NEW YORK – Kentucky assistant Tony Barbee was the latest high-profile coach to pass through the historic hallways of Archbishop Molloy High School on Wednesday.
Barbee came to watch 7-foot-1 Class of 2018 big man Moses Brown and 2019 point guard Cole Anthony, the son of former NBA point guard Greg Anthony.
“[Barbee] didn’t offer them,” Molloy assistant John Magna said Thursday by phone. “He said he’d be back in contact with them. He was on the phone with Cal [Kentucky coach John Calipari] the whole time.”
Louisville coach Rick Pitino, Maryland’s Mark Turgeon, Florida’s Mike White, St. John’s Chris Mullin and Kansas’ Norm Roberts are just some of the coaches who have recently come through the school that produced Kenny Smith, Kenny Anderson and Russ Smith.
“Tony Barbee said that Moses Brown is one of the most impressive big men that he’s seen in a long time,” Magna said. “He made a comparison to Anthony Davis. He said that Moses Brown is further in his career than a lot of the bigs that have come through Kentucky at this stage.”
Magna added that Brown has been working out extensively on his body and development with Tommy Tempesta of Basketball Biomechanics in Long Beach, N.Y.
“The kid is a lottery pick and he works likes a mule,” Magna said.
Kentucky would like Brown to visit campus, and his father Moses said Brown planned to do so at some point. He was supposed to visit Florida this weekend but will not do so due to a family matter.
“Kentucky is trying to get him on a visit,” Magna said of Brown.
Brown, who runs with New Heights on the Under Armour circuit, is ranked 19th on ESPN’s Top 60 for the Class of 2018. Kansas, UConn, Arizona, Florida, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Seton Hall, St. John’s, UCLA and USC have all offered.
Barbee was also impressed by the 6-1 Anthony, who is being courted by Duke and Kansas, among others.
“They were blown away by Cole and Moses,” he said.
Meantime, Brown, Anthony and 2018 wing Khalid Moore are all headed to St. John’s Midnight Madness on Friday.
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