SLAMonline recaps Quality Education vs Word of God.
by Rodger Bohn / @rodgerbohn
Two schools, separated by 100 miles. You wouldn’t think that would amount to much of a rivalry. Wrong. With the influx of talent to private schools in North Carolina in recent years, these two programs have risen to the top. Word of God produced John Wall and C.J. Leslie. Quality Education has produced over 30 d1 players and was home to SLAM’s current #1 player for 2011, Quincy Miller. This year is no different, with each school offering at least 5 D-1 kids on their respective rosters.
The game started off hot and heavy with both teams coming out of the gates in a full-court press. Torian Graham started the game off right, throwing down a dunk on two QEA defenders 30 seconds into the game. The game was back and forth throughout the first half, before QEA established control of the game and walked away with a 13 point victory, leaving coach Isaac Pitts thrilled.
“Both teams were really talented with great athleticism. I think we were them down with our depth and perimeter play, though” Pitts explained to SLAM. ”Our big four (Anthony Fields, Josiah Turner, Sir’Dominic Pointer,Charles McKinney) all played extremely well. We’re looking towards our big match-up against Oak Ridge Military Academy on the 19th now.”
Here are a few of the talented, athletic players that Coach Pitts was talking about:
Torian Graham, 6-4, SG, Word of God, 2012
Graham was unquestionably the best player in a game stacked with ballers who will be doing their thing next year at power programs. Though his shot has a little of a
hitch in it, it didn’t effect the results based on the 4 3′s that he knocked down. The lanky two-guard showed off his nasty bounce and was great finishing in transition, but will need to keep working on his handle. With Graham’s ability to put points on the board, he will see himself jump a bit in the next Fresh 50.
Charles McKinney, 6-3, SG, Quality Education, 2011
Not the flashiest guy by any means, the Chicago product used his scrappy style to be the best player for QEA in their win. The power guard played great defense, scored from the perimeter as well as in the paint, and is a lot more athletic than at first impression. McKinney is exactly the type of guard that Oliver Purnell needs in his rebuilding effort at DePaul and should help out right away once he gets on campus in Lincoln Park.
Josiah Turner, 6-3, PG, Quality Education, 2011
Having only been at Quality Education for a little over a week from his Cali home, the highly touted point guard was clearly still getting adjusted to playing with his new teammates.”Jo” is used to playing with the rock in his hands at all times and will do so once he touches down at Arizona, but has to share playmaking duties with Wake Forest recruit Anthony Fields.
TJ Warren, 6-7, SF/PF, Word of God, 2012
Yeah, he shot a lot of threes. He also made a lot of threes. The combo forward has the size of a power forward and game of a small forward, a package that makes him tough to guard at any level. With his versatility, deep range, and smooth pull-up, it makes sense why so many ACC schools are pressing him.
Sir’Dominic Pointer, 6-5, SF, Quality Education, 2011
With perhaps the freshest name in the class of 2011, Sir’Dominic showed out after being ejected from the previous game against Upper Room. He played like a monster out there with an intensity level that was unmatched by any wing player. There’s still a bit of work to do with Pointer’s skill level, but he’s still a great get for Steve Lavin at St. John’s.
Joseph Uchebo, 6-10, C, Word of God, 2011
The longtime NC State commit has more frequent flyer miles than I do, having bounced around from school to school so many times before finding the right fit at Word of God. Uchebo was a beast on the glass, has slimmed down a bit, and has more skills than most cats give him credit for. Look for the Nigerian big fella to help out up front right away for Sidney Lowe.
Anthony Fields, 6-1, PG, Quality Education, 2011
Fields proved to be Mr. Reliable for Issac Pitts in the second half, after not really getting in sync with things in the first. With his future college coach (Wake Forest’s Jeff Bzdelik) in the stands, he kept his team under control and guided them to victory. The Michigan product didn’t stand out in one single aspect of the game, but proved that he could handle pressure and showed the poise to lead his team to a W.
Below are some highlights from the game:
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