By JOHN LIKANJE
Damani Barley bookended a remarkable career at East High School by igniting the Eagles to their third consecutive sectional title. Jaquan Shears led Monroe to its most single-season victories in three years. The senior guard and junior forward were named the 2022 Players of the Year as announced by Rochester City Athletic Conference (RCAC) coaches.
Barley amassed 27 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals per game to earn RCAC Division I honors. The senior guard poured in 20-plus points in 15 of 18 contests this season. Barley was named the Most Valuable Player of the Bishop Kearney Christmas Showcase, the Peppino’s Tournament in Syracuse and the Centercourt Classic in Buffalo. The 6-foot-5 guard concluded his Eagles career with numerous accolades: 1,287 varsity points, more than 500 assists, four RCAC division titles, four sectional finals appearances, three class A2 blocks, four All-League selections, three All-State selections and now Player of the Year. Barley guided the Eagles to an 88-10 record over his four-year career as well.
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Currently, Barley is the No. 3 prospect in New York State (Prep Hoops) the class of 2023. The senior guard plans to participate in the Adidas circuit in the spring and summer with the New York Jayhawks and attend prep school in the fall. Barley holds collegiate offers from Canisius College, the University at Albany, Bryant University, the University at Buffalo, Lehigh University and St. Bonaventure University.
Teammate Kai McCullough joined Barley on the Division I All-League team. The senior guard posted a double-double of 17 points and 10.5 boards along with four steals per game. McCullough drilled 37 percent of his three-pointers as well. Similar to Barley, McCullough completed an accomplished career at East High School: 1,135 Varsity points, 500 rebounds, three All-League selections and All-State honors last season.
Tyler Bethea and Mike Morgan were named to the All-League First Team for Edison Tech. Morgan stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, six rebounds, four dimes and one steal per game. The senior guard shot 44 percent from the field as well en route to collecting four double-doubles. Bethea recorded 11 points, five boards and three assists per game.
Colin Bavibidila (McQuaid) and Sha’mere Freeman (Franklin) rounded out the RCAC All-League First Team. Bavibidila scored six points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out 4.1 assists and swiped 2.2 steals per game as the Knights’ captain. Freeman poured in 22.6 points and snatched four boards per game. The junior guard amassed 474 points in 21 games, including four contests of 30-plus points. Freeman’s season-high of points scored in a game was 45 on January 21st against Edison Tech.
Shears accrued 23.6 points per game in 14 of 20 contests played to earn Division II Player of the Year. The junior forward dropped 40 points twice as well. The result was Shears leading Monroe to nine victories, its most single-season wins since the 2018-19 campaign when the Red Jackets won 14 games. The Red Jackets finished as the No. 6 seed in class A2 as well.
Jaedon Adams-Griffin (World Of Inquiry), Keshaun Chatman (School Of The Arts), Zavarius Henry (Wilson Magnet), Chris James (NE Douglass) and Jahan Richetts (Early College) were named to the RCAC Division II All-League First Team for their respective teams.
Richetts was a consistent bright spot for the Cobras with 19.9 points and six rebounds per game. The senior guard’s best game of the season was on February 2nd when he poured in 29 points against NE Douglass at School No. 33. James impacted both ends of the court with 14.6 points, 5.3 boards, 3.6 steals and 1.8 assists. The senior guard’s best contest of the season was on December 4th when he dropped 26 points against Monroe in the consolation game of the Al Masino Memorial Tip-in Tournament at Eastridge High School.
Adams-Griffin stepped up and led the Griffins with 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals per contest as a freshman. The 6-foot-1 guard converted 84 percent of his free throws and collected a pair of double-doubles as well. One of those double-doubles came on January 15th when Adams-Griffin netted 23 points and grabbed 10 boards along with four assists at Penn Yan. Henry was a do-it-all guard for the Wildcats, putting up 11 points, six rebounds and four dimes per game while defending the opposing team’s best player. The senior guard put it all together in the final game of the regular season, amassing 27 points, eight boards and five assists in a 71-67 victory at Franklin.
Chatman led the Silverhawks to eight victories, including a sectionals win over NE Douglass in the first round of class A2. The senior forward concluded his four-year Varsity career with 871 points and 500 rebounds. Chatman swatted three shots per game this season as well.
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