PATERSON, N.J. – The Playaz Gold and New Heights 2011 each took home championships Monday from the Joe Brown Memorial Tournament at Paterson Catholic.
Senior guard Karon Abraham of Paterson Eastside had 18 points and 6 assists and senior forward David Laury of the Nia School added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Playaz, who topped New Heights 2010, 64-59. Abraham made all four free throw attempts in the final 28 seconds. The Playaz, coached by Jerome Smart, were competing without starters: Dominic Cheek (USA U18 team) and Georgia Tech-bound Brian Oliver (ankle).
Devon Collier, a junior forward at St. Anthony, had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Harold McBride of St. Raymond had 13 for New Heights 2010, who were playing up a year.
Still, New Heights won a title when its 2011 team topped New Jersey Team Elite, 43-38, behind 20 points from Jermaine Sanders, a 6-4 sophomore at Rice.
Tyrone Johnson, a rising sophomore at Plainfield High, tallied 14 for Team New Jersey Elite.
NOTES: Fordham offered Paterson Catholic sophomore point guard Myles Mack (pictured), and now has offers out to Mack and junior wing Shaquille Thomas, nephew of LA Clipper star Tim Thomas. Fordham just recently got a commitment from PC senior wing Lance Brown…Georgia Tech commit Brian Oliver of the Playaz unfortunately suffered a badly sprained ankle in the 17U semis and is a maybe for Vegas…Many coaches are very high on Plainfield’s Johnson. And why not? He’s strong and very talented and will team up with junior Isaiah Epps to form a dangerous backcourt next season before Epps goes to prep school…St. Joe’s is very high on Linden senior big man David Bruce, but Bruce is not playing the summer circuit due to his own choosing. St. Joe’s needs a big and a wing and has two ships left for ’09…FDU would love to get PC junior Jermaine Peart. More on him and the other PC juniors later this week.
(Photo courtesy Jay Gomes / NJHoops.com)
