Talk About It On The Boards
Last June and July, John Riek rocked the Nike Hoop Jamboree and then the LeBron James Skills Academy. That first week in July, there was a legitimate question as to who the best prospect at LeBron’s camp was and Riek was in the conversation.
Our exact notes from the LeBron Camp read this way:
best post prospect in camp; we measured everyone by him & he won/tied each match-up; huge strides since Jamboree
His performance at the Hoop Jamboree – intended for rising 9th, 10th and 11th graders – turned into a controversial appearance. Months later it was determined that not only was he NOT a junior, he was in fact a post-graduate player. He was considerably older than the Hoop Jam participants.
As stellar as Riek was at LeBron (and you’d have had to see it to comprehend the magnitude of his impact) his season at Winchendon couldn’t have gone worse. By all accounts, Riek struggled mightily at the school before eventually heading off to IMG Academy for pre-draft training. At Winchendon he was a complete non-factor.
His stint in the States – which began at Our Savior New American – is one of the most befuddling tales we’ve seen in a while. Who is Riek? How good is he? Can the Riek of last summer ever be replicated? Frankly, we feel it’s tough faking that type of week-long effort against America’s finest. However, if you speak with any New England Prep School League coach they’ll offer the same opinion: what did everyone see in him last summer?
Riek tops this list not for what he did last winter but rather for the lightning in a bottle he captured for two weeks last summer. At this point, the Jekyl & Hyde Sudanese big man could do in any direction. Someone may take him in the June draft, they may not.
A few years ago, we began categorizing kids who graduated and were treated as seniors as “Post Graduates.” We determined there was no reason to recycle prospects onto our Top 100 list again, essentially rewarding them for sub par grades. Our goal was to give as many players as possible a shot at the Top 100.
It’s been a confusing process and hard to quantify. We’ve come up with a Top 25 post graduate list. Understand its not a top prep school prospects list as it only contains players we’ve designated as post graduates prospects.