MaxPreps 2013-14 Preseason Xcellent 25 Basketball preview: No. 3 Huntington St. Joseph Prep

The 2013-14 season will mark the fifth for the Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W. Va.) program. The newly named Fighting Irish have won nearly 90 percent of their games and are on the verge of producing a second NBA Draft pick and likely No. 1 overall in Andrew Wiggins.

The key to Prep's success? Good recruiting. Scratch that, incredible recruiting.

It may be a taboo word in the high school realm, but that's what Huntington St. Joseph Prep does and coach Rob Fulford isn't apologizing for it.



After bidding adieu to Wiggins last spring, Fulford reeled in four Top 50 seniors to keep the Fighting Irish at a high level.

"It's tough to say we will be better without Andrew Wiggins, but we are a lot deeper," Fulford said. "We have nine guys that will start games."

Josh Perkins – who signed with Gonzaga last week – is one of the nation's top point guards. He joined the program from Colorado, where he put up 25.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game last season at Regis Jesuit (Aurora). Despite the gaudy scoring totals, he is viewed as a master distributor.

Fellow elite 2014 prospects Angel Delgado (Seton Hall), Jalen Lindsey (Providence signee) and JaQuan Lyle will likely see the majority of minutes at the wing and forward spots. Each is coming off a big junior year.

The Fighting Irish are also positioning themselves nicely for next season with a strong junior class. Canada native Montaque Gill-Ceasar is the team's top returner while 6-foot-9 Thomas Bryant and 6-10, 290-pound Levi Cook bring a heavy dose of size.

According to Fulford, Cook in particular could be a handful for opponents.



"If they (officials) allow him to post up the way he has been in workouts, he's a problem," Fulford said. "He's very physical and has great hands and great feet. He's been the biggest surprise so far."

Cook is a West Virginia native who committed to the home state Mountaineers as a freshman. He joined the program over the summer from Glen Daniel, an unincorporated community about two hours south of Huntington.

The mix of talent is working so far this season for Huntington St. Joseph Prep. The Fighting Irish are out to a 5-0 record and averaging nearly 105 points per game.

View gallery of Huntington St. Joseph Prep preseason photo shoot

Huntington St. Joseph Prep last four years:
2012-13 (Rob Fulford) – 30-3, No. 5 final Academy Top 10 national ranking
2011-12 (Rob Fulford) – 28-2, No. 3 final Academy Top 10 national ranking
2010-11 (Rob Fulford) – 25-3
2009-10 (Rob Fulford) – 27-5
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Classification/Division:
Fighting Irish players attend St. Joseph Central Catholic School in Huntington, W.Va., and live with host families in the area. Huntington St. Joseph Prep is essentially a college prep basketball academy housed within a pre-existing private school (established in 1924) – not unlike the arrangement for renowned Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.). St. Joseph Central is a member of the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission

Enrollment:
St. Joseph Central Catholic has an enrollment of around 200 students. Huntington St. Joseph Prep has an enrollment that equates to the number of players on the team's roster at that time.

International Flavor:
Huntington St. Joseph Prep has a strong Canadian pipeline that most famously includes Andrew Wiggins, but the program has attracted players from all over the world. Student-athletes from Benin, Canada, Dominican Republic, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Senegal and Spain have all suited up for Fulford in Huntington.



Head coach:
Rob Fulford

Career record:
110-13 in four seasons at Huntington St. Joseph Prep, 191-27 in seven seasons overall

Former Fighting Irish in college basketball:

Herve Aholode (Central Arizona College sophomore forward)

Maurice Aniefiok (North Texas sophomore wing)

Sim Bhullar (New Mexico State sophomore center)



Tanveer Bhullar (New Mexico State freshman forward)

Jeremiah Davis (Cincinnati sophomore guard)

Gorgui Dieng (Utah Jazz rookie center)

Javontae Hawkins (South Florida sophomore guard)

Stefan Jankovic (Missouri sophomore forward/center)

Moses Kingsley (Arkansas freshman forward/center)



Travon Landry (New Mexico State freshman guard)

Evan Payne (Loyola Marymount freshman guard)

Xavier Rathan-Mayes (Florida State freshman guard)

Negus Webster-Chan (Hawaii sophomore wing)

Andrew Wiggins (Kansas freshman wing)

Dominic Woodson (Memphis freshman center)
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Key returners:



Montaque Gill-Ceasar (6-7, Jr., G/F)

Newcomers:

Miles Bridges (6-6, So., G/F)

Thomas Bryant (6-9, Jr., F)

Levi Cook (6-10, Jr., C), West Virginia verbal commitment

Angel Delgado (6-8, Sr., F), Seton Hall signee



Jalen Lindsey (6-6, Sr., G/F), Providence signee

JaQuan Lyle (6-5, Sr., G)

Josh Perkins (6-3, Sr., G), Gonzaga signee

Circle the date:

Every weekend brings a new showcase opportunity for players at Huntington St. Joseph Prep. The Fighting Irish will play in 13 events this season – everything from the storied Marshall County Hoopfest in Kentucky to the brand new and highly anticipated O.J. Mayo Classic in Huntington.

Among the opponents will be Trey Lyles and Arsenal Tech (Indianapolis) at the aforementioned Marshall County Hoopfest, Cheick Diallo and Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.) at the McCracken County Festival of Hoops and Emmanuel Mudiay and Prime Prep (Dallas) at the Spalding Hoophall Classic.



But perhaps the biggest game of the year won't come under the banner of a major showcase. The Irish will head to Florida Jan. 11 for a tussle with No. 1 Montverde Academy.