By JOHN PAVIA
Special to ZAGSBLOG
UNION, N.J. —In Sunday’s 88-48 win against Hunterdon Central, St. Benedict’s Prep was firing on all cylinders as the team returned back to nearly full strength.
At the forefront of this win stood 2016 forward Arnaldo Toro (pictured at left in photo) and 2017 guard Trevon Duval. The two young players showed why they are considered to be among the most coveted prospects in the state of New Jersey.
The 6-foot-9 Toro led the way for the Gray Bees with 17 points as he finished a number of passes in the lane from VCU-commit Jonathan Williams. He also attacked the offensive glass for a number of offensive rebounds that got him some second-chance points.
While Toro is still raw in some areas, his upside has a number of schools very interested in him. He has talked to SNY.tv before about his ability to play multiple positions and well-rounded offensive game that is improving with each contest.
“I’ve been working on my game every day in practice. Every game, sometimes I’m not confident in myself, but today I was confident in myself,” Toro told SNY.tv after the game. “I think I need to work on my ability to move faster on the court and my athleticism.”
So far, Toro has received letters from the University of Miami, West Virginia and Notre Dame with more sure to come.
While he may only be a freshman, Duval’s ability on the court has also drawn plenty of interest from college coaches this season. The 6-foot-2 guard is already considered by Future150 to be one of the top players in his class.
After the game, Duval, who finished with 11 points, spoke about the positive influence Williams has had on him this season and what it means to have him back after missing the game against St. Peter’s Prep last Wednesday which St. Benedict’s lost.
“Yeah, [it helps] especially when I get tired or when I have to guard someone else that’s pretty good,” he said. “Him bringing up the ball and facilitating helps me out too. He’s like a big brother to me. He helps me out with my offense and tells me little stuff to get through the game. It’s important for him to do that this year because next year he’ll be gone and that will leave me to be the guy.”
With a state championship game against Blair Academy on Wednesday and a potential National High School Invitational berth on the line, Duval revealed the keys for the Gray Bees to be successful going forward.
“We need to play defense,” he said. “Be aggressive on offensive and facilitate to the shooters on the wing and my bigs down low.”
Duval told SNY.tv that he has received offers from Rutgers, Villanova and Seton Hall so far. He’s also received interest from Florida State, Penn State and many other schools.
