Newman School vs. Darrow School Standouts

Newman national traveled to Darrow on Friday, February 28th for an end-of-season showdown. And it was a show. Darrow pulled off an incredible upset, and in very convincing fashion, 78-63.   Here are my standouts.    Steele's combination of size and physical tools is insane. He's 6-foot-7 with very long arms and jump-out-of-the-gym hops. He explodes to the rim off of either one food or two and is able to finish with contact very nicely. He can also step out and hit the mid-range shot and his free throws, though his longer-range shot seems to still be coming along. His ball handling is already good enough for his size, but if he could improve a bit in that area, his off-the-dribble game would be completely unlocked. I don't know what the senior's recruitment looks like right now, but I can't imagine some D1 schools wouldn't take a chance on him.     Christopher is only a sophomore but was able to hold his own in one of the highest level high-school basketball games of the season against Newman, which is very impressive. The 6-foot-3 guard is super comfortable with the ball in his hands and can score from all three levels. He's athletic at the rim and has some herky-jerky ball-handling moves that make him very difficult to stay in front of. Christopher looks like he could still be growing based on his body, in which case he will have D1 college coaches all over him in no time. DEFINITELY keep an eye on him moving forward.     Carlson is only 6-foot-3 but got up for multiple blocks against far bigger players. His timing is impeccable and he's an excellent athlete – the fact that he can provide some rim protection at the guard position is incredibly rare and valuable. He's also a do-it-all offensive player who will make the extra pass and cut off the ball but can also get to the rim and knock down some shots. He's so additive and takes away nothing; exactly what his coaches at Williams will be looking for next season. He'll have a fantastic D3 career.     Morillo is the definition of a point forward. He's 6-foot-7 and long, but has a pretty fantastic handle for his size. Even when being hounded by smaller guards, he's able to stay calm and handle the pressure, which is rare. He can also knock down some shots from the outside, though his three-point shot isn't as consistent as it could be. That being said, the junior has another couple years to figure that out, which is virtually his only offensive weakness (and I'm nitpicking). Shockingly high IQ player who should be a high major.     I'm simply so impressed by Onyejiaka's rim protection. It's not just that he's big and athletic (which he certainly is), but he has everything else a shot blocker needs. His timing is supreme, and he does such a good job reading the offense and figuring out where he should be in terms of help side defense. In my opinion, he's ready right now to be a D1 rim protector, and he's only a junior in high school. The sky's the limit for Onyejiaka, who has tons of time to further develop his offensive skill set.

Newman national traveled to Darrow on Friday, February 28th for an end-of-season showdown. And it was a show. Darrow pulled off an incredible upset, and in very convincing fashion, 78-63.