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Hoop Group Spring Jam Fest Notebook

04/11/2015, 10:00pm EDT

By Tom Reifsnyder

Tom Reifsnyder (@tom_reifsnyder) &
Dan Newhart (danny_newhart)
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The first round of the April Live Periods continued on Saturday as hundreds of AAU teams from all over the Northeast region flocked to Spooky Nook Sports Complex in Manheim, Pa. for Hoop Group’s Spring Jam Fest, where a number of Division I and Division II coaches were in attendance.

Here’s a notebook from the action on Saturday, April 11:

Andree hoping to add Big 10 or ACC offer this summer

As a bundle of Division I coaches descended upon court one to watch the Jersey Shore Warriors 17U take on the B.C. Eagles (N.Y.), one player seemed to stand out among the rest.

Standing at a solid 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds, Pat Andree’s size was just one of the many reasons why he was attracting so much attention on Saturday.

The 2016 forward from Christian Brothers Academy (N.J.) provided some scintillating entertainment for the Spooky Nook crowd, knocking down triple after triple with ease and showing off some nifty ball handling ability, given his size.

But Andree’s impressive skills should come as no surprise considering how deeply basketball runs in his family.

“My Dad, Tim Andree, started for Notre Dame under Digger Phelps, and he was a McDonald’s All-American,” Andree said. “He played one year in the NBA with the Bulls and played most of his career overseas.

“He was an old time big man, so he’s taught me some post moves.”

And the hoops lineage doesn’t stop there. Andree’s older brother, Tim Jr., was a four-year walk-on at Notre Dame before graduating in 2010.

Right now, Andree’s collegiate offers are primarily from Ivy League, Patriot League and a few A-10 schools. However, he hopes that his performance throughout this summer with the Jersey Shore Warriors will attract some higher-level interest.

“I’ve been offered by pretty much all the Ivy League schools except for Harvard and then Lehigh, Bucknell, Rutgers, Vermont, Holy Cross, George Washington...and that’s all I can name off the top of my head,” he said. “But I’m getting some interest from some more A-10 schools and hoping to get up to the Big 10, ACC level.”

Andree already has a laundry list of offers, but you can’t fault a kid for having high aspirations. The sweet-shooting big man points to his drive game as an area of improvement that could take him to that next level.

“I think I’m showing that I can shoot the ball pretty well ‘cause I’ve been doing that for a while, but I’m trying to get to the basket more,” he said. “I did that a couple times in that game, but I struggled to finish a little bit. So once I get that down I think it’s going to be pretty hard to stop me.” --Tom Reifsnyder

Gibbs and Keller impress for Jersey City B&G

Points were hard to come by in this game, and as a result this matchup was more tightly contested than the previous. Jersey City B&G pulled out a 51-50 win, behind a stellar performance from rising senior Shyquan Gibbs.

Gibbs, a 6-foot-1 lefty point guard out of St. Anthony’s High School in New Jersey, finished the game with 18 points, including a number of timely buckets.

He has the quickness to penetrate with ease, as well as a great touch from deep to keep defenders honest. Gibbs’ pull-up jumper of the dribble looked silky smooth from the get-go, and the junior also displayed a high basketball IQ. Rather than force difficult shots when driving the lane, Gibbs is patient and will let defenders react to him before dishing it to an open teammate.

Gibbs has not committed yet, but said after the game that a few Division I programs have shown interest.

“I’ve heard from Dartmouth, Boston University, Furman, and NJIT too,” Gibbs said in regard to recruiting.

One thing that stuck out about Gibbs is that even though he is not terrible dribbling with his off-hand, he is reluctant to do so. When facing Select’s full-court press today, if defenders pushed Gibbs to his right, he almost immediately crossed back over to his left hand.

“I know I have to improve my right hand, both dribbling and finishing,” Gibbs said. “My strongest point I would say is shooting off the dribble.”

Gibbs’ Jersey City teammate Zach Keller out of Seton Hall Prep in New Jersey also had a strong game. Keller, a two-sport athlete, will most likely be playing football in college, with offers from Virginia and Yale already on the table for the quarterback.

At 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds, Keller can stretch the floor with his shooting from deep and also put the ball on the deck to finish. He is quick for his size, and measures up pretty well in the athleticism department.

After struggling to get it going in the first half, Keller found a rhythm late and hit a few timely threes down the stretch to help seal the win for his squad. --Dan Newhart

Brown receiving interest from Vermont and LIU-Brooklyn

Lower Merion senior Jule Brown, who originally committed to Penn, is now considering other schools to continue his basketball career.

Brown de-committed from Penn in late March, a decision that he announced on his Twitter page.

Since opening himself back up to recruitment, Brown has heard from both the University of Vermont and LIU-Brooklyn.

“There are a few schools I’m thinking about right now,” Brown said. “Vermont is a good academic school, I have some friends that go there, so I’ll have to think about it.”

“There are also a lot of opportunities for me up at LIU,” Brown added.

Brown has not made a decision yet, and also has not ruled out a year of postgraduate prep school as an option.

When it comes time to suit up for whatever college he chooses, the Lower Merion senior wants to be positive that he made the right decision. He and his family do not want to end up in a similar situation as last time.

Brown would also like to become more of a wing player at the collegiate level.

“I don’t want to rush into anything, right now I’m just trying to find the best fit,” Brown said. “I think I could play more on the wing, but I’m comfortable down low, so we’ll see what works.” --Dan Newhart

Quick Hits

--Father Judge 2017 guard Marc Rodriguez had a terrific day for Team Final Black 16U in a tight victory over the 6th Man Warriors. Rodriguez shot the lights out from behind the arc, knocking down multiple triples in crunch time to lead his team to victory. Archbishop Wood 2017 point guard Collin Gillespie also impressed for Final Black, showing off a very quick handle and an uncanny ability to drive and kick with accuracy. Fellow Wood prospect Tyree Pickron, a 2018 guard, didn’t have the best shooting day but showcased a relentless motor; never gave up on a single play. --Tom Reifsnyder

--Friends’ Central 2016 shooting guard Chuck Champion showed off some nice versatility for the Jersey Shore Warriors 17U in a win over the B.C. Eagles. Champion, who’s known for his knockdown shooting ability, hit a bundle of threes while also taking the ball to the basket with vigor on multiple occasions. He also displayed a much-improved handle, shedding defenders with relative ease. Archbishop Carroll 2016 guard Ryan Daly also played well for the Warriors, showcasing the ability to handle intense on-ball pressure in addition to his already formidable jumper. --Tom Reifsnyder