Two Duquesne recruits played in the Pittsburgh High School Basketball Classic this weekend at the AJ Palumbo Center, TJ McConnell from Chartiers Valley, and Johnny Higgins from Notre Dame (Mass.) Prep.
"Wunderkind" TJ McConnell (pictured right) had a tough afternoon scoring only 8 points in a Chartiers Valley loss to Upper St. Clair. An older post I wrote about TJ McConnell has received a lot of comments from people who do not seem to care for TJ or his father/coach Tim McConnell. I'll be honest I have yet to see McConnell play but I am very excited that he has already committed to Duquesne. At the very least he will be bringing a strong three point threat to the program.
Johnny Higgins scored 9 points in a Notre Dame Prep victory over American Christian Academy. Higgins drew praise for his defense and leadership. "He was the reason for the comeback," said Notre Dame Prep coach Ryan Hurd "He was in the locker room at halftime keeping everyone positive and getting behind everyone. He worked very hard today."
Ron Everhart's take on Higgins play on Sunday:
"He brought great energy to the game. He has a terrific motor, and as always, he was tremendous defensively. He seemed like he was really excited to be playing here."
Higgins was on hand for the Dukes shellacking of GW on Saturday night prior to the Basketball Classic on Sunday.
Talk about a perfect game for a recruit to see, here is what Higgins had to say about the game:
"That was amazing. I've read about them as much as I can, and I see that they've won a lot and scored a lot of points. But until you see them in person ... it puts it into perspective."
Higgins had this to say about joining the Duquesne program:
"I want to come here and do whatever I have to do to contribute to this program's success. Whatever the coaches want me to do, whatever position they have me play -- I'll dive on the floor for balls, I go to the boards, whatever it takes."
Coach Everhart was happy to hear about Higgins' attitude:
"The biggest thing you try to do is find guys that fit into your system. Johnny is one of those high-energy guys that does what you want him to do. This is a great environment for him to be in. There are a lot of talented players here."
Dave Mackall from the Trib has all the details
2 comments:
It sounds to me like this kid is a victim of his father's favoritism and/or nepotism. OK, I know the latter might not apply but the father seems to have more interest in his own kid which would normally be fine - but not while you have other kids on the team too.
I might be totally off base on this one - I read your previous post on the kid - no 17 or 18 year old kid should ever be labeled, "wunderkid" - it fuels an ego which is ripe for a letdown later.
Again, maybe I'm wrong but I just hope I am because this kid's future could be greatly affected.
Also, keep in mind that I'm "out of the loop" on PA H.S. basketball.
I watched the CV game on PCN this weekend live. I did not see an offense that was built around TJ. I did see the young man have a rough afternoon. He was shadowed all day long by a young Serio. (Had to make it tough for Coach Susie and Pete).
No matter what there will be parents out there that will be dissatisfied any coach when their "wunderkind" is not getting playing time.
It seems to me he is a solid young man and someone that DU will be proud to have. Keep up the great work, TJ! Don't let the jealousy get you down.
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