We’re unveiling the most extensive and only prep school poll of its kind and we’ll take a look at Maine Central Institute, which checks in at No. 20.
No, this isn’t exactly the powerhouse MCI teams of old, but these guys will still win their fair share of games.
Second-year head man Ed Jones, who took the team to the NEPSAC semifinals in his rookie campaign, has a bunch of D-2 and low-major players on his team, but in the prep school ranks, it’s not always about talent. It’s about cohesiveness and how quickly a group of newcomers can come together.
``We’ll be fun to watch, but I’m not sure how many games we’re going to win,” Jones said.
Jones’ two top players are Lynn, Mass., senior swingman Antonio Anderson, a 6-5, 185-pound athletic two-sport star, and 7-foot, 260-pound center Quel Ferguson, a Miami native who is getting looks from St. John’s.
``He’s got huge upside,” Jones said of his big man. “He’s so big, has nice touch and has good hands.”
Rashard West, who hails from Raleigh, N.C., has a chance to be a mid-major guy and Bristol, R.I., native Dennis Coelho is a well-built guard who is receiving interest from Maine and Western Carolina.
Bahaadar Russell (Phoenix, Ariz.) is a 6-2, 170-pound combo guard who should end up catching on with a D-1 school. One player who won’t play is 6-7 senior forward Vincent Tourville, a Los Angeles native who played for Jones last season – but tore his ACL and will miss the season.
Other players expected to see time for MCI include wings Ryan Dame (6-4, 195), James Campbell (6-3, 205) and Nasir Qadree and guards Omar Johnson (5-8, 140), Quincy Campbell (5-11, 165) and Chris Parker (5-10).
``We’re going to be very quick with good outside shooters,” Jones added. “The question will be whether we have enough size and can rebound. If our outside shooting is on, we’ll look a lot like Notre Dame did last year.”