New Jersey Tip-Off Notebook: Lester Quinones, Precious Achiuwa, Louis King, Trey Patterson Show Out

By ZACK CURRAN

The Hoop Group Tip-Off event opened the New Jersey high school basketball this weekend at Caldwell College.

On a busy Saturday for college basketball, the schools on hand were Columbia, Holy Cross, Loyola, Brown, NJIT, St. Francis, Colgate, American, Minnesota, Monmouth, Sacred Heart, Tulane, Delaware, Maine and Penn.

Some of the standouts included:

Lester Quinones – The 6-foot-5 guard from St. Benedict’s Prep (NJ) had a huge seconnd half to push St. Benedict’s past Our Savior New America, 63-52. With multiple long-range shots, Quinones tallied 24 points and received the game’s MVP.

In the last two weeks, Quinones has received offers from St. John’s and Georgetown and has recently heard from Cal, Virginia, LSU, and Kansas.

? GAME MVP: Lester Quinones ?@Effort_les @StBenedictsNJ pic.twitter.com/6ziyREXuvU

— Hoop Group (@TheHoopGroup) December 16, 2017

Precious Achiuwa– The 6-8 wing from St. Benedict’s showed why every school in America is interested in him. With fluid drives, athletic finishes, and a constantly improving skill set, Achiuwa was a mismatch every time down the floor. He looked to get teammates involved and has taken strides as a playmaker on the offensive end. His length and instincts gave St. Benedicts a much needed boost defensively in the second half.

Achiuwa most recently heard from two Pac-12 schools, receiving offers from Oregon and UCLA, and says those two schools are showing the most interest as of late. With current teammate Lester Quinones receiving an offer from St. John’s he spoke about the chance to play with Quinones, an AAU Teammate of three years, at the next level.

“That’s definitely in the conversation, so we will see how that goes,” he said.

Clarence Nadolny- The 6-3 combo guard from Our Savior New America (NY), had a big first half to help his team get out to a halftime lead. He finished with 12 points, and was his team’s MVP for the event.
Afterwards Nadolny said his recruitment is wide open. He has been hearing the most from Dayton, Rutgers, Drexel, George Mason, Minnesota, UMass and Rhode Island, among others.

Louis King – The Oregon commit had far and away the best performance of the night at the New Jersey Tip-Off. With a first-quarter explosion of 14 points, including two highlight dunks, he helped Hudson Catholic jump out to a 25-3 lead. He finished with three 3’s and 19 points and was the game’s MVP as Hudson Catholic beat Pope John, 82-55.

Hudson Catholic is Showtime!! ?? Jahvon Quinerly goes off the backboard to Louis King for the slam. Full Highlights of the Hawks’ 82-55 win over Pope John on JSZ! @SweetLouu2 @RealJahvonQ

WATCH:? https://t.co/ktWk7awKRy pic.twitter.com/ufSw1OVEOT

— Jersey Sports Zone (@JSZ_Sports) December 17, 2017

Louis King With BACK-TO-BACK Alley Oops For Hudson Catholic!! #HGShowcase@SweetLouu2 @OregonMBB pic.twitter.com/PDkwvDBRP3

— Hoop Group (@TheHoopGroup) December 17, 2017

Nahshon Battle – The 2019 prospect from Rutgers Prep (NJ) put together an MVP performance to help RP fight back from a 13-point deficit in the fourth to claim a 68-65 win over Union Catholic. With 19 points, 13 of which came in second half, Battle was the catalyst for a the Rutgers prep comeback.

Trey Patterson – The highly regarded 2021 wing from Rutgers Prep showcased high level athleticism, as well as a never ending motor. With 10 points and 11 rebounds, Patterson recorded a double-double and showed an impressive blend of size and skill. Patterson continues to live up to the hype in the early season.

 

**For more of the top stories in New Jersey high school basketball this season, read this.

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