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NEBL Notebook: Tuesday, June 30

07/01/2015, 12:30am EDT
By Ari Rosenfeld

Ari Rosenfeld (@realA_rosenfeld)
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The Northeast Basketball League playoffs got underway tonight, as eight teams matched up in the quarterfinals at the Mayfair Rec Center.

With the first of three July Live Periods just a week away, tonight’s notebook is focused on two players at vastly different points in their recruiting.

First, the results:

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Imhotep Charter 59, Cherry Hill East 41

Father Judge 66, Paul VI 63

Neumann-Goretti 73, Central Bucks West 61

Archbishop Wood 84, Conwell-Egan 80 (OT)

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Imhotep's Daron Russell talks new Temple offer
A year ago at this time, Daron RussellQuade Green, and Lonnie Walker were all sharing a backcourt for Team Final’s 15U squad, blitzing the majority of their opponents en route to several tournament victories.

All three were still a bit too young at that time to be receiving major college attention. Since then, however, Green joined the WE R1 program and Walker moved up to play on the 17U circuit this year, and both of their recruitments have exploded nationally.

Russell has remained with the same Team Final group, now playing on the 16U circuit, and while it took him a bit longer than his former teammates, he looks to be the latest local 2017 guard whose recruiting stock is beginning to soar.

Fresh off a Binghamton offer earlier this month on the first day that college coaches could contact rising juniors directly, the 5-foot-10 Imhotep Charter point guard followed that up with a high-major offer from the Temple Owls after a strong showing at the program’s high school team camp this past weekend.

“It just kind of came out of the blue. I just played good this weekend and they called me,” said Russell, who hadn’t heard from the Owls before receiving the offer.

While he hadn’t been in contact with Temple in the past, he has already begun getting acquainted with the school, merely by growing up in the area and speaking casually with the coaches at the team camp.

“I know it’s a good program,” he said. “I like their facility, the new practice facility. I like the coaching staff. They’re very nice people.”

It certainly appears that Russell’s stock has elevated above the level that it was at just two weeks ago, when Binghamton, a member of the America East conference, gave Russell his first scholarship offer. While Temple is the first school to offer since then, they are not the only new program to get involved, as Russell has also heard from “Power Five” conference schools California and Providence, along with local Atlantic-10 teams Saint Joseph’s and La Salle.

Russell, however, is not as fixated on the level at which he plays as many of his peers, nor is he concerned with the location of his future school, even as several local programs have begun recruiting him.

“I want to go to the best school that fits me. It doesn’t matter where it is,” he said. “Even if it’s high-major, mid-major, the one that fits me best is the one I’m gonna pick.”

Entering the very important July live periods with a recruiting stock that’s potentially ready to explode could be a scary proposition for many 16-year olds. Not Russell, though; a jitterbug on the court, he seemed calm, cool, and collected when asked about the daunting month ahead of him.

“I’m just worrying about getting in the gym right now, working, and all that [recruiting] stuff will come in July,” he said.

And if all goes well for him, the Owls should certainly expect some tough competition to join them in pursuit of Russell’s services.

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McCray-Pace still seeking first offer
While Russell finds himself sitting pretty entering July, Conwell-Egan star LaPri McCray-Pace is in a much more precarious position in terms of his recruitment.

A rising senior who has been a big scorer for the Eagles since his sophomore season, the 6-foot-3 guard finds himself devoid of a Division I offer. When, and if, he gets one will be determined largely by his play with Philly Pride over the next several weeks, which represent his last few chances to play in front of college coaches on the AAU circuit.

“That I can run a team and handle the ball under pressure against smaller guards,” he said when asked what he wants to show said coaches. “Mainly that I can do a lot of things, and shoot the ball better from the perimeter.”

That perimeter shooting will probably end up being the key determining factor in where McCray-Pace’s recruiting ends up. At a shade over 200 pounds with a solid frame, he’s always been able to attack the basket and finish through contact, while his jumper has been much more inconsistent.

It’s the part of his game that he’s been working on the most, trying to improve his shooting “off the dribble, on set shots, and coming off screens.”

He showed off the work he’s been putting in since the high school season ended at the NEBL tonight, knocking down two three-pointers en route to 20 points after not hitting one trey throughout the entire Under Armour Association regular season.

Things are starting to look up for McCray-Pace recruiting wise as well, with Robert Morris and Fairfield recently joining Towson, Rider, and Campbell as schools that have expressed interest. While his knowledge is limited since his recruiting is predominantly handled by his coaches, he noted Robert Morris, Towson, and Rider as those that might be closest to offering.

With Philly Pride, he will have the opportunity to impress those coaches at one of the biggest stages in all of AAU basketball, as the program qualified for the Under Armour Association Finals in Atlanta by finishing in the top 16 of the circuit’s regular season standings.

Team success can only help a player’s stock on the AAU circuit, and McCray-Pace thinks his Philly Pride squad can follow up the success it had at last year’s UAA Finals on the 16U level.

“Last year at this time, we went to the final four. We only had about 7 players, 8 players, we were shorthanded,” he said. “[Now] we go four guards, but all our guards are big. De'Andre [Hunter] is 6-8, Charlie [Brown] is 6-7, we’ve got Stevie [Jordan], then it’s me, and we added a couple new bigs to our team.”

In terms of what he will try to do personally in pursuit of that elusive first offer? That part is quite simple.

“I’ve just got to play better and play hard.”

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Semifinal Schedule
The semifinals will take place tomorrow night at Mayfair Rec Center (2990 St. Vincent Ave), with the schedule as follows:

7 PM--Imhotep Charter (8-0 regular season) vs. Archbishop Wood (6-2)

8 PM--Father Judge (8-0) vs. Neumann-Goretti (7-1)

The two games both figure to be interesting clashes of styles; Judge and Wood don't necessarily have the size and athleticism to match Imhotep and Neumann, but both feature more punch from beyond the arc. Both Imhotep and Judge enter with undefeated records, but they'll certainly need strong performances in order to earn spots in Thursday night's championship game.


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