MaxPreps 2012 Preseason Xcellent 25 Basketball preview: No. 3 Prestonwood Christian

Right about the time we published our preseason Xcellent 25 National Basketball Rankings last week, the news began to circulate that Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas) sophomore sensation Mickey Mitchell was out for the season with a torn ACL.

It was tough news for one of the nation's top two-sport prospects. The 6-foot-7 point-forward is also an emerging star at quarterback, where he accounted for nearly 3,000 yards and 32 touchdowns through the air and on the ground before sustaining the injury.

There's no way around saying it: Mitchell's absence also brings into question the candidacy of Prestonwood Christian for high school basketball's mythical national title. The Lions were already a little thin and will now call on three freshmen to step up and play major roles.

"We've talked about it a lot," Prestonwood Christian head coach Chris Mayberry said. "He's an irreplaceable player that can play multiple positions and really impact games."



But Mayberry is choosing to stay positive, which is made a little easier by the presence of Julius Randle, a Top 5 national prospect who brought more than 21 points and 12 rebounds per game to the table as a junior. Randle is an athletic, imposing force at 6-8 and nearly 240 pounds with Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Oklahoma and Texas involved in his recruitment.

"We are going to ask some young guys to step in and I think this is probably one of the better shooting teams that I've had," Mayberry said. "When you have a guy like Julius getting double- and triple-teams, it should create some wide open shots for those guys."

Speedy point guard Marquan Botley (5-9), getting a push from Miami-Ohio as of late, along with the freshman trio of Evan Peters (6-3, younger brother of former PCA standout Zach Paters), Buddy Kennedy (6-2) and D.J. McGee (5-10) will all be asked to raise their game.

So far, so good. The Lions had a good showing in exhibition play against nationally ranked Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) last weekend at the Elite 14.

"It's going to be a challenge," Mayberry said. "The schedule is off-the-charts tough but I like my older kids. I think we'll be okay."

Prestonwood Christian's last five seasons:
2011-12 – 27-4 (Chris Mayberry), TAPPS 5A state champions
2010-11 – 26-11 (Brad Freeman), TAPPS 5A runner-up
2009-10 – 35-3 (Brad Freeman), TAPPS 5A state champions
2008-09 – 30-9 (Brad Freeman), TAPPS 5A runner-up
2007-08 – 21-14 (Brad Freeman)



{PAGEBREAK}

Classification/Division:
Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Class 5A

Enrollment:
239

Head coach:
Chris Mayberry (second year at Prestonwood Christian, 10th year as head coach overall)

Career record:
214-79

Former Lions playing college basketball:
Zach Peters (Kansas freshman forward)
Austin Rettig (University of Tampa freshman guard)

Road warriors:
Prestonwood Christian is a K-12 academy and the high school didn't open until 2005. But the suburban Dallas program has emerged as a national power in that timeframe, cementing that status by winning the prestigious City of Palms Classic in Florida last December. Since Julius Randle arrived on campus, the Lions have also traveled to the Sunshine State for the Hawk Kreul Classic, made two trips to South Carolina for the Beach Ball Classic and played in the National Prep Classic in California. PCA will make return trips to the City of Palms Classic and Spalding Hoophall Classic in Massachusetts this season along with an appearance in the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Missouri.



{PAGEBREAK}

Key returners:

Julius Randle (6-8, Sr., F), No. 4 overall prospect in Class of 2013 Top 100

Marquan Botley (5-9, Sr., G)

Chas Taylor (5-10, Sr., G)

Newcomers:

Evan Peters (6-3, Fr., G)



Buddy Kennedy (6-2, Fr., G)

D.J. McGee (5-10, Fr., G)

Circle the date:
Randle vs. Jabari Parker will be the storyline when Prestonwood Christian takes on preseason No. 1 Simeon in an ESPNU-televised affair Dec. 13. Another attractive pairing comes at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in January as the Lions face reigning California Player of the Year Aaron Gordon and Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.).

Tournament time:
PCA is one of a dozen nationally ranked programs headed to the City of Palms Classic in December. The Lions made a mildly surprising run to the tournament title last year in Fort Myers and head there with a chance to become the first back-to-back champion at the event since Westchester (Los Angeles) in 2000 and 2001. There will also be a January trip to Springfield, Mo., for the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions where preseason Xcellent 25 teams Montverde Academy (Fla.), Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) and St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) await.

{PAGEBREAK}