With the regular season in the rear-view mirror and sectionals ready to start, a look at some of Section Five’s top performers from the 10th-grade class.
Gerald Drumgoole 6-foot-3 So. F Irondequoit Eagles: Inside/outside threat who thrives in Irondequoit’s system, comfortable pushing the ball in the open floor, at the same time makes plays under the basket; doesn’t shy away from contact. Consistent shooter from 3-point range, can knock down a trey in transition or coming off a screen for a catch-and-shoot. Creates shots for himself with solid footwork. May be at his best off the bounce getting to the rim. Catches and can finish in transition. Strong rebounder who quickly gets his team into transition with strong outlets from the defensive end. Visible defensive instincts, excellent off-the-ball-defender who anticipates plays well. Irondequoit (ranked No. 2 NYS A and No. 1 seed A1) will host the Spencerport-Greece Arcadia winner in the quarter finals, Saturday.
Isaiah Stewart 6-foot-8 So. F McQuaid Jesuit Knights: Imposing inside presence, near impossible to stop when makes up mind to go to the rim. Unheralded passer out of the post who senses double and triple teams and takes advantage of opportunities to set up teammates with open looks. Catches well in traffic and has impressive footwork near the basket. Shows wing turnaround jumper that could make him unstoppable when he catches the ball. Runs the floor well. Developing defensive player who is at his best when protecting the rim. No. 7 seed McQuaid hosts Penfield in the AA opening round.
Jabez Thomas 6-foot-7 So. C UPrep Griffins (Private/Independent): Moves like a guard in a forward’s body, and he is only 15. Fluid motions around the basket make him difficult to contain. He resists being blocked out. Disciplined rebounder who keeps the ball elevated. Understands the importance of looking up the floor and can deliver accurate outlets in transition.Developing touch around the basket will only get better with maturity and confidence, emerging back-to-the basket game. Has moments where he is foul prone but overall uses his stature to contain opponents. UPrep (ranked No. 11 NYS AA and No. 3 seed AA) opens against Churchville-Chili Wednesday night.
Patrick Thomas 6-foot-4 So. F Bishop Kearney Kings (AA/Private/Independent): Unparalleled motor in Section Five. Fierce rebounder, with impressive upper-body strength, requires more than one opposing player to keep off the glass, bounces off contact when going to the basket. First one on the floor for a loose ball. Does not need the ball to work hard. Plays the game like Rodman. Showed an up and under move by the end of the regular season. Developing foul discipline. No. 5 seed Bishop Kearney hosts Gates-Chili, Wednesday night in the opening round of AA.
Rondell Watson — 5-foot-10 So. G Leadership Academy Lions: Streaky shooter who fills it up in a variety of ways. Can connect behind the arc over a ball screen. At the same time is always ready for catch-and shoot opportunities. Moves well without the ball, can manage to get lost in a crowd and then appear in the corner without a defender within 10 feet. Sets up quick first step with a inside/out dribble that freezes opposing defenders. May be at his best knocking down rhythm jumpers off the dribble. No. 1-seed Leadership hosts the winner of the SOTA and Wilson in the A2 quarter-finals.
Other 10th-grade performances of note: Miles Brown/Northstar Christian, Robert Davis/Wilson-Magnet, Desi Floyd/Wilson-Magnet, Trevor Glasgow/Monroe, Tyquil Glasgow/Monroe, Jeff Jung, Jr./Greece Olympia, Connor Krapf/Pittsford-Mendon, Jakhi Lucas/UPrep, Jiahmere Mitchell/NE Douglass, Antwan Odom/Batavia, Luke Putnam/Aquinas, Kevin Ryan/Pittsford-Sutherland, Chaz Washington/East.
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