Week 2 Philly Catholic League: Under the Radar & Underclassmen

Week 2 Philly Catholic League: Under the Radar &#038; Underclassmen

Photo: Prep Hoops

Chad Graham February 14, 2021 @ 05:14 PM

There’s a wealth of talent in the City of Brotherly Love’s Catholic League. And with so many names to get to, this is a way shine light on the impactful yet lesser known players. Under the Radar guys are mainly seniors and some juniors, while Underclassmen are sophomores and freshmen. The averages listed reflect their stats up to this point, but the 8 student-athletes mentioned stood out during the second week of their season. Under the Radar Caleb Carter 6’4 CG - Archbishop Carroll Carter’s junior season, he didn’t get regular minutes on a quality Carroll team. But now he’s in the starting lineup and an integral piece of the offense. He’s already proven to be one of the PCL’s best passers, averaging 6 assists (and 8.6 pts) without dominating the ball. With his height and willingness to pressure the rim, Carter consistently creates easy shots for his teammates. Jalen Cary 6’2 SG - Conwell-Egan/CB Elite Cary is the most consistent scorer on a developing Eagles team (11.3 pts/g). Shooting 33% from behind the arc, he does most of his damage from mid and long range. Carey is very comfortable handling the ball, which is how he typically gets into his spots in the mid-range. He also pulls down 5.3 boards per game. [player_tooltip player_id="990968" first="Muneer" last="Newton"] 6’5 Forward - Archbishop Wood/ K-Low Elite Everyone in the PCL knows Big Mu as the undersized forward who crashes the boards and anchors the Vikings defense. Strong as an ox, he even tried his hand at football in the Fall. Against Neumann, he upped the intensity by scoring a team-high 17 pts on his usual diet of put-backs and lobs. Blocking four shots plus 5 deflections, he wreaked havoc against the Saints all game long. He averages 8.7pts, 5.5 rebounds & 2.5 blocks. Richard Thomas 6’0 PG - St. Joe’s Prep Thomas went from SJP’s sixth man to their floor general. He defends the opposing team’s point of attack using his quick feet and active hands. As the quarterback of the offense, the Prep PG gets them in and out of their sets. Thomas has very functional dribbling ability that helped him break the press and create passing windows against Bonner (13pts, 9 assists). Underclassmen As Roman’s only returning starter and rotation player from last season, [player_tooltip player_id="991334" first="Xzavier" last="Brown"] is thrusted into a primary player this year. And he doesn’t have to carry the load as a scorer (7.3pts/g plus 7.6a & 2.6s) with Skillings and Farmer on the wing, but he does orchestrate their offense. Brown is going to be a national recruit soon and his leadership of the Cahilites squad is why. [player_tooltip player_id="1123922" first="Ty" last="Mishock"] 5’8 PG Devon Starting as a freshman in the PCL means you can hoop. Starting at PG on an experienced team says even more. Mishock averages 10.2 pts, 3.5 assists and 2 steals for Devon Prep. He’s undersized but is quick enough to blow by some defenders and strong enough to absorb contact in the lane. The cool-headed freshman has some range on his shot too. [player_tooltip player_id="992525" first="Terrell" last="Pitts"] 6’4 SG - Bishop McDevitt/ NY Lightning The second year wing is developing nicely for the Lancers. His combination length and awareness makes him a quality team defender, as he averages a steal and a couple deflections. Offensively, Pitts is rounding out his game as an off-ball scorer (11.2pts/g, 7.7r/g). He shows touch when slashing and is extending his jumper. Pitts’s best days are definitely in front of him.