Prep Profile – St. Andrew’s

NewEnglandRecruitingReport.com | Thursday, November 6th, 2008

The St. Andrew’s basketball program is one of the most storied in all of New England.  Mike Hart’s squad has won six NEPSAC class B titles including back to back championships in 2006 and 2007.  But last season, St. Andrew’s failed to advance to the post-season tournament for the first time in recent memory.  Between that, and the fact that they were losing two scholarship players in Mike Culpo and Brian Hanuschak, and Coach Hart knew his roster was in need of some new talent. 

That’s exactly what they got this summer as they added two potential stars in the backcourt in Mike Carter-Williams and Michael LaPlante along with a big man with scholarship potential in Youri Dascy.  With another talented sophomore guard, Myles Brilhante, returning from last year’s squad and it’s easy to see the future is bright in Barrington. 

But while St. Andrew’s new additions are certainly talented, they are also young, and Coach Hart is leery of asking them to do too much too soon.  Ultimately, if St. Andrew’s is going to be a contender during the upcoming season, they will have to be led by their upperclassmen. 

Mike Accaoui, Russel Deremer, and Nyheem Sanders form a trio of seniors who should be ready to accept responsibility for this year’s team. 

Accaoui is a guard who can flat out score the ball from the perimeter with a great shooting stroke along with the ability to take, and make, shots with high degrees of difficulty. 

Sanders is a versatile player who can fill any of the three perimeter spots for Coach Hart.  Consistency will be the key for him as he has undeniable talent and ability to impact the basketball game when he is tuned in. 

Deremer should start at the pivot spot, but versatility is also his strong suit as the southpaw is equally comfortable in the paint or stretching opposing defenses out to the three-point line. 

Another senior in Ndubisi Ezeigwe will also be counted on to be an impact performer.  Ezeigwe is a back to the basket scoring threat who has shown flashes of being able to score and rebound at a consistent clip inside.  Also look for 6’1” junior guard Jordan Jones and 6’0” senior guard Michael Haggerty to contend for minutes.

Ultimately, this St. Andrew’s team finds themselves in uncharted waters this fall not just because of the new faces on their roster, but also because this is the first time in several years that they are not starting the fall as the class B favorites or defending champions.  But take it from us…with a roster full of young talent and a head coach with a long resume of championship seasons, this St. Andrew’s team will once again be contenders in class B.