How LuHi Became the Number 2 Boys Program in the Country
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This season the Long Island Lutheran Crusaders have been phenomenal under Head Coach John Buck and will face Columbus High School in the Chipotle Nationals. They have been ranked high as number 2 throughout the year and besides a few…
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Continue ReadingThis season the Long Island Lutheran Crusaders have been phenomenal under Head Coach John Buck and will face Columbus High School in the Chipotle Nationals. They have been ranked high as number 2 throughout the year and besides a few hiccups against Montverde they have virtually been unstoppable. While they’re entire squad is loaded we are going to focus on a few of the Crusaders we think have really help put them over the top.
VJ Edgecombe VJ Edgecombe 6'4" | SF Long Island Lutheran | 2024 State #10 Nation NY was nominated to the McDonalds All American game and was just picked for the Nike Hoop Summit World Team. The Baylor commit is my favorite prosect in the 2024 class besides Cooper Flagg and has upped all his production from last season. He throws down some amazing dunks, makes threes, has acrobatic finishes and is one of the best shot blockers we have evaluated so far. His unselfishness, attitude, competitiveness and his ability to be a good teammate don’t get talked about enough. We can’t wait to see him play for the Bears at the next level and with his upside we could see him in the lottery in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Kayden Mingo Kayden Mingo 6'1" | CG Long Island Lutheran | 2025 State #131 Nation NY is easily our breakout player of the year in New York and should climbing the rankings in 2025. He has been the most efficient member of the Crusaders, he has been a great second scoring option behind Edgecombe and has shot it tremendously well from three. His stock is way up for us especially with the way he controls the offense, can play off the ball, help on defense and come up clutch down the final minutes. The Crusaders get to an even higher level of play when Mingo gets hot and the best news is he will be back for another year.
Long Island was happy to hear this past offseason that a big time star was returning home and joining the Crusaders. That of course would be Amityville native Nigel James Nigel James 6'2" | PG Long Island Lutheran | 2025 State #124 Nation NY who was tearing it up a Cushing Academy before making the move to LuHi. He is another elite athlete on the roster who can defend any point guard in the country, can finish above the rim, make others better as well as create offense for others. His shooting has gotten better this year, his handle is ridiculous, he flirts with a triple double every game and shows tremendous leadership qualities. We believe after this terrific Junior campaign plus another big offseason he could easily find a spot in the top 40-50 players in 2025.
The least touted transfer for Long Island Lutheran was Tajae Jones Tajae Jones 6'8" | SF Long Island Lutheran | 2025 State NY who came from Connecticut with a lot of potential but even more to prove. While in the beginning of the season the plan was for him to work behind Seton Hall commit Godswill Erheriene and Florida State commit Alier Maluk Alier Maluk 7'0" | PF Long Island Lutheran | 2025 State #62 Nation NY . When Erheriene went down with a foot injury the Crusaders used a small ball lineup around Maluk but also gave Jones more minutes in the floor. He took advantage of every second whether it was grabbing rebounds, contesting shots, scoring off misses of beating his man down the court for a lay up. His energy was infectious, he was extremely efficient and effective with every opportunity he was given. We believe Jones has been a key glue guy who can help out several D1 programs immediately and still has plenty of room to grow in his development.
Kiyan Anthony Kiyan Anthony 6'1" | PG Long Island Lutheran | 2025 State #39 Nation NY came over from Christ the King late last season and was probably the deadliest scorer off the bench this season in high school basketball. He comes in the ball game to instantly add offense whether its from beyond the arc, in the mid range, attacking the rim or getting others open looks. We love his mindset this season, he logs a lot of minutes, he is making more plays and has really tightened up his handle. The sky is limit for Anthony and those who read our stuff know how highly we think of him plus know how far up the list we have him in 2025.
While Ben Michaels, Dylan Mingo Dylan Mingo 6'4" | CG Long Island Lutheran | 2026 State NY have had terrific moments for the Crusaders we gave this last spot to the jack of all trades Jacob Ross Jacob Ross 6'5" | SF Long Island Lutheran | 2025 State #134 Nation NY . His older Jayden is on the reigning Nation Champs UConn, he is comfortable starting or coming off the bench and whenever we evaluate he jumps off the page. We admit we would like to see him shoot it more consistently and stay locked in at all times but we are big fans of his game. He is a kid who can give you a 5-5-5-5-5 on a daily basis, makes an impact on both ends, is an elite rounder for a guard and plays well above the rim. The high majors have taken noticed as he’s collected a bunch of solid offers and we know his teammates understand how valuable he is to their team. Ross has serious potential like many others in this program and if he can follow up this great Junior year with a big Senior campaign who knows how high he could end up in the 2025 rankings.