NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Xavier coach Chris Mack didn’t set up the schedule at the National Prep Showcase, but he might as well have.
Mack showed up on Saturday and got to watch all four Xavier pledges at the event in three successive games.
“It’s very convenient,” Mack told SNY.tv. “The fact that they play back-to-back-to-back, you’d almost think I coached the director into scheduling that way.”
Shooting guard Myles Davis played first on Saturday for Notre Dame Prep, followed by point guard Semaj Christon and power forward Jalen Reynolds of Brewster Academy, followed by power forward James Farr of Maine Central Institute.
Davis put up 26 points on 10 of 16 shooting, including 6 of 12 from 3, in a loss to Hargrave, and went for 23 on 8 of 13, including 3 of 6 from deep, in a win over New Hope.
Christon had 17 points, 5 assists, 5 turnovers and 4 rebounds in a win over Fishburne and 18 points in a rout of Massanutten.
“I love our guards,” Mack said. “I think they complement one another really well. I think Semaj is the ultimate distributor. He gets in the lane, he can score. But he’s a guy that really makes people better.
“And then you got a running mate like Myles Davis, who can really stretch the defense. I think Myles is much more than a shooter. A lot of times he gets pegged with that, but over the last year or so I’ve really seen a commitment of him trying to get to the basket and just doing a better job of being a more complete player on offense.”
Mack also likes his frontcourt players, which is important since his team will lose 7-foot center Kenny Frease to graduation.
Reynolds went for 10 points and 4 rebounds against Fishburne and 15 points and 3 rebounds against Massanutten.
Farr tallied 23 points and 7 rebounds against La Jolla Prep, and 11 points and 6 rebounds against Northfield Mount Hermon.
“I think Jalen has worlds of potential,” Mack said. “He’s so long, he’s so bouncy. He still has a lot to learn, but he’s a really competitive kid, tenacious, hard on himself. But he’s multi-faceted and can a lot of different things.
“And then James Farr of MCI is probably the late bloomer of the class. He was probably not on any Division I school’s radar as a freshman or sophomore, and then he’s really self-made. He was a chubby kid when he was a freshman. He’s got a good stroke. We got to get him to be a better rebounder maybe than he’s been the last couple years, but he has the potential to an inside/out combo forward with good size because he’s a legit 6-9.”
