ARDSLEY, N.Y. — The Isaiah Briscoe Era at Roselle Catholic is over, but that doesn’t mean the cupboard is bare.
Coach Dave Boff’s team will be loaded with high-major Division 1 players even after the 6-foot-3 Briscoe takes his talents to Kentucky this summer.
With 6-foot-9, 215-pound 2018 big man Naz Reid and 6-7, 188-pound 2018 wing Louis King, Roselle Catholic will keep the big-time coaches flowing through its school for several more years.
Both players also team up with the Sports U AAU program, which went 4-0 this weekend at the Under Armour Association stop here. The team also includes fellow Roselle Catholic teammate Matt Bullock, a 6-4 2016 guard, Ganlandou Cisse, a 6-8 2016 forward and Peace Ilegomah, a 6-10 2016 forward, as well as 2016 St. Joe’s-Metuchen point guard Breein Tyree, 2017 St. Benedict’s Prep point guard Nathaniel Pierre-Louis and 2018 Hudson Catholic guard Jahvon Quinerly.
“It’s been great so far,” Reid said. “Playing on the 15 level and the 17s level, so far we’re undefeated. I don’t think anybody on the circuit can beat us, to be honest.”
Reid admitted that playing up on the 17s is an adjustment.
“Yes, because the pace is faster, you have to get used to it fast,” Reid said.
Reid has recently added offers from Kansas, Syracuse, LSU, Oklahoma, Providence “and a lot more,” he said.
Kentucky coach John Calipari also was impressed with Reid when he watched Roselle Catholic play Cheick Diallo and Our Savior New American at the NBA All-Star Game festivities.
“That was a great feeling,” he said of Calipari watching him.
“It’s great but you can’t get the hype get to your game, you have to stay poised,” Reid said.
Reid hopes to work on his post game this summer. He is already very athletic for a young man of his size and can get up and down the court and finish with authority.
He said playing alongside Briscoe on a team that won’t the New Jersey Tournament of Champions title helped teach him about competitiveness.
“Be patient, poised, never let anyone scare you or anything like that,” he said. “Go out and go hard the whole way.”
Can they defend their TOC title in 2016?
“Definitely,” Reid said. “We don’t have the same amount of strength that we had last year, but we have a great amount of strength this year.”
Meantime, the 6-7 King picked up offers from Syracuse, Villanova, Seton Hall and VCU.
King said he hoped to hear from Kentucky, Cal and others.
He figures to have a much bigger role this year as a sophomore.
He said he wants to work on his “shooting, rebounding and doing everything that a three does.”
As for the 6-2 Tyree from St. Joe’s, he says USC, Kansas State, UMass Northwestern and Rutgers are recruiting him the hardest.
“It’s all over the country, man,” he said. “Whatever schools are hitting me up, I just keep my options open.”
Tyree plans to visit USC in late June and will visit K-State in the fall. He also plans to take an official to UMass.
“They’re still looking at my transcripts,” he said.
