Ranney Freshmen

[MCKnight2004]

Scottie Lewis and Bryan Antoine are two freshmen studs lighting up the shore conference. Both 6'4 long athletic players who can shoot handle defend and score. And just 14! Have been playing AAU together for team Rio and wanted to attend a high school where they can start and play from day 1. Ranney has never had success with hoops, but you'll hear a lot about them in the next few years.

These are two recruits that are likely to go to the Dukes and Kentuckys, but are two recruits that RU should be recruiting heavily from day one, even if they are just freshman. Maybe if we showed them the most loyalty and interest from day one we could be in contention for them when they choose their school in a few years. Likely looking at two top 20 recruits class of 2019 in our own backyard

 

[B1GNJHoops]

You have to try. If they are top nationally ranked kids we won't be able to compete against the Dukes and Kentucky's unless we find our own World Wide Wes who is from, ironically, the Camden, Nj area.

 

[billhobo]

Scottie Lewis and Bryan Antoine are two freshmen studs lighting up the shore conference. Both 6'4 long athletic players who can shoot handle defend and score. And just 14! Have been playing AAU together for team Rio and wanted to attend a high school where they can start and play from day 1. Ranney has never had success with hoops, but you'll hear a lot about them in the next few years.

These are two recruits that are likely to go to the Dukes and Kentuckys, but are two recruits that RU should be recruiting heavily from day one, even if they are just freshman. Maybe if we showed them the most loyalty and interest from day one we could be in contention for them when they choose their school in a few years. Likely looking at two top 20 recruits class of 2019 in our own backyard

Thanks for the heads up on Ranney. I live 2 miles from the school and had no idea; need to go see them. Didn't realize Tahj Holden was head coach; dang, he's building a powerhouse there it appears.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Went to my local HS basketball game Saturday and I am convinced we are going about things backward.

The commitment to defense and the effort on the defensive end was off the charts. If you are a basketball player in my town you know if you don't play defense you will not play.

At Rutgers we have to get out of the rat race of recruiting solely out of the 3, 4, and 5 star pool where we are only going to get the leftovers.

Let's get kids that want to play here and know the path to playing time is not showing up. This is 90% of the battle. There is a reason Rider, St. Peters, NJIT, and Princeton are better than us.

 

[Russ Wood]

Coach Holden has some studs in his program. He has invited coaches to his gym but I don't know if a Rutgers assistant has gone or not. Best believe Maryland is aware of the kids.

They are 2019 kids and maybe that's not a priority class for the staff right now, but you gotta at least recruit like you plan/expect to be at Rutgers when the 2019 class arrives on campus.

 

[MCKnight2004]

They clearly like playing together, Would be smart to offer them both now, the other two freshmen aren't too shabby either both tall and long and will be D1 recruits maybe mid/low low level

 

[Seton75]

Ranney just joined the Shore Conf a few years ago. They play in the same division that my son played in while he was at Mater Dei. Mater Dei was not great when he was there, but regardless of how they were, they were going to beat Pt Beach twice. And if you scheduled Ranney, it was cause you wanted an easy W. Beach started bringing in kids from all over and now is a shore conf power. Mater Dei hired Gamble - Hurley's ex asst who did so well at McCarrick. McCarrick closed last year and he brought them to MD, plus he has some other transfers pending. Taj Holden is the new coach at Ranney and they are clearly going to be a power. FWIW, the best kid on Ranney went to St Mary's GS, which is in the same location as MD. Danny Werner and Todd Billet are two other kids who went there. I wonder if MD can keep these kids now that they have a coach with the cred of Gamble. Last I saw, MD was 4 in the SC and Beach was 8. Time have changed.

 

[B1GNJHoops]

Rutgers is stuck in the middle. Not good enough to out recruit the St Johns of the world but not attractive enough to to get the kids who go to Vandy, NW, Stanford, ND, etc

 

[Ray6232010]

the reason we don't land these kids is we don't know how to play the recruiting game. and until we do we'll continue to talk about this same old story for years to come

 

[B1GNJHoops]

the reason we don't land these kids is we don't know how to play the recruiting game. and until we do we'll continue to talk about this same old story for years to come

Ray they seem to do it in some capacity. How else do you explain 2011 or some of the top kids during Fred Hill tenure. Is it half-measures?

 

[MCKnight2004]

Antoine had 34 today, and Lewis 23... Kids are flat out studs, and a true 14 years of age, competing against 17 and 18 year old upper class men, get on them now!

 

[nyctarheel23]

@MCKnight2004:

1> I admire your passion for these 2 kids, who must play close enough for you to go to their games.
2> Scottie Lewis has a higher ceiling than his teammate; but neither are among the top 25 freshman guards in the country.
3> If they continue to improve, they will likely transfer to a better hs program so they can challenge themselves every day
in practice, nd play in elite games/tournaments around the country.
4> The best thing to root for probably is that they maintain their current level of skill, stay at Ranney, and then the
new coaching staff at RU might be able to convince them to give RU strong consideration. I'll root for
this with you.

 

[MCKnight2004]

Glad to have Thiam, but just an update on these Frosh...St. Johns first high major to offer, they know what they are doing in the recruiting game

Freshman Scottie Antoine added 18 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and four steals for Ranney. Following the game, St. John’s offered scholarships to both Antoine and Lewis, according to Pat Lawless of MadeHoops.com and confirmed by Ranney coach Tahj Holden and Team Rio National AAU manager Brian Klatsky.

 

[B1GNJHoops]

It is annoying when St. John's and VCU beat us to offering young prospects.

But then I ask myself are we in position to ultimately land them when it's all said and done.

These kids most likely are going to have much better programs involved, more than St Johns even. And Rutgers will never have a chance until it builds a winner.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Saw Gill St. Bernard play and they have 2 freshmen playing serious roles.

 

[TDIrish27]

I don't see the big deal in offering freshman personally.

These are great young talents no doubt about it but the reality is EJ and staff probably won't be here in 3 years.

 

[djrc89]

My daughter is a freshman there as well. I'm a Rutgers fan first and am not tied into recruiting like some of our posters. But this was all orchestrated prior to middle school---6th grade... And I heard as early as 7 th grade that Maryland was involved

 

[MCKnight2004]

Rumors Makes sense given their AAU team team rio is under armour sponsored and Maryland is the biggest under armour school, and head coach Holden is UM alum

 

[djrc89]

So does Eddie play in these waters at all? From what I hear Hoop Group is mobbed with coaches trying to get looks at 10 year old kids. Why are we not involved?

 

[TDIrish27]

Because he's not going to be there ?

 

[RUfan620]

Been to a few of their games, these kids have the potential to be legit. EJ and Rutgers have nothing to lose by offering these kids. We might as well get to them early.

 

[Knightmoves]

Eddie doesn't need to concern himself with 2019 players. He has bigger fish to fry now and will be elsewhere in 2019.