Incoming State College, Pa., transfer Taran Buie.
Photo by Lisa Yen
The perception of better opportunities as well as academic and eligibility issues have spurred a number of high-profile basketball prospects to change schools this offseason.
Transfers are a lightning rod for controversy every summer and a sticky subject for high school coaches on both sides of the decision to discuss.
Mesa (Ariz.) head coach Shane Burcar’s program is expected to benefit next season from the addition of rising junior point guard Jahii Carson, an Oregon State verbal who averaged over 27 points per game as a sophomore at Mountain Pointe. Burcar suggested that successful coaches and programs will naturally be attractive to high school standouts.
“Coaches speak for themselves. Our kid (Jahii Carson), I’ve never talked to him. We are probably one of those (programs) that other coaches are whispering about and I can live with that,” Burcar said.
Burcar hasn’t noticed a dramatic increase in players moving from school to school this offseason, but did concede it may be an abnormal year for high-profile standouts in the Phoenix area, including Gilbert Highland star guard Matt Carlino. More on him in a moment.
Salesian High School in Richmond, Calif., is on the other end of the spectrum from Burcar and Mesa. Head coach Bill Mellis guided his program to a 31-4 record and a Division 4 state title in March. With 12 players back from that team, expectations would have been immense for the Pride in 2009-10.
But those expectations took a hit last week when 6-3 rising junior guard Jabari Brown, the team’s leading scorer at 19.6 points per game and a national top 100 prospect in his class, elected to spend his final two years of high school at Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nev.
Mellis was very even in his reaction, though the return of Desmond Simmons (a Washington verbal) and rising junior forward Kendell Andrews (9.4 points per game) would help ease the pain for any coach.
“This isn’t necessarily a bad move for Jabari by any means,” Mellis told MaxPreps.com’s Mitch Stephens last week. “He looks at it as a really big opportunity. … The biggest reason I think he’s going is because he feels he’s going to a place where there are a group of highly talented players he can practice with every day and a place he can get better exposure.
“This is my first dealing (with losing a player to a prep school). It’s kind of weird. It will be interesting the next decade to see if this is the new wave of the future. You might see it popping up more and more.”
A trend within the transfer theme may also be popping up as a pair of Big 10 commitments have taken the unique step of moving to another state to get an early jump on life in the college towns of Bloomington, Ind., and State College, Pa.
Indiana pledge Carlino led Highland High School of Gilbert, Ariz., to the state 5A Division I state final as a sophomore, averaging 19.7 points and 5.5 assists per game. The Carlino family is pulling up roots and heading to Bloomington this summer, where the 6-3 guard will enroll at Bloomington South High School – Indiana’s reigning 4A state champion coming off a 26-0 campaign.
Penn State commitment Taran Buie is leaving a successful program at Bishop Maginn in Albany, N.Y., for State College High School. Buie’s brother, Talor Battle, was the star of the Nittany Lions’ NIT championship squad last year.
“First and foremost it was the city of Bloomington,” Carlino’s father Mark said of his family’s move. “After we went about a year ago at this time, we just fell in love with it. We are such a basketball-minded family and Bloomington is a basketball-minded community.”
The elder Carlino enjoyed a successful two-year run as head coach at Highland, but is taking the coach hat off for now.
“The fact that I gave up coaching was a small sacrifice in trying to help Matt pursue his dreams,” Mark said. “Playing Indiana high school basketball, playing for a great coach, a great program and being able to participate a lot with IU, those were all contributing factors.”
Carlino acknowledged that the basketball coaching carousel can reshape a college program in an instant, but the decision was based on more than his son’s commitment to Tom Crean and the Hoosiers.
“We would have never made the move if it was just for Indiana or playing at Indiana. We love the town and Matt wouldn’t have committed if he wasn’t extremely confident in the coaching staff,” Mark said.
Carlino was not familiar with Buie’s case, but given the challenges relocating provides, he doesn’t necessarily see players moving in droves to be closer to their future college coaches and teammates.
“We followed our hearts to Bloomington and I can tell you it is not an easy thing to do. I consider us to be fortunate to have the ability to have done it,” Carlino said. “Whether or not it becomes a trend, I don’t know. If most of the college towns are as nice as Bloomington, it might be.”
Another pair of elite guards – listed as juniors last year – will not be granted fifth years of eligibility and be forced to the prep ranks for a year before moving on to college.
Will Barton, a Memphis verbal who is one of the top overall prospects in the class of 2010, helped Baltimore’s Lake Clifton High School win a state title last winter but is expected to turn up at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire this fall.
Isaiah Epps, a Pittsburgh commitment, ran out of time due to his age at Plainfield High School in New Jersey and could be headed to the Kiski School in Saltsburg, Pa., according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Notable Transfers
Will Barton, 6-6 / W / Sr., Lake Clifton (Baltimore, Md.) to Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.)
Impact: Barton, a recent Memphis verbal, will be a fifth-year senior in 2009-10 and has exhausted his high school eligibility. It would have been fun to see him team with brother Antonio and DeMatha transfer Josh Selby at Lake Clifton for head coach Herman Harried
Jabari Brown, 6-3 / G / Jr., Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) to Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.)
Impact: While Brown will be a good fit at Findlay Prep, his departure is a crushing blow for Salesian, which would have been one of the better teams in California next season with him in the lineup.
Taran Buie, 6-2 / G / Sr., Bishop Maginn (Albany, N.Y.) to State College (Pa.)
Impact: Buie’s future and family will put him in State College a full year ahead of enrolling at Penn State, where he has made a verbal commitment to play basketball. Buie’s brother, Talor, is a popular Nittany Lion basketball player already after averaging 16.7 points per game and leading Penn State to the NIT title. Taran is considered one of the most highly-decorated players ever to sign on at PSU and was an early Christmas present for State College High School, which went 15-8 last winter.
Matt Carlino, 6-4 / G / Jr., Highland (Gilbert, Ariz.) to Bloomington South (Bloomington, Ind.)
Impact: Like Buie, Carlino, an Indiana verbal, decided to get an early jump on life in Bloomington. He joins a team with plenty of returning talent from an undefeated state championship run and will be in the conversation for preseason national No. 1.
Jahii Carson, 5-10 / G / Jr., Mountain Pointe (Phoenix, Ariz.) to Mesa (Ariz.)
Impact: Shane Burcar’s program at Mesa has sent Donte Medder (Tulsa) and Aaron Fuller (Iowa) to the college ranks the past two years and will have another Division I prospect in the pipeline with Carson, who averaged 27.3 points per game as a sophomore for an 11-15 Mountain Pointe squad.
Andre Drummond, 6-10 / F / So., Capital Prep (Hartford, Conn.) to St. Thomas More (Oakdale, Conn.)
Impact: Making Drummond’s transition to the post-graduate squad at St. Thomas More a little easier to swallow is the fact that it appears to be an academic-driven move as he will repeat his sophomore year at the Oakdale school. Drummond is one of the most promising young post players in the country and has a nice run with the USA Under-16 squad in Argentina this month.
Isaiah Epps, 6-2 / G / Sr., Plainfield (N.J.) to TBA
Impact: Epps, a Pittsburgh verbal, exhausted his high school eligibility and will spend a year in prep school. The Cardinals would have loved to have him for another season to team with football-basketball standout Tyrone Johnson.
Tobias Harris, 6-8 / F / Sr., Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) to Half Hollow Hills West (Dix Hills, N.Y.)
Impact: Harris is actually returning to Half Hollow Hills West where he spent his first two years of high school before playing a year at Long Island Lutheran. Rising junior brother Tyler – a 6-4 wing – will join Tobias at Half Hollow Hills West.
Dre Henley, 6-5 / W / Jr., De La Salle (Chicago, Ill.) to TBA
Impact: Behind 6-8 rising junior forward Mike Shaw and Henley, De La Salle reached the round of 16 in Illinois’ Class 4A state tournament. Shaw told Scott Powers of the Chicago Sun-Times he expects his teammate to enroll at a prep school next fall.
Nino Johnson, 6-7 / F / Jr., Melrose (Memphis, Tenn.) to White Station (Memphis, Tenn.)
Impact: Johnson averaged 3.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for a deep Melrose team as a sophomore. He should have a chance to shine at White Station as a sidekick to super senior guard Joe Jackson.
Michael Leunen, 6-5 / F / Sr., Redmond (Redmond, Ore.) to Westview (Portland, Ore.)
Impact: This move was reportedly motivated by football as much as basketball as Leunen is a standout tight end on the gridiron. At Westview, Leunen will join Garrett Jackson and promising 6-10 sophomore post Austin Kuemper to give the Wildcats a trio that will be tough to handle in Oregon’s 6A classification. Leunen’s brother, Marty, was a standout at the University of Oregon and a second round draft pick of the Houston Rockets.
Jan Maehlen, 6-10 / F / Sr., Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) to Ironwood Ridge (Tucson, Ariz.)
Impact: With six other players at Lawrence North 6-7 or taller, Maehlen’s size wasn’t as much of an asset for the Indianapolis school as it would be at most places. Ironwood Ridge is coming off a state championship game appearance.
Bryan Rhymes, 6-0 / G / Jr., and Byron Rhymes, 5-10 / G / Sr., Hayden (Phoenix, Ariz.) to St. Mary’s (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Impact: This one is quite a tangled web. Brothers Bryan and Byron Rhymes played for great uncle Argie Rhymes at Hayden last year, where Bryan averaged 23.4 points per game and emerged as one of the state’s top sophomores. According to the Arizona Republic, both appear to be on the verge of leaving family ties behind and linking up with St. Mary’s – the school that produced Jerryd Bayless and captured Arizona’s 5A Division I title a year ago behind another transfer, California transplant Demetrius Walker. There is also a third Rhymes brother that was on the Hayden roster a year ago, Bryan’s rising junior twin Ryan. No word on his intentions yet.
Josh Selby, 6-2 / G / Sr., DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) to Lake Clifton (Baltimore, Md.)
Impact: This move actually took place mid-season but Selby is yet to play a game at Lake Clifton. Selby, a Tennessee pledge, is considered one of the top guards in the class of 2010 and will help offset the loss of Will Barton to the prep school ranks at Lake Clifton.
Shaquille Thomas, 6-6 / W / Sr., Mountain State (Beckley, W.Va.) to TBA
Impact: After attending Montclair and Paterson Catholic in New Jersey, Thomas played at Mountain State in West Virginia last year. Multiple media outlets have reported that he will be on the move again.
