The Battle of the Titans, Jonathan Kuminga and… Nick Farrar
The entire country knows about Jonathan Kuminga, he's the consensus number one prospect in 2021 and is widely considered the best prospect in all of high school basketball. Nick Farrar, an NC State signee is known within in the state of North Carolina as a workhorse forward that is difficult to contain and these two had a battle that had all of Raleigh rocking inside of The Holliday Gymnasium. Kuminga was as dominant as ever, using his athleticism and skillet to cruise to 31 points and 11 rebounds on 13-28 from the field. Farrar proved to everyone in attendance he can play with anyone in the country finishing with 35 points on 11-17 from the field and 5-6 from beyond the arc. He used his strength on the inside to bully on the block, his wiggle and shooting ability to create from the wing. Expect Farrar's national ranking to rise considerably after this performance and NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts was the happiest man in the gym because he found himself a gem!
Combine Academy and Hillcrest Prep Lived up to the Hype
Hillcrest Prep is one of the most talented teams in America, they're absolutely loaded with high level talent and future pros. Combine Academy is loaded with talent as well, but for the most part its an underclassmen led group that plays the game with a sense of fearlessness. They're proven giant killers after beating Oak Hill in Jeff Mcinnis' first game as head coach. Between 5 star sophomore PG Jalen Hood Schifino and 6'0 2023 Robert Dillingham, Combine Academy has their backcourt of the future and they gave Hillcrest everything they could handle yesterday. The difference in the game was the size, between 6'9 2021 Michael Foster (Nationally top 10) and the playmaking of Keon Edwards and Dalen Terry it was a little too much for Combine. Regardless of the outcome, Combine played their game, applying non-stop pressure, and leaving everyone in attendance infatuated with their team and coaching staff. Hillcrest Prep deserves credit for finding a way to win a close battle, but Combine is here to stay ladies and gentlemen, get ready!
Quick Takeaways
- Montverde Academy might be the most talented High School team I've ever seen. Between Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes, and Day'Ron Sharpe they have everything covered. Then you throw in Moses Moody, Zeb Jackson and everyone else into the mix… look out.
- 6'7 2021 Toby Harris (Durham Academy) showed a lot in the Montverde game. He's a 3 point specialist that should be tracking as a division one prospect.
- 6'6 2020 Ja'Dun Michael (The Burlington School/Wichita State Signee) hit a wild buzzer-beater for the championship in the Ky Bowman bracket. He won MVP of that bracket and TBS looks primed for a major playoff run in the NCISAA 1A classification.
- 6'6 2021 Lucas Taylor (Heritage) is really developing into a special prospect. A knockdown shooter that's really just starting to scratch the surface. I don't think he realizes how good he is yet, but regardless he's a kid to watch closely for MM+/HM-.
- Word of God and Callaway played a really ugly/weird game but they can't all be pretty so credit to Word of God for finding a way to win despite facing adversity late in the game. Credit to the coaching staff for keeping the boys under control and putting them in a position to win. They'll move on to the championship game of the TJ Warren bracket.
Day Three Game To Watch
Moravian and Hillcrest… here we go!
In what could be the game of the tournament, Hillcrest Prep and Moravian Prep will battle it out at 5:15 to what should be a sold out crowd at Holliday Gymnasium. Josh Hall will have a chance to cement his status as a 5 star prospect against one of the best teams in America in what will be a dog fight. I cannot wait to see the coaching battle as well, I know Antonio Lowe will have his boys ready. Shakeel Moore and Darrius Davis will be the key for Moravian Prep if they can apply constant on ball pressure. If Makur Maker can get going for Hillcrest Prep I don't know if there's anyone on Moravian that can stop him. It should be an incredible matchup, I'd get here early if you want a seat.
