St. Benedict’s Prep reached the final of the ESPN NHSI in 2013 with a Canadian point guard in Tyler Ennis.
Now head coach Mark Taylor is hoping the infusion of four new Canadians to the roster will propel the team to great heights in 2014-15.
The Gray Bees have added 6-foot-8 power forward Isaiah Mike (Hoops Canada), 6-4 combo guard Tyrell Gumbs-Frater (Grassroots Canada), 6-6 wing Daniel Cummings (CIA Bounce) and 6-2 guard Marcus Ottey (YAACE). All are members of the Class of 2016.
“We will have great length and size in all positions,” Taylor told SNY.tv. “We will run and press and be very difficult to defend with scoring from all positions. We look to be back in the mix with the best teams in country and the schedule shows it.”
The Gray Bees will once again play a national schedule featuring stops in the LeBron James Classic, the PrimeTime Shootout, the Metro Classic and other regional and national events.
St. Benedict’s will only have a high school team next season, and won’t have a prep team.
St. Benedict’s has enjoyed great success in recent years with Canadian players, beginning with former Grassroots Canada players Tristan Thompson (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Myck Kabongo, who played for former coach Dan Hurley, and more recently with Ennis, Isaiah Watkins and Denzel Taylor.
Ennis is expected to be a lottery pick in next month’s NBA Draft after one year at Syracuse.
The Canadian quartet will join returning players Trevon Duval, Mark Isiofio, Kamar Mcknight and Arnaldo Toro.
One or two more players are also expected to join the team, Taylor said.
Sophomores Nick Washington (undecided), Josh Colon (Chaminade-Madonna – FL), Edwin Cancel (St. Vincent-Pallotti – MD) and Martynas Pacevicius (Sagemont – FL) and junior Domantas Pavlovskis (Long Island Lutheran) all transferred out.
Photo: NJ.com
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