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Big men are in the highest demand heading into the new year and Lee Academy has a trio of them still available, along with another talented swingman prospect.
Keith Coleman is the most sought after of those big men as the Philadelphia native is seeing his recruitment soar northward.
"He's a hot commodity right now," Lee Academy coach Andrew Papaefthemiou said. "Florida wants him to visit, Seton Hall has offered, Cincinnati is very interested, Texas called recently, it seems like almost every school you could think of from every level."
While Coleman is undeniably raw, he has a combination of physical tools that simply can't be taught and consequently a definite upside. At 6-foot-9 he runs and jumps with ease, is plenty agile, and tremendously powerful with a sculpted frame.
Lee's other two big men are both international products in Youssou Ndoye and Chen Cai. Ndoye is a 6-9 from Senegal, Africa who drew early interest from the likes of Alabama and Valparaiso upon his arrival and has since shown a game where his defense is far ahead of his offense.
Cai is a burly 6-8 power forward who didn't arrive at Lee until mid-fall when he made the trip from China, but has since developed a comfort level and is now playing very well. "He's played real well and been a stabilizer for us," Papaefthemiou said. "Loyola Maryland likes him a lot. Them, Robert Morris, Valpo, and Hartford, those are the schools who have been on him the hardest."
While the trio of available big men have peaked the interest of college coaches, it has been D.J. Peterson, a versatile 6-5 perimeter player who has been the key for this Lee team.
"He's been playing very well," Papaefthemiou said. "He's been our most consistent guy."
The big lefty guard is best known for his versatility because he is capable of spending time at all three perimeter positions and putting points on the board both by attacking with his dribble and making shots from the perimeter.
Peterson has worked hard to make his 3-point shot a more consistent part of his arsenal and made a big statement in Lee's recent trip to Montreal when he knocked down 14 three-pointers in only three games.
On the recruiting front, the Minnesota native has seen a steady dose of mid- to high-major interest.
"Loyola Marymount is definitely coming to see him," the coach said. "Northern Iowa, Baylor, and LaSalle have all been involved in the past."
Hare visits Rhode Island
ESPNU Super 60 prospect Jordan Hare (Saginaw, Mich./Arthur Hill) took an unofficial visit to the University of Rhode Island earlier this week and was on hand to watch the Rams knock off Boston College on Wednesday night. Also on hand was Domonique Bull (Worcester, Mass./The Tilton School), who made an early verbal commitment to URI this fall.
"We came out to Rhode Island to take a look at it and really enjoyed it," said Greg McMath, Hare's coach at Arthur Hill High School.
Hare is a 6-9 power forward and the 58th ranked prospect in the 2012 class.
URI assistant Preston Murphy is also a native of Saginaw and has a longstanding relationship with McMath.
Murphy knows a thing or two about making the move from Saginaw to Kingston, R.I., as he did just that during his playing days, starring for the Rams from 1995 to 1999.
"Preston Murphy is a good friend of mine and so this is something we definitely wanted to take a look at. They're doing a great job out here," McMath said.
Beyond the relationship with Murphy, McMath said he and Hare were impressed with Rhode Island's up-tempo style of play.
"He really liked it. Their style of play is really what we're looking for," he said. "Jordan is 6-9", almost 6-10, but really skilled. At the next level he'll be a three-four multi dimensional kid who can do a number of things."
The potential to land a prospect of Hare's caliber would be a coup for URI and give them the highest-rated prospect since Murphy's former roommate Lamar Odom.
"We're looking at Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky, USC, Providence, and UConn," McMath said. "They're [Rhode Island] right in the picture though." "He's going to take a couple of other unofficial visits and then maybe some officials and then make his decision."
