NEW YORK

T.J. Warren (pictured), Rodney Purvis and Tyler Lewis — all former McDonald’s All-Americans — combined for just nine points, five rebounds and two assists in the 69-65 victory.

But as the Wolfpack attempt to challenge for an ACC regular-season championship and an NCAA Tournament run going forward, the three frosh could play increasingly key roles alongside veterans C.J. Leslie, Richard Howell, Lorenzo Brown and Scott Wood.

“They’ve barely tapped where they’re going to be throughout the year,” Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried said of the freshmen. “I think their upside is tremendous. They’re still learning what we’re doing.”

The 6-foot-8 Warren, a Durham, N.C., native, has started two games for the Pack (5-2) and is second behind Howell on the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game. He put up a career-high 22 points in a win over Penn State and 18 in a loss to No. 3 Michigan.

In the Michigan game, Warren played against his former Brewster (N.H.) Academy teammate Mitch McGary and said the two exchanged some chatter.

“We go back and forth a little bit,” Warren said.

Warren said his year at Brewster, where he played alongside McGary, St. John’s forward JaKarr Sampson and Xavier’s Semaj Christon, helped prepare him for the college ranks.

“Definitely, I’m used to playing with a lot of good players,” Warren said. “It really helped me out coming here.”

In fact, all of those former Brewster players are doing well for themselves. The 6-10 McGary, at one point ranked among the top recruits in the Class of 2012, has not lived up to the hype but is averaging a solid 5.6 points and 5.3 rebounds. The 6-8 Sampson is averaging 13.6 points and 6.6 rebounds. And the 6-3 Christon is averaging 16.0 points and 6.2 assists.

At N.C. State, the 6-2 Purvis has started five times and is averaging 9.6 points and 2.6 rebounds, while the 5-11 Lewis is averaging 2.3 points in a backup role at point guard.

The learning curve is big for all of them.

“There’s a couple key times in the game [against UConn] when we’re trying to execute something and they’re not there yet where it’s not natural to them,” Gottfried said. “And then our older players are frustrated some.

“Calvin [C.J.] is saying, ‘Run the play’ because he’s used to last year at the end we ran everything really well. Now sometimes the freshmen are thinking, they’re not sure. So that’s going to come a little bit more as they more play games.”

This group of freshmen — and N.C. State’s overall profile — has also helped the Pack recruit well.

They already have another Brewster player, 6-8 forward Kyle Washington, signed for next year, along with 6-8 DeMatha Catholic big man Beejay Anya and 6-1 Hampton (Va.) point guard Anthony “Cat” Barber.

N.C. State remains in the mix for 6-9 power forward Julius Randle of Prestonwood (TX) Christian, who is sidelined three months with a fractured foot.

Still, he is slated to visit N.C. State Jan. 26 for the North Carolina game — after visits to Texas and Kansas this month. He is also considering Kentucky, Florida and Oklahoma.

“We’ll hopefully add one or two more [recruits] this year,” Gottfried said, speaking generally. “You gotta have good players, I know that.”

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

“I don’t really have a leader,” he told SNY.tv by text Tuesday. “I just feel like Syracuse and St. John’s [are] showing the most love.”

The 6-foot-10 McCullough is coming off a 17-point performance in Sunday’s Sharette Dixon Memorial Classic game, in which his New York team beat New Jersey, 112-98.

As reported here Monday, McCullough and 6-4 Lincoln guard Isaiah Whitehead have talked about playing together at Syracuse.

“I talked to Whitehead,” McCullough reiterated.

They have also had discussions with 2013 forward Jermaine Lawrence, who was injured and unable to play in the Sharette Dixon game.

McCullough has also been impressed with the commitment the Syracuse staff has shown in him.

“That’s one school that came to visit me about five times this year for workouts and they keep in touch with a call or text about once a week,” McCullough said.

St. John’s hasn’t visited McCullough at Brewster (N.H.) Academy, but he attended a practice there this past week. And they remain near the top of his list.

“St. John’s didn’t come visit me at all but Coach Lav [Steve Lavin] hits me with a text about one time a week also,” McCullough said.

He added that Louisville, West Virginia and Rutgers were also in touch a lot.

“I got a good idea of where i want to play college basketball!” McCullough posted later Tuesday on Facebook.

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

“Yeah, they did,” the 6-foot-3 Patterson told SNY.tv by phone. “I talked to Coach [Jim] Boeheim and Coach [Gerry] McNamara over the phone.

“It felt like I’m a big-time player now.”

Patterson said Carmelo Anthony –whose Knicks play against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Carrier Dome Monday night — was his favorite player growing up..

The Syracuse offer comes the same week the Orange landed a pledge from 2013 wing B.J. Johnson of Lower Merion (Pa.) — first reported by SNY.tv — and big man Chinonso Obokoh.

Syracuse also has a pledge from St. Benedict’s Prep point guard Tyler Ennis.

Patterson said he’s also considering Xavier, Villanova, UConn, Miami, Providence and SMU.

He postponed his visit to SMU Wednesday because his family couldn’t make it.

“I’ll probably do it another time,” he said.

UConn assistant Glen Miller also watched Patterson Wednesday.

“I don’t think they offered me yet but they said they’re very interested in me,” Patterson said.

Patterson said he has no timetable on picking a school but plans to be a factor wherever he goes.

“I can shoot the ball, blow by people and create my own shot and play defense,” he said.

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

The 6-foot-3 guard has been “very impressive” in his tenure so far at Brewster (N.H.) Academy, head coach Jason Smith told SNY.tv.

“Xavier is going to meet with his parents at their home Monday,” Smith said. “Providence comes on Wednesday. And Kansas State next week as well. Pitt is very interested.”

A former Broad Ripple Creek High School star, Patterson reportedly failed to meet academic requirements in summer school and was then denied admission to Indiana. He then opted to spend the year at Brewster instead of transferring.

“He’s already qualified,” Smith said. “He’s fully NCAA qualified. All those schools have come in and offered him. He ended up here only because of the timing with Indiana. Once he was denied admission to Indiana, he had six or seven high-major Division 1 schools that wanted him this year.

“He had three days to make a decision and he opted to come here.”

Patterson is part of a loaded Brewster team that also features Kyle Washington, Chris McCullough and Jared Terrell. Terrell is still dealing with an injury, but Smith said Providence coach Ed Cooley and Pitt coach Jamie Dixon have both been in to see him.

Photo: Herald Times Online

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

The 6-foot-10 New York junior forward will spend his next two seasons at prep powerhouse Brewster (N.H.) Academy.

“I just felt like Brewster is a good program for me and I think [head coach] Jason [Smith] does a good job coaching,” McCullough, who leaves for school on Friday, told SNY.tv. 

McCullough joins another loaded group under Smith.

“I look forward to playing with Kevin Zabo and Jared Terrell,” he said.

McCullough recently visited Memphis and Syracuse and he said there was a “possibility” he could pick the Orange after St. Benedict’s Prep point guard Tyler Ennis tried to persuade him to join him.

Recently, McCullough has also received texts from Kentucky coach John Calipari, although Kentucky has yet to offer.

“It [feels] good,” McCullough said. “He’s a good coach and he knows potential when he sees it.”

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

The 6-foot-10 McGary will announce Thursday for either Michigan, Duke or Florida, and his father confirmed Mitch will announce on ESPN.

“Yes he will,” Tim McGary said by text.

ESPNU has a “Recruiting Nation” show slated for 5 p.m. EST Thursday.

Both ESPN and Scout are already calling McGary to Michigan.

“I think the kid’s getting kind of burnt out with it,” one college assistant told ESPN.com’s Dave Telep. “I think the kid’s going to Michigan.”

The 6-7 Warren, a Raleigh, N.C., native, will announce Wednesday for N.C. State or Georgetown.

“I would assume, and I really don’t know for sure, that T.J. would like to go to one of those schools that are close to his home in N.C.,” McGary wrote in his blog entry on ESPN.com. “That’s just my guess.”

Rodney Purvis and Tyler Lewis are already committed to N.C. State, and Lewis knows Warren would be a great addition.

“T.J. would add a big wing that is one of the best scorers in our class,” Lewis told Fivestarbasketball. “He can score in a variety of ways and has one of the best jump shots in the country.”

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

Mike Taylor

The 6-foot-4 shooting guard led Brooklyn Boys & Girls to its first New York PSAL championship ever in the spring of 2010, and then signed a National Letter of Intent to Rutgers that September, joining a blockbuster recruiting class for head coach Mike Rice.

Then the bottom began to fall out.

“I just stopped working,” he told SNY.tv by phone Tuesday. “I thought I didn’t have to to do school work and stuff like that.”

BALANCE OF POWER HAS SHIFTED TO JUCOS

Like many of his peers, Taylor thought a year of prep school could solve his problems.

He considered Newark NIA Prep and Humble (Texas) Christian Life Center, where former NBA player Rafer Alston is the coach.

But neither of those options would’ve helped him become college eligible, so after earning his GED, Taylor now finds himself on the campus of Midland (Texas) College.

“It was a last-minute thing [where] I had to go to junior college,” Taylor said. “The person who was handling my stuff, [AAU coach] Paul Ruddock, he told me. I was going to go to prep school but they told me I couldn’t because you can only take one class [in prep school].”

Midland features one of the premier junior college basketball programs in the nation, but it’s a long way from Brooklyn.

“Right now I’m just looking at a lot of dirt,” Taylor said by phone from his dorm room. “A lot of campus, a lot of dorms. Nothing’s really open at night. When we’re hungry late-night, there’s only one place [to eat], ‘Whataburger.’ We’ll go there and always just order pizza, chilling in the lobby.”

Taylor is part of an increasing number of former high school and prep players who must attend junior college instead of prep school because of the NCAA’s 2007 rules on what exactly can be accomplished at prep school.

Fifth-year seniors are only permitted to attend prep school for one year, to make up one core class. The NCAA also has blacklisted 64 non-eligible prep schools, schools listed on the NCAA Website whose credits are not accepted by NCAA institutions, according to a story in Odessa America Online.

As a result, the Midland team now also features former Lincoln High standout Darwin “Buddha” Ellis, a onetime St. Francis (N.Y.) commit.

Drimir Ferugson of Wings Academy and Tauron Bailey of Satellite Academy — both in New York — are at Monroe College in The Bronx. Former Manhattan signee Edson Avila of Brooklyn Thomas Jefferson is on the roster at Seward (KS) Community College. Former Duquesne player Joel “Air Jamaica” Wright, also of Thomas Jefferson, is now at Blinn (Texas) College, as is his former Jefferson teammate Shamel Williams. Christian Gayot, who played at Cardozo High in Queens, is at Missouri State University-West Plains. Dwayne Brunson, also from Cardozo, is at Barton County (KS). Jordan Aaron and Deonte Houston of The Bronx are both at Southeastern Iowa. Trivante Bloodman of New York’s Wadleigh is at Olney (IL) Central. And Dashawn Wiggins, formerly of Wings and Bridgton Academy (Maine) is at Eastern Utah, which also produced current Iona star Mike Glover. 

“The prep schools are not as strong as they were because you can’t get as much done in a one-year setting,” Whit Lesure, the longtime coach at Bridgton Academy, a prestigious prep school, told SNY.tv. “Regardless of the school, whether it’s a legitimate prep school or not, you can’t do as much.

“Anyone looking at the landscape would say that in basketball terms, the balance of power has shifted back to the JUCOs, whereas 10 years ago the balance of power had shifted to the preps and the JUCOs were hurting a bit.”

PREP SCHOOL NO LONGER AN OPTION FOR MANY

For many years, prep school seemed like the hip, cool option for many high school players who needed to pick up their grade point average, or gain greater exposure on a bigger stage.

Reputable New England prep schools like Bridgton, Brewster (N.H.) Academy, South Kent (Conn.) and St. Thomas More (Conn.) excelled as more and more top high school players went the prep route.

Four-year basketball powerhouses like Oak Hill Academy (Va.) and Findlay Prep (Nev.) — – which don’t accept fifth-year players – also regularly sit atop the national rankings.

“If you’re a good high school player anywhere in New England, it seems to me by looking at the newspaper there’s a chance you’re considering private school,” Lesure said.

“It’s happened in Maine. It’s all over Connecticut and it’s all over Massachusetts and I’m sure it makes public school coaches uncomfortable.”

Louisville coach Rick Pitino says responsibility falls on the kids themselves — like Taylor and the others — for failing to take high school seriously.

“Kids should stop looking for easy way outs,” Pitino told SNY.tv. “By choosing prep schools as a way to defer what they should be doing as freshmen and sophomores in high school, and paying attention as freshmen and sophomore in high schools and getting their grades.

“They’re all running to prep schools figuring, ‘Oh, they gotta get away from all the distractions.’ They should take care of that as freshmen and sophomores and they wouldn’t all be running away from home.”

Still, South Kent (Conn.) coach Kelvin Jefferson, a former college coach, said many people are still unaware of the 2007 NCAA changes and are laboring under false impressions about what exactly prep schools can accomplish.

“These kids need to get the correct information,” said Jefferson, who coaches Providence commit Ricky Ledo, among others.

“I think a lot of kids and even some adults still believe that kids can come to prep school and take five classes and get five cores and change their transcripts, and that’s not the case anymore.

“After you graduate from high school, unless you have a documented learning disorder, you can only get one core course. If you do have a documented learning disorder, you can add three.

“That’s why there’s so many kids even nowadays that are saying, ‘I’m reclassifying to this class and that class.’ You have to graduate in four years. I think it’s ignorance that a lot of people just don’t understand the rules and they put themselves in bad situations.

“For us I would never take a kid that I don’t believe has a chance to qualify.”

FIVE-YEAR PREP SOLUTION WOULD BE BEST

Even though the NCAA has cracked down on certain questionable prep schools, Lesure believes their approach is uneven and fails to address the real problems.

“They either don’t have the manpower or they don’t have the interest,” said Lesure, whose current roster includes St. John’s commits Amir Garrett and Darrick Wood and former Hofstra pledge Malik Nichols. “They don’t have [what it takes] to consistently enforce something that makes sense.”

His solution?

“Every kid should get a full five years,” he said. “All kids go to private school for five years. Kids get hurt during school. Kids have one bad year in high school.

“The NCAA should say you have a year window to complete your stuff and gain your eligibility. And if you want to put some distributions in there — like you have to take so many math classes — fine but by this whole four years and eight semesters and one more as a postgrad and three more if you’re ‘LD,’ they [messed] it up big time.”

He added: “They really could’ve done something better that really reflects what goes on in education, and would be easier to monitor.

“And then you go look at the places and say is this place a school or not? Make it clear, make it reasonable and make it enforceable.”

Lesure said his other solution would be to let colleges take whomever they want and let the leagues deal with any academic index issues, like the Ivy league.

“Thus, the NCAA empowers member institutions to be the responsible ones,” Lesure said.

JUCOS BENEFITTING FOR NOW

Some student-athletes, like former St. John’s signee JaKarr Sampson, have opted to return for a postgraduate, or second, year at prep school.

After the NCAA ruled him and two other St. John’s frosh ineligible, the 6-8 Sampson is back at Brewster Academy for a second season, as is his teammate Mitch McGary, one of the most highly recruited big men in the Class of 2012.

“[Brewster coach] Jason [Smith] has gone to a few more two-year kids,” Lesure said. “That’s what happened in the prep school world. Since you can’t get as much done in one year then you’ll do it in more than one year.”

Yet others, like Taylor, were forced to go the JUCO route.

Brock Erickson, assistant coach at nationally ranked Monroe College, understands there can be a stigma associated with junior colleges, especially in the New York/New Jersey area.

But he believes two years at a junior college can prepare players like Taylor for the Division 1 ranks.

“I think junior college helps student-athletes because it prepared them to step in right away at the four-year level after two years, whereas many incoming [college] freshman go to NCAA schools unprepared, which has resulted in 40 percent of all college basketball players transferring by the end of their sophomore season,” Erickson wrote in an email. “Combine that with the number of coaching changes, especially in the NY/NJ area, and it is challenging to find players that have been at one institution and played for one coach for their four-year career.

“In today’s game, kids want instant gratification.  They want to play right away.  Competing for playing time against juniors and seniors that have been in a four-year school system is difficult.  In junior college, players can have an impact their first year while practicing and competing against Division 1 talent every day. Junior college teaches kids the responsibilities of what will be demanded of them when they go to a four-year institution.”

Taylor agrees.

“I think it’s better because you’re playing against better competition and against D-1 players,” he said.

Beginning this year, any player competing in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) must have a high school diploma or GED; grades and test scores are never an issue until the athlete comes to campus, according to the Odessa America Online. Once on campus, JUCO athletes only need to maintain a 2.0 GPA while carrying 12 credit hours per term.

In the old days, some athletes played junior college basketball without a high school degree. Most JUCO players graduated from high school and did not qualify because of low standardized test scores or not enough core classes.

Still, Alif Muhammad of NIA Prep cited former Seton Hall guard and NIA graduate Keon Lawrence, who failed to graduate from his regular high school before getting a degree from NIA, as an example of someone who benefitted by not going to junior college.

“Keon Lawrence…would never be able to matriculate at a JUCO,” Muhammad said in his press release. “But because of the support and resources of a Division I Seton Hall University and University of Missouri, he was able to obtain his College Degree.”

Midland coach Chris Craig, formerly Mike Glover’s coach at Eastern Utah, believes Taylor  can graduate from the school in two years and said, “He’s off to a good start.”

From where he sits, far away from Brooklyn and the bright lights of the Big East, Taylor understands the path he’s taken and says he’s accepted it and ready to do what it takes.

“I just gotta deal with it,” he said. “I’m not crazy about it. I got a new slate. I should be good.”

(Taylor photo courtesy Daily News)

RELATED CONTENT

**Potential pros Ledo, Thomas join forces at South Kent

**Noel says he won’t reclassify

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

Coach Scott Drew and company secured the first official visit from the 6-foo-8 Sampson since he decommitted from St. John’s.

And after Sampson took that official visit this past weekend, Drew turned up at Brewster (N.H.) Academy at 8 a.m. Tuesday and then had lunch with Sampson, according to Brewster coach Jason Smith.

St. John’s coach Steve Lavin was there even earlier. He showed up for 6 a.m. workouts.

Still, Sampson Sweepstakes II looks like it’s just beginning.

Smith said Kansas assistant Danny Manning and head coaches from Florida, Miami, Providence and South Florida will attend a workout Wednesday.

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and two assistants were also there Tuesday. Duke is involved with Brewster forward Mitch McGary, who is considering Duke, North Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan and Maryland.

He recently announced he would not attend Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness.

RELATED CONTENT

**St. John’s Pelle says he didn’t decommit

**St. John’s freshmen trio declared ineligible

**St. John’s players in limbo

**Sampson to Brewster

**Sampson decommits, Garrett to Bridgton

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

Baylor coach Scott Drew, Kentucky coach John Calipari, Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin and Providence coach Ed Cooley have also been through Brewster in recent days.

Smith also tweeted that St. John’s assistant coach Mike Dunlap will come through Wednesday.

Don Anderson, Sampson’s AAU coach, said the following schools were showing interest: Florida, Georgetown, Kansas, Baylor, Kentucky, Memphis, Providence, Louisville, St. John’s and Pittsburgh.

Sampson, a native of Akron, Ohio, was one of three St. John’s signees declared academically ineligible by the NCAA. He then opted to re-open his recruitment.

RELATED CONTENT

**St. John’s Pelle says he didn’t decommit

**St. John’s freshmen trio declared ineligible

**St. John’s players in limbo

**Sampson to Brewster

**Sampson decommits, Garrett to Bridgton

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

JaKarr Sampson, a 6-foot-8 forward, has decommitted and will re-open his recruitment.

“Yes,” said Brewster (N.H.) Academy coach Jason Smith.

Sampson was one of three St. John’s signees declared academically ineligible by the NCAA. He then opted to return to Brewster for a postgraduate year.

Meantime, Amir Garrett, another member of that trio, is now at Bridgton (Maine) Academy.

Garrett joins a team that features 2012 St. John’s commit Darrick Wood and former Hofstra commit Malik Nichols.

Bridgton coach Whit Lesure said the plan was to try to get Garrett eligible for the second semester in December.

“I would say that that’s the plan,” he told SNY.tv. ‘I know our college counselor was with him today and visited with me quickly.

“To be honest, that’s more St. John’s business than mine. That’s Amir’s business.”

Norvel Pelle, a 6-10 center, is the third member of the trio, and his status remains in limbo.

FREE THROWS

2012 Team NJABC / Willingboro 6-4 guard Ronny Paden committed to St. Peter’s today, per Matt Pauls

RELATED CONTENT

**St. John’s freshmen trio declared ineligible

**St. John’s players in limbo

**Sampson to Brewster

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook