Be Seen Prep Tour - St. George’s School

Monday, October 19th, 2020

The 2019-20 campaign was one for the record books at St. George’s School. 

They won a share of the ISL championship, advanced to the semifinals of the NEPSAC Class B tournament, and produced the Gatorade Player of the Year in Tyler Kolek. 

It was the culmination of four years of hard-work that began when longtime D1 coach Dwayne Pina took over the reigns of the program. 

Unlike most upstart prep programs, Pina didn’t try to jumpstart the process with a roster of upper-classmen. He did just the opposite, adding young prospects each year, and continuing to develop them along the way. 

Two such players, Dominic Mello and Ethan Augusto, have literally grown up in the program and are now taking over as leaders along with fellow senior Makai Murray, who also happens to be the school’s senior class president. 

Mello is the most dynamic of the bunch. He’s a proven three-level scorer who can get where he wants with his dribble but is equally capable of making shots off the bounce, both in the mid-range area and behind the arc. He holds a couple of D1 offers with additional interest from several programs at that level. 

Murray is vastly improved from last season and now likely to see lots of time alongside Mello in the backcourt. He too is a versatile southpaw who is quick to the rim but also now a consistent shooting threat as well. 

Augusto is the type of efficient blend player that every winning team needs. He’s very mature in his approach, has a high basketball IQ, understands floor spacing, is a willing-passer, and good spot-up shooter. 

Returning junior Miles Fiore is a similarly ultra-dependable wing with a super high basketball I.Q. He moves without the ball, passes well, is strong with the ball, and also able to get into the paint off the bounce. 

The addition of Jake Bender in the class of 2022 while help fill the gap by Kolek’s departure. Bender is another big guard and deep shooter who can make threes in bunches, but he’s also got the athleticism to rise-up and finish way above the rim. For those reasons, he could be the program’s third D1 guard in as many years. 

Alpha Barry is a two-sport athlete who is also accomplished on the grid-iron but provides another versatile athlete on the hardwood. 

While the upperclassmen are good enough to ensure that the Dragons remain among the best in Class B, the underclassmen could be poised to take this program to continued new heights. 

Taylor Bowen is one of the best long-term prospects in New England. He’s reportedly grown two more inches in the last year and is now a jumbo-wing, standing at 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan and incredible agility and fluidity for a player his size, both covering the court and with the ball in his hands. Simply put, it’s not a matter of if Bowen blows up nationally, just a matter of when. 

Fellow sophomore NeJohn Fortes may be the most improved player on the team. A year ago he was 6-foot-4 and could barely dunk a ball. Now, he’s 6-foot-7, playing well above the rim, and starting to develop his face-up skill-set. 

Ryder Andersen is an absolute man among boys in the class of 2023. He’s 6-foot-9, as strong as he is big, and more than willing to throw that body around and be powerful inside. He too many still be growing, which means his recruitment will soon follow suit. 

Davin Pandian is a solid scoring wing to watch in the class while Bryce Ferrell is a high-academic guard with well-rounded tools. 

There’s a trio of freshman to be excited about as well. Alex Berry is a well-known local product from Providence who is skilled at an early age with great perimeter size. Leon Corriera is another physically talented young guard with talent to match while Barrett Loer is a perimeter wing with a bright future as well. 

Four years ago, St. George’s made a commitment to basketball by bringing in Dwayne Pina and he has rewarded them by building a championship program full of high academic prospects, and together, they appear poised to keep raising the bar with each passing season.