Prolific Prep beats it's 5th Top 25 Opponent of the year

[Hoops1124]

Prolific Prep Academy beats it's 5th Top 25 Opponent of the year with a 69-67 win over #25th ranked Memphis East HS in the Cam Payne Classic in Memphis tonight.

Prolific Prep Academy moves to 11-1 on the season and plays Bolton HS out of Memphis tomorrow night.

 

[Dgdollaz]

great job reppin norcal!

 

[TurtleLoveCA]

I can't stand the entire basketball/football/tennis academy structure. Sickens me. Josh Jackson has no northern california ties. The question I have is why does Justin-Siena allow themselves to be used like that? If I was the administrator there, it would be simple; you wouldn't be admitted if you were playing for an outside entity.

 

[ProlificPrepTV]

Everyone is titled to their opinion. But FYI, Josh was born in California and spent his early childhood here on West Coast. Most people don't know that.

 

[27-0]

great job reppin norcal!

They aren't reppin norcal in any way shape or form. If they are the best prep school team in the country that's great but they aren't NorCal.

 

[frencheezy]

LOL.....why does it bother folks so much?

Congrats to the young men on the big victory.

 

[BeyerCoach]

Anyone hear Dick Vitale go off yesterday about Prep Schools? Funniest thing he's said in a while. Don't like him, but his point of why do we call them high schools was well taken. They should have their own division. Only when the NFHS makes it illegal for other high schools to play them, will the problem really be solved.

 

[TurtleLoveCA]

It's not a national question. It's handled at the state level.

 

[H.E.A.T.]

not all prep schools are the same . Some have 5th year or high school grads. Some are more traditional. And yes its a state to state basis on who is allowed to play prep schools. Arizona and Nevada can. I don't believe California allows it

 

[TurtleLoveCA]

You're correct, HEAT. California doesn't allow it. But let's not mistake prolific prep for any kind of school because they aren't. They are a basketball team with players of high school age and nothing more. Why do the schools that the Prolific Prep players attend admit these kids at all? Do public schools admit them? The number of days of classes they clearly miss would be a major problem. A private school can do whatever they choose but why would a school like Justin Siena allow themselves to be used in this manner? I would never admit any student who isn't fully invested in the school

 

[H.E.A.T.]

Follow the greenback trail I would guess. Same goes for a lot of catholic/christian/ charter schools

 

[ProlificPrepTV]

Last year Prolific Prep kids missed 5 days of school!! Most high profile football or basketball CIF teams miss just as many or more during their seasons respectfully. Scheduling is done around holidays if can be avoided to miss school.

Every absence is cleared ahead of time. Since JS is on rotating block schedule, most kids miss an average of 2-3 days for that class a SEASON since they have half the classes on A days, and half on B days. Every friday is a rotating schedule.

Average GPA is over a 3.0 GPA for our team. I cannot comment about other Prep academies. Once again, educating the board with people that give false information just to try to bring something down. No smoking gun here at PP.

 

[ProlificPrepTV]

Prolific Prep is now 6-0 vs Top 25 opponents with recent 100-80 quality win against National Power Huntington Prep (WV) in Detroit, MI.

 

[TurtleLoveCA]

Does it change the fact that it's a basketball team without a school? No.

If you attend public school and you miss class for a non-school activity, those are 5 unexcused absences and that IS a big deal.

And you still haven't answered why a private school should admit a student who chooses not to be fully invested in that school. Can you imagine a student attending DeLaSalle and saying I'm going to school here, but don't want to play sports here, but I'm going to play elsewhere?

BTW, I didn't question the GPA of your players. It's irrelevant. You have athletes, not students.

 

[ProlificPrepTV]

Wait, that is an unfair statement. So your saying that if a student attends a school and doesn't play sports, then he isn't "fully invested in that school". That is a complete ignorant statement that implies athletics runs schools and you are only valuable to a school if you play sports and get good grades.

It is no different then a gifted pianist, singer, and chelo player whom attends public/private school, but focuses on their craft in another major city or program that specializes in that area. So these same musicians should be looked down upon (or not invested) because they didn't play in the school choir or their school band for Mr. Smith;l whom has very limited experience in developing professional musicians? Ludicrous statement. Keep trying though.

Nobody talks about the most important part these PP players bring to their school....DIVERSITY!!! The conversations that go on in classes and experiences they bring to the American Student about their culture is what EVERY school in the USA promotes and tries to take advantage of. The conversations we have with teachers about how valuable these teaching moments are with our student athletes, makes everything that we are doing become that much more valuable. But then again, our staff are all educators or former educators and maybe think differently then the above posting.

 

[larry legend33]

HEAT and I have our differences but I agree with what he said about following the "green."
I'm not questioning the gpa. I'm sure a handful of the kids do fine in school. My experience has been very positive with the academic level of foreign students.

 

[TurtleLoveCA]

Diversity?? Bull. Proximity is all you are looking for.

 

[infofreak]

I don't think Kristi Yamaguchi skated for her high school, Mission San Jose, in Fremont. So I think the post about talented musicians etc has some bearing. Its obvious that PP is a basketball factory that provides a highly competitive environment for gifted athletes. Private schools like those in the WCAL don't have boundaries to draw from, and they generally produce some very good athletes who go to a given school in part because of the athletic opportunity. Who are we to say to a kid going to PP is any less motivated? PP is an answer to a problem. it is solving a problem these kids and their parents think they have - great competition and focused coaching in High School. IMG runs a sports academy in golf, tennis, soccer etc in Florida. I have friends whose kids left their high school to enroll at IMG. The decision was about their athletic opportunity. The pro soccer teams now are running academy programs where the kids DON'T play for their high schools, they play for the pro youth team instead, and doing so is a step in the direction for them competing on the youth level national teams etc. From those soccer academies some kids get college scholarships and some kids sign pro contracts.

when I think of prolific prep I don't think of your basic high school program. It is a high school aged gathering of future pros. I'm saddened that we don't get to see those kids mix in with the 5'8" guy who will play through high school and then go get an english degree. But, given the way the world works (green) and the limits placed on how these kids can move to best improve their abilitiy and opportunity, I don't blame them. My worry is for their psychological health - since very few actually make it, are these kids being hurt or helped by the early thrust into the next level? I hope the guys at PP spend some time on the soul of things.

I'll say this, I don't have much interest in PP's success. I'm drawn to the drama of the local gym where the team chemistry and coaching challenges of fitting kids together year after year is ever changing and unpredictable. That to me is a lot more fun to witness.

 

[kiddman32]

Well thought-out post that actually gives credence to both sides of the issue, Infofreak...

Just a comment or two... I don't think the Yamaguchi example totally flies because I've never heard of a high school with a figure-skating team, but I can offer a substitute that makes the same point: Top-class swimmers, the ones that have a shot at racing for the national team, generally don't swim for their high-school team. There are exceptions, of course; some manage to make time to swim in a meet or two for their school... But most don't, and they aren't somehow not welcome their school because they swim elsewhere when their own swim team could certainly use the help.

And, though I like to get up to Napa when I can in order to see Jackson and PP play ball, it's a distant second to the regular high-school games for me. Put it this way... I've seen about 40 HS games in person so far this season, and zero PP games thus far. I will get up there for Prolific's last-weekend-in-January showcase, though...

In any case, I would say to those who are refusing to go see them play because they just don't like the idea of prep ball and its "gatherings of future pros", make an exception some time, just once, and go see Josh Jackson run the floor for awhile. Dude is for real...

 

[TurtleLoveCA]

I'm sure he's a fine player. I just hate the concept.

 

[H.E.A.T.]

Pretty sure Mission didn't have an ice skating team in the 80's. However Kristi was given a letterman jacket. She didn't attend classes their as she had independent studies. Maybe Mission enjoyed the notoriety as does Justin Sienna.

 

[En4cr]

http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/Recruiting Fact Sheet WEB.pdf

The stats at this ncaa.org link is why I don't need Prep School basketball. Enjoy high school, if you are that 3% they will find you, then if you are extremely fortunate, the next level of 1%'s, they will find you . Prep schools get less press, and for all the prep schools out there the only time I hear about anything they are doing is when PP posts something on this board.

 

[Quaffer]

I don't have a dog in this fight, or really much of an opinion yet on PP, but En4cr, while I think your point is true, it's too narrow to be relevant. Yes, a player like Jackson would be found wherever he played. In fact, he was already assured a power D1 slot before he transferred to PP. The question is more like, will he have better basketball skills -- and more importantly, life skills -- when he gets to college, and therefore be more likely to find a greater level of success as a player and as a student, than he would have had he not transferred to Prolific Prep.

I have no idea what the answer to that is, but it will be interesting to see how these kids do.

 

[larry legend33]

The days of the playground legends from NYC, Oakland, Chicago, etc being better than some pro players are long gone. You are correct EN4CR. They will find you and do. Too much exposure and connectivity with the internet and social media these days. No more Earl the Goats or Hook Mitchells.

Obviously I'm not a fan of this model. I look at guys like Brandon Ashley who went to Findley Prep after playing at Odowd vs Rabb who decided to stay and get a state title. Certainly doesn't look like Rabb is suffering any at CAL. Only thing he suffers from is a horrible offensive scheme by Cunzo Martin. And was Ashley any better at Zona from going straight from Findley vs having stayed at ODOWD? If you are in that 1-2% it doesn't matter. You will be found. The rest is up to you.

Rabb has a state title that he will always cherish. PP will win some under armor /state farm/quaker oats sponsored tourney's that don't mean anything. And is Justin Siena getting any recognition from this? I grew up in the north bay and I haven't heard one person I know say oh how cool is that... I go to school with a 6"10 nigerian who plays hoops for a team that isn't affiliated with us? Huh? You are kidding yourself. JS will gladly cash the tuition check and if anything goes wrong they will cut ties faster than Donald Trump can put up a wall along our borders.

 

[HooperTruther]

It IS the New Year, please wake up!!! I have not been able to get to the Napa Valley to see PP play but I do know the prep school concept pretty well.

"I don't like the concept....."

IF PP was an AP (honors) Calculus class, NO ONE would ever talk about "mix"ing the the "honors kids" with the kids taking regular math. Why is providing elite academics with more opportunity OK and elite athletes with more opportunity NOT OK???

IF PP was another "club sport" (Lacrosse, Swimming, Skiing, hockey, golf, tennis, softball, soccer), NO ONE would talk about how much "damage" the coaches and administrators of the program are doing. Do you have ANY idea how important club sports are to women's recruiting?????? Point to a single stream of posts degrading women's club softball and soccer teams. FYI, it is EXACTLY the same concept as PP.

"They will find you...."

This concept is the most appalling. The fact of the matter is Northern California does a TERRIBLE job of producing college basketball players at any level. Every year, we produce approximately 25% (one of the WORST figures in the nation!!) of the number of college basketball players we should based upon the population. That is pathetic given the wealth in the area and general commitment to athletics we have as a region.

Where is the commentary about the "awful Athletic Directors", "terrible Head Coaches", "sad programs from Freshman to Varsity" as well as "lack of feeder programs at lower levels"??? There is NONE. Who suffers from this dishonesty and lack of self-examination? NOT the Athletic Directors or Head Coaches, it's the kids. NOW ask me why a kid would consider a prep school??

Even worse, the athletes we do produce are NOT having the impact they should based upon their "accolades" out of high school. I know, don't believe me...here you go:

http://norcalbasketball.blogspot.com/2015/12/theres-skill-and-body-development-but.html

http://norcalbasketball.blogspot.com/2015/12/companion-piecethe-difficulty-of-making.html

The facts are there, but don't let them get in the way of making blanket statements from the stands.

 

[infofreak]

I agree with Kidman on the swimmer example. And if the Yamaguichu point of her doing independent studies is accurate, she in effect did what PP seems to be doing - focused on her gift and figured out how to get educated. And she is beloved so it worked out. I will definitely watch PP if I'm up in the north bay and they happen to have a game. What is the more basic issue is how high school athletics no longer provides the best platform for great athletes to hone their crafts in a number of sports. To me it isn't about bring in the top 3% and being discovered. These athletes want to be great so they are hungry for the best coaching and the best competition. That is why PP and places like IMG succeed.

 

[infofreak]

HooperTruther our posts crossed in the ether. I agree with you that not enough discussion about bad coaching and bad ADs is occurring. You know for a fact that a PP player will be challenged every game. Not true in many high school programs. It even looks like some schools schedule weak preseasons to fluff the won loss, I presume to get into post season. If you are a parent of a really really gifted athlete you don't want to watch him score 35 against a team they beat by 50. But, if the high school coach is a great guy and a caring person who is about the kids and teaching the love of the game, and your kid is a nice athlete who also plays baseball, the regular grind can be valuable. I'm saddened when coaches or ADs fail at that test.

Regarding the comment about Ivan Rabbs run. I agree he had a nice experience. But I saw him play live a few times against lousy teams and it was boring for me and perhaps for him. Maybe if he played for a couple of years at PP his current gifts would be further along.

 

[TurtleLoveCA]

HooperTruther is clearly a part of the Prolific Prep program so you should ID yourself as such.

 

[TurtleLoveCA]

Even worse than the basketball team without a school concept is the entire AAU. The word whore comes to mind and that is putting it mildly.

 

[Quaffer]

One more point and I'll shut up, because I'm ignorant on this topic. Don't you think most of the HS coaches in the North Bay would make a kid like Jackson play the 4 or 5? I do, and I think that would really impair the kid's progress.

 

[TurtleLoveCA]

One other point. In most cases, these "programs" are either vanity projects for the founder or an attempt to promote themselves for collegiate coaching jobs. Do NOT discount that fact.

 

[infofreak]

Keep it coming Quaffer!! Good question. Yeah that kid would likely play the 4 or 5 and he'd be set back if he had next level talent. I saw Rabb play point guard for a while in one game which I thought was good for him and made the game easier for the other team.

AAU isn't perfect but in the current environment is a logical step, don't you think? All sports have their versions of AAU these days. I'd rather my kid played AAU than sit around the house. At least with AAU families can puck a coach and program. It's an antidote to the lack of choice a lot of kids face in high school sports.

 

[infofreak]

I agree there is sone vanity and some green machine in AAU. But I'm aware of some high school coaches who run summer sports camps and seem to trade on that status. Bottom line with AAU is choice so the programs are accountable to those who participate or they eventually flounder. It still is parent beware.

 

[TurtleLoveCA]

No, the AAU system is horrific.

 

[infofreak]

So Turtle, you are saying that giving a kid and his family Choice is horrific? should kids be chattel? The irony is you refer to the AAU system as a "Whore". Is a kid being forced to stay in a school or at a club then playing for a "Brothel"? Who runs or owns the brothel? If the brothel owner is abusive, should the kid be forced to stay? AAU is the system that sprang up to address a problem.

 

[H.E.A.T.]

prolific prep does well against other aau prep mills.It has struggled against high school competition. Yes you beat Memphis east by 2 but then lost to Arlington Tennessee ranked 163rd. Let's see what you do with La Lumiere on the 15th.

 

[HooperTruther]

Still waiting for someone to disparage any AP/honors academic program AND/OR any women's club lacrosse, softball and soccer with the same venom as club/prep basketball....OR anytime someone would like to point out a rivals.com thread I would be willing to look at that as well....

The facts are the facts, if PP was on the East Coast they would be one of MANY similar programs and there, hopefully, would not be as much anger.

There is NO disputing Northern California is lagging WAY behind in producing collegiate athletes in basketball. We ALL need to stop complaining about the "current process" and say to the local high schools "WE WANT YOU TO BE BETTER FOR THE KIDS....PERIOD!!!".

Honestly, I have seen complaints on this board about kids leaving to go to Findlay Prep, or other prep schools. Why do they do that? I will even concede they may be getting some bad advice due to the academics but clearly they are facing better competition in both practice and games.

I hear the complaints about AAU but even that is not "helping" our athletes.

These athletes are searching for BETTER OPPORTUNITIES.

Took a quick look at some college data that I admit is a couple of years old (ie-Stephen Domingo was still at Georgetown) and the conferences dominating the NCAA championships (Big East, ACC, SEC (I am willing to include the PAC-12 whenever they win in this century)).

Big East-Total Athletes (130), Total Athletes from California (3)
ACC-Total Athletes (194), Total Athletes from California (7)
SEC-Total Athletes (169), Total Athletes from California (4)

So, at the time of this data, ONLY 14 athletes out of 493 in the conferences winning the vast majority of NCAA championships are from California.

How many are from Northern California???

4 (including Stephen Domingo)

How many SHOULD be from Northern California???

Based upon the population of college-aged males, Northern California SHOULD have produced 24 total athletes!!!! In other words, we (and we need to own this!!) are producing less than 20% of the athletes we should be in a given time frame.

It's a shame but it IS real.

In my estimation, I would like to see 10 Prolific Prep "entities" around Northern California. That way, the high school ADs and coaches will no longer be able to "hide".

 

[infofreak]

Half Moon Bay High School has a pretty good tradition of athletic success. I don't know how they compare to the numbers HooperTruther quotes but they are a bit isolated school that seems to punch above their weight in football and basketball and other sports most years. I think the reason for that is a long, committed, balanced culture of excellence including getting the right kind of coaching personality with knowledge. They have pretty good coaches and from what I've heard good AD's over the years. I think that sort of program is the positive model for a public high school. I also like how the WCAL competes, generally. For example, Bellarmine produces nice athletes who go on to college in a lot of sports. I don't know what their secret sauce is but they've been decent most years. The WCAL seems to have a culture of sports excellence in most schools. I'm never surprised when a low rated WCAL school upsets a highly rated WCAL school.

But if your kids isn't at a place like HMB or Bellarmine, and you want him to pursue a sports dream, a parent has to look around to get him solid coaching and solid mentoring if its within a given family's budget. In that respect it is like AP courses and your desire for your kid to achieve something if he can.

 

[larry legend33]

Josh Jackson would would play anywhere for anybody! He's a freak period. A lot of Andrew Wiggins in that kid. He's 1 and done. Nothing against any of these kids. They are just kids.

But give me a break if you don't think your kid won't be discovered. Hell I would argue we have discovered too many average players today with YouTube etc.

Also why is it expected for a true freshman to make a difference day 1 when making the leap to D1? How about learning the system and getting stronger. Most kids need a year or 2. I hear how our kids aren't doing well at next level. You going to judge after 1/2 season?

 

[infofreak]

With the digital age comes exposure for sure.

En4cr posted this link earlier: http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/Recruiting Fact Sheet WEB.pdf

I think it actually overstates the kids who eventually get paid to play. Maybe the baseball stat is right because of all the minor league teams. But doing the math in soccer, for example, I don't think our pro leagues have a total of 500 players, much less the 500 the NCAA claims ends up in the pros. I would think maybe 50 college kids a year (2 per team).

One good thing about places like PP is that great athletes are collected into a place for regular people to see before they "officially" go big time. In a sense its like going to watch the minor league baseball team that plays out of San Rafael. Cheap chance to see the big league future and some of the big league past. I think Ricky Henderson may have played in that park in his 40's. And I would bet that the PP type mills produce more Division One players and eventual pros than Bellarmine or O'Dowd. I would hope PP and the others take seriously the importance of the life skills piece. If they don't I hope they fail and something more holistic pops up.