Stepinac- St Raymond’s Recap And Stars

The two teams that have battled for the AA title the last few years were at it again. St Rays had a few star graduations from last years team but basketball junkies in New York knew they would be ready and battle the undefeated Crusaders of Stepinac. [player_tooltip player_id='1880463' first='Najay' last='Bess'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2617751' first='Zaire' last='Johnson'] were at their scoring mentality and attack mode readiness to go . [player_tooltip player_id='3150815' first='Ibrahima' last='Camara'] you could see welcomed the challenge of the talented tall front line. But the Stepinac club was ready for the challenge that they knew would come. Michigan State recruit [player_tooltip player_id='1729832' first='Jasiah' last='Jervis'] was at his absoulute best playing an all around game. He is a perfect future Spartan for Coach Izzo. [player_tooltip player_id='2027752' first='Darius' last='Ratliff'] the 7 foot future USC Trojan was an intimidating force in the middle with sheer length. But with all the star names mentioned that everyone knows [player_tooltip player_id='2360081' first='Jack' last='Coco'] from Stepinac scored a career high 16 for the Crusader doing it from three and weaving his way to the rim. In the end it was just to much depth and firepower as Stepinac remained undefeated with a 72-62 victory. Here are the players who impressed me in this game.      Our #1 player from our recently completed list of the 85 top players in the CHSAA did not disappoint. Jasiah has been written up many times so we will keep this simple. He can do it all on the court. Has long range capability tremendous mid range game can get into the lane and finish at the rim. Really good rebounder . His defense is an elite level defender.     Darius was #2 on our list. He showed his range nailing an open three. He scored on numerous dunks off of lobs, He displayed the ability to handle the ball. But I feel his overall length with his skill set brings him to a different level. Can't wait to see how he develops further at USC under coach Musselman.     A shifty PG understands the position. He can create for himself or others off the bounce. Has break down ability. Can drain threes but also has shown a variety of floaters off the bounce. A player who can definitely help a program at the next level.     The young big man did not play a lot of minutes but when he was in the game showed his ability to battle on the board and defend the paint. Uses his body well to create space to catch the ball in the paint or secure rebounds. Still raw but potential is there.     A flat out scorer. Possesses deep range. A three level scorer. A shot maker. In transition he can take it to the defender or pull up with a running floater.     A very quick heady guard. Handles the ball well. A lefty who can handle it with either hand. A creative shot maker. Gets into the paint and finds ways to score amongst the trees.     A strong physical player in the paint. Battles on every possession. A rim protector with his physicality. Gains good position on the block or in the paint to either catch and finish or rebound.

The two teams that have battled for the AA title the last few years were at it again. St Rays had a few star graduations from last years team but basketball junkies in New York knew they would be ready and battle the undefeated Crusaders of Stepinac. Najay Bess Najay Bess 6'3" | CG St. Raymond | 2026 State NY and Zaire Johnson Zaire Johnson 5'11" | PG St. Raymond | 2027 State NY were at their scoring mentality and attack mode readiness to go . Ibrahima Camara Ibrahima Camara 6'8" | PF/C St. Raymond | 2026 NY you could see welcomed the challenge of the talented tall front line. But the Stepinac club was ready for the challenge that they knew would come. Michigan State recruit Jasiah Jervis Jasiah Jervis 6'4" | SG Archbishop Stepinac | 2026 State #34 Nation NY was at his absoulute best playing an all around game. He is a perfect future Spartan for Coach Izzo. Darius Ratliff Darius Ratliff 7'0" | C Archbishop Stepinac | 2026 State #24 Nation NY the 7 foot future USC Trojan was an intimidating force in the middle with sheer length. But with all the star names mentioned that everyone knows Jack Coco Jack Coco 6'0" | PG Archbishop Stepinac | 2026 State NY from Stepinac scored a career high 16 for the Crusader doing it from three and weaving his way to the rim. In the end it was just to much depth and firepower as Stepinac remained undefeated with a 72-62 victory. Here are the players who impressed me in this game.