Prep Profile – South Kent

New England Recruiting Report | Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

The 08-09 season was Kelvin Jefferson’s first at the helm of the South Kent program and he led the Cardinals to one of their most successful seasons ever.  South Kent finished the regular season atop the Class A standings, advanced to the finals of the NEPSAC tournament, and earned an invitation to the National Prep Championship. 

A year later Jefferson returns for his encore performance, but this time with a brand new team.  This year’s South Kent team features the same high level of talent that the school has become known for over the years including a couple of young players to lay the foundation for the future. 

J.J. Moore, a six-foot-six swingman from New York is probably the most recognizable name on the South Kent roster.  After generating interest primarily from low to mid-major schools a year ago, Moore’s stock went through the roof this summer as his skill set became on par with his explosiveness making him one of the most complete wing prospects in the country.  Moore has reportedly cut his list to three schools with Louisville, Pittsburgh, and St. John’s still in the mix. 

The best news of all for Coach Jefferson is that Moore isn’t just his best player, but also one of his best leaders.  The day we were in the South Kent gym Moore was setting an example with his work ethic, being vocal with his teammates, and most importantly backing it all up with his play. 

Moore’s running mate will be Jesse Morgan, who recently committed to Seton Hall.  Morgan is extremely versatile at six-foot-five and able to play any of the three perimeter positions, score the ball in a number of ways, or facilitate offense for his teammates. 

The likely choice to run the show for South Kent is Russell Smith, a second New York native with a big time reputation for scoring the ball.  But Smith has shown a great willingness to run the team and make plays for other people since open gyms began in the fall and for South Kent to reach their full potential he’ll need to embrace that role throughout the season. 

Any school that features three potential high-major prospects in the backcourt is going to have a chance to win a lot of games, but the Cardinals also gain strength from their depth and won’t be afraid to go ten deep with anyone, especially on the perimeter. 

Local product and one time Boston College commit Danny Lawhorn, Alabama native Ronnie Mack, and New Yorker Mike Buffalo are three other division I prospects featured around the South Kent arc.   

With so much perimeter firepower the Cardinals could potentially only play one big man at a time.  Chris Johnson, a six-foot-six linebacker from Arizona, and Nemanja Bjurisic, a skilled inside-out big man from Serbia are the two most likely to fill that role while Japanese import Daichi Taniguchi is another mismatch problem waiting to happen who could also prove to be too difficult to keep off the floor.  Vernell Blackman, Zach Obrien, and Jimi Hayakawa could also contend for minutes. 

South Kent’s youth movement is led by Nikolas Stauskas and Darwin Billingsley, both members of the class of 2012 who have already earned some high majors looks with their potential.  Stauskas is an absolutely lethal sniper from behind the three-point line who might not have to wait long before making an impact on the Cardinal’s season.  Billingsley is a long and athletic six-foot-nine post player with a lot of tools and natural ability.  He’s going to gain valuable experience as the season goes on and could likely see his role grow consistently through the season as he gets more experience under his belt. 

When you put all of the pieces together this is a team that could have a very different style from a year ago.  They’ll be more perimeter oriented to be sure and also probably play at a quicker tempo.  But don’t expect a sophomore slump from Coach Jefferson as he has put all the pieces in place to duplicate his tremendous first season at South Kent while also laying the groundwork for the future.