The 2019 National Prep Championship will be streamed live on YurView.com and televised on YurView Cox channels 4 and 1004 Thursday, March 7 with games at 11am, 1pm and 7pm.
With the various New England prep classes and leagues having all crowned their respective champions over the weekend, all eyes are now set exclusively on the national tournament.
The 2019 National Prep Championship will return to Connecticut College and New London, Connecticut this week with a ten-team field featuring Woodstock Academy, Putnam Science Academy, Scotland Campus, Mount Zion Prep, Massanutten Military Academy, Northfield Mount Hermon, Brewster Academy, Hargrave Military Academy, IMG Academy and Link Year Prep. The full schedule can be found here.
Here’s a rundown of some of the top contenders:
Brewster Academy
Things just haven’t clicked yet for the Bobcats but there’s still time as they feature tremendous individual talent in the likes of Jalen Lecque (N.C. State), Alonzo Gaffney (Ohio State), Kai Jones (Texas), Anthony Walker (Miami), and Joel Brown (California) along with 2020 guard Jamal Mashburn and sophomore sensation Terrence Clarke.
. @BrewsterHoops Jalen Lecque has plenty of eyes on him, & it was no different at the #NPC. https://t.co/HKYXOS2kRk Stream on @YurViewNE tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/bju6Dfp1Rp
— Corey O’Leary (@CoreyO39) March 7, 2019
They’ll have their work cut out for them though as they open with IMG and have Woodstock awaiting the winner
Woodstock Academy
Only in their second year in the prep ranks, Woodstock earned the top overall seed after going 36-1 on the season.
They have seven players already committed to division I schools including Trey Anderson (South Carolina), Noah Fernandes (Wichita State), Ody Oguama (Wake Forest), Preston Santos (UMass), and Trey Williams (Indiana) as well as one of the nation’s best available big men in Tre Mitchell.
Other available 2019 prospects include Ronnie DeGray, Jacob Toppin, and T.J. Weeks. The Centaurs utilize that depth to play a high-octane up-and-down style on both ends of the floor.
Massanutten Military Academy
The Colonels come in with a regular season record of 31-3 behind an attack that is led by Dereon Seabron (N.C. State), Jarren McAllister (VCU), and Brandon Suggs (East Carolina) on the perimeter.
Mahamadou Diawara is a 6-foot-10 big man in his second year with the program who has made rapid strides in that time and now has a long list of high-major suitors hoping to scoop him up in time for the late signing period.
Putnam Science
The Mustangs return to the site of the 2018 National Prep Championship with hopes of defending their title. They’ll have to do it without Akok Akok though, after he enrolled at UConn mid-year.
Instead, they’ll rely on the inside-out tandem of seven-footer Russel Tchewa (Texas Tech) and power guard Tyson Etienne (Wichita State) along with the 2020 tandem of Hassan Diarra and DeMarr Langford.
Bryant commit Charles Pride is one of the team’s unsung heroes while UMass signee John Buggs is a guy who can provide instant offense.
Scotland Campus
Up until last Friday, Scotland was the only undefeated team in the country. Despite that setback against Mount Zion, they are still among the clear favorites heading into the national tournament.
Karim Coulibaly (Pittsburgh) provides them with an experienced big man to anchor things inside while Clarence Nadolny is an available guard with a rapidly growing list of high-major suitors.
The supporting cast consists of a pair of Weber State pledges in Judah Jordan and Austin Galuppo along with unsigned Dequarius Nicholas, Chris Maidoh, and Jordan Jones.
Mount Zion
Coming off road wins at both Hargrave and Scotland last week, Mount Zion is peaking at just the right time and is as battle tested as anyone.
LaSalle bound point guard Ayinde Hikim is an ultra-dynamic playmaker while Rob Carpenter has essentially the entire Atlantic 10 Conference chasing him at this point.
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They’ll have their work cut out for them though as they open with IMG and have Woodstock awaiting the winner
Hargrave Military Academy
The Tigers suffered a home loss to Mount Zion last week but have nonetheless been dominant for most of the season with an overall record of 33-3.
Davonte Gaines (Tennessee) gives them a big and versatile southpaw guard to headline their attack while the frontline of Tyson Jackson, Mickey Pearson, and Jeremiah Davenport can hold their own with anyone.
Add dynamic lead guard Giovanni Santiago and shot-maker Justin Webster and Hargrave is capable of playing with anyone.
IMG Academy
The team had their fair share of adversity early in the season but they overcame those obstacles and played inspired basketball after returning from the holiday break.
Congratulations to our Post Graduate student-athletes and coaches on being selected to participate in the National Prep Championship!
Winners of 20 of their last 22 games to secure the honor as one of top 10 prep programs in the country. https://t.co/NipZnOEBgH
— IMG Academy Basketball (@IMGABasketball) February 25, 2019
T.J. Shannon and Lester Quinones give them a dynamic one-two punch on the wing as they pair an elite level athlete with one of the prep school’s best shot-makers.
Penn State bound forward Pat Kelly, IUP pledge KJ Rhodes, Pedro Nunes, and Lonell Martin comprise the supporting cast.
Link Year Prep
The Missouri based Lions are making their first appearance in the national tournament after scoring a road win at Sunrise Christian Academy in the last week of the regular season.
Austin Johnson is a widely recruited big man with a high upside while 5-foot-8 jitter bug point guard Chase Adams was one of the stars of November’s National Prep Showcase. Dannie Smith and Tre Edwards are also still available while Marque English (Idaho State), Shamar Wright (UNC Greensboro), and Kalin Bennett (Kent State) are already committed to division I schools.
The 2019 National Prep Championship will be streamed live on YurView.com and televised on YurView Cox channels 4 and 1004 Thursday, March 7 with games at 11am, 1pm and 7pm.
