skip navigation

Fab 48 East Notebook (May 28)

05/28/2017, 8:30pm EDT
By Tyler Sandora

Tyler Sandora (@Tyler_Sandora)
--

WEST CHESTER, PA. -- The Fab 48 traveled to the East Coast this weekend for a two-day tournament at West Chester Bayard Rustin High School.

Here’s a notebook from championship Sunday:

~~~

Cotton makes first K-Low appearance, talks favorites

Matthue Cotton made his debut weekend for K-Low Elite 17u at the East Coast Fab 48, leaving Team Final to join the Adidas-based program.

On Team Final, Cotton was not one of the first options on offense, as Cam Reddish (Westtown) and Louis King (Hudson Catholic) did the majority of the scoring. Now that he’s on K-Low, Cotton will be one of the main scoring threats.

“It wasn’t the right fit for me,” the Voorhees, N.J. native said. “Playing for K-Low allows me to play my game more.”

After spending the first two years of his high school career at Academy of the New Church, in Bryn Athyn (Pa.), Cotton transferred to national powerhouse St. Benedict’s, in Newark, N.J.

Benedict’s boasts two top-25 prospects in Precious Achiuwa (2019) and Noah Farrakhan (2020), in addition to Syracuse signee Bourama Sidibe. Cotton had a very successful year, winning games against several big-time schools from around the country, including a win over Oak Hill Academy. Because of this switch, Cotton’s recruitment has increased.

Of the 17 schools that have offered Cotton, Rutgers and Virginia Tech are two schools pushing hard for the services of the 6-5 wing, joining Seton Hall, Miami, and VCU as other schools on Cotton’s radar. And due to his 3.6 GPA, Ivy League schools such as Penn and others have been involved in his recruitment as well.

K-Low Elite looked all out of sorts in its first game on Sunday, losing 65-37 to PYO 17u, ending their hopes for a Fab 48 championship run. Cotton led the way with 11 points in the loss.

Showing his versatility, the southpaw hit two 3’s and threw down a tomahawk slam on the fastbreak. His ability to stroke it from deep forces defenders to sit on Cotton’s hip when his team has the ball, which creates a more open path to the paint where he can dish it out to a teammate or finish at the rim.

Cotton played with Team Final for the first three EYBL regular season sessions, leaving before they wrapped up their season this weekend in Los Angeles. K-Low Elite still has two more sessions left on the Adidas Gauntlet, and Cotton hopes to take on a different role than he did on Team Final; be a leader.

“I love encouraging these guys to win,” he said. “I love the atmosphere of the team and i like how we all play as one.”

~~~

-- One of the more athletic players playing on Sunday was Cherokee rising junior Owen McGlashan. A 6-6 small forward, McGlashan showed his ability to run the floor, sparking the offensive attack with numerous fast break layups and dunks. In his first game of the day, McGlashan dropped 12 points and dished out seven assists in Team Speed’s win over Del Life Ball, 71-58. When a smaller lineup was on the floor, McGlashan called for the ball in the post, and looked like a seasoned big man with his ability to finish down low. High Point is starting to express interest, and McGlashan hopes to lead the Indians past the semi-finals of South Jersey Group 4 during his junior year.

-- Nisheem McNeal-Wright announced he will be doing a prep year at Ernest J. Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina, and thus entering the Class of 2018. The Audenried senior was as explosive as ever on Sunday playing for PYO’s 17u team, blowing by defenders and gliding to the rim with ease. Despite playing with stitches in his dominant right hand, McNeal-Wright made a few mid-range jumpers, including a 3-pointer in the beginning minutes of his matchup vs. K-Low Elite. Hartford is the only D-I school talking to him right now, and McNeal-Wright hopes to add to that list during his prep year.

-- PYO’s 17u squad was on a tear Sunday morning, knocking off K-Low Elite’s 17 and 16u teams. Naheem McLeod was dominant in both wins, scoring at will around the basket. In his win against the 17u team, he scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds, five of which were offensive putbacks. The 7-footer didn’t stop there, as he scored 13 and reeled in 12 rebounds against the 16u team. Although most of his points came around the rim, the rising junior at Plymouth-Whitemarsh showed an improved mid-range game, hitting two baseline jumpers on the day. With some improved footwork and some more polished post moves, McLeod has the potential to be one of the most sought after bigs in the area.

-- Imhotep Charter’s future continues to look bright as rising junior Dahmir Bishop displayed his plethora of impressive offensive moves. The 6-4 wing seemed to be all over the floor, leading out to a few breakaway opportunities. Another asset of Bishop’s game was shown on Sunday: his defense. One of the taller players on his 16U K-Low Elite team, Bishop played down low on defense, and outside on perimeter on offense. He collected seven steals against PYO, the same game he scored 22 points. NJIT and Bowling Green are his only offers right now, but with an improved ability to play both sides of the ball, expect that list to expand.


HS Coverage:

Recruiting News:

Tag(s): Home  Recruiting  Tyler Sandora