academic institutions. Plays a little like UConn freshman Emeka Okafor. He's scored over 1100 on the SAT.
Cleve Woodfork - 6'8 230 lbs. PF
Woodfork is a skilled big man with some ball handling ability who could be an immediate impact player for coach Brett Campbell's University of Tennessee-Martin program. He's originally from Riverview Garden HS in St. Louis, MO, and is prepping this season at CFC. Woodfork had 10 points Sunday.
Dewayne Green - 5'11 155 lbs. junior PG
Green, a native of Arthur Hill HS in Saginaw, MI, is still just a junior. He's kind of a combo-guard, or at least a scoring point guard right now, and is better at creating his own opportunities than he is at setting up his teammates for easy buckets. He's very quick, penetrates and finishes well for a player his size and plays solid defense. He won't get recruited at the highest level, but he'll get looks from certain schools in the major conferences.
Life Center Academy
Mike Lasme - 6'0 180 lbs. 1/2G
Lasme is one of three Ivory Coast natives playing for Life Center and their coach Darryl Gladden. He's always been an explosive athlete who penetrates and flies up and down the court in transition, but his perimeter game has really come a long way in the past year. He nailed several threes on Sunday enroute to 24 points to lead Life Center. The University of Massachusetts signed Lasme in the fall, and they will appreciate the perimeter firepower he will bring to the program next season. He's like a slightly smaller version of UConn freshman Ben Gordon. It is questionable whether he will be able to make the move to point guard in college.
J.C. Koume - 6'5 215 lbs. WF
Koume, also from the Ivory Coast, is a strong athletic wing player who'd be a high major target if he could shoot the ball from the perimeter. As it stands he's a solid mid-major guy who's getting attention from Rider, Howard, and the University of Delaware. Tough rebounder who often has to defend bigger opposing players, Koume is nonetheless very effective and plays with a lot of energy. Scored 10 points on Sunday.
Arnaud Dahi - 6'6 210 lbs. junior WF
Dahi is another Ivory Coast kid, but while he has Koume's size and athleticism, he is a terrific outside shooter when given an open look. He'll need to work on shooting over defenders and off the dribble, but his stroke is a thing of beauty. He deserves to be mentioned among the top players in New Jersey's loaded junior class. He did not play particularly well on Sunday, scoring just 11 points, but we've seen him do it elsewhere. Definite high major player. Big East and ACC schools should all be looking.
Mbaninai Marmbaye - 6'10 220 lbs. junior C
They call him "Roman" and this lefty, newly arrived from Chad, is going to be very, very good down the road. He has long arms and he gets them up defensively and on the glass. Very good, strong hands and aggressive. Get's after it on the offensive glass. Nice springs and get's off the floor quickly. Showed a decent stroke on a 16' jumper. He had 8 points, and a handful of rebounds and blocked shots in limited minutes Sunday. High major all the way.
Riverside Church
Lenny Cooke - 6'6 205 lbs. G/F
Lenny's not playing high school ball this season, but he has been travelling a bit with the Riverside Church winter squad and he looks as good as ever. He scored from all over the court on Sunday, was a monster on the boards and defended well on the perimeter. He had 27 points and was clearly the best player in the gym that day. His guardian told us that Lenny is focused on academics and his goal is to be elligible to play college ball. A lot will hinge on whether he gets the necessary score on the ACT exam. We don't think going to college and sitting out another year is an option that's going to fly. Lenny Cooke will be playing basketball somewhere next year. St. Johns, Miami, and Cincinnati are among the schools staying in touch.
Jermaine Maybank - 6'3 175 lbs. G/F
Maybank was really stroking it from beyond the arc on Sunday and he did a decent job getting out in transition and finishing above the rim. He was at Bronx Regional high school, but we don't think he's playing there this season. He might be a good JUCO fit. Talent-wise he's a very solid mid-major player.
Redemption Christian Academy
Ade Swann - 6'0 160 lbs. 1/2G
Swann lit up the scoreboard for 31 points, mostly from beyond the arc. He was on fire in the second half and just about sigle-handedly kept Redemption in the game. We'd like to see him do it again, but at a glance he looks like a good fit for a low to mid-major school. Very quick and good at finding spots and setting up for jumpers.
Antonio Sibert - 6'6 215 lbs. W/PF
Though a bit undersized for a PF, Sibert showed flashes of being able to float outside where he handled the ball and shot it effectively on Sunday. We could see his versatility coming in handy for the right mid-major school. Southern Conference schools ought to take a peek.
Henry Sisson - 6'9 265 lbs. C
Just a big body at this point, he shows enough agility and coordination to develop down the road into an effective college player. He might be worth taking a chance on if you're a CAA or Southern Conference school in need of a big man to develop.
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