Pre-Season Top 20 - Newark Eastside

Head coach: Bryant GarvinLast season: 16-13, NJ Hoops 72nd in the state.Postseason: Advanced to semifinals of Group 3 North 2, Advanced to final of Essex County Tournament

Overview

Newark Eastside

Scoring guard Andre Flanagan can put points on the board in a hurry

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Andre Flanagan Guard
Tariq Carey Guard
Aaron Bodie Post
Kasim Chandler Point
Kevin Chandler Post
Ata Robinson Guard

Tyrone Basker Guard
Will Joyce Wing
Omar Martinez Guard

Backcourt
An excellent three guard, mostly young group. 6-foot Andre Flanagan is the senior and a capable scorer. 6-foot-2 So. Tariq Carey had a good summer and has a high ceiling. 5-foot-8 So. Casim Chandler is lightning quick and a ballhawk on the defensive end.

Frontcourt
6-foot-6 So. Aaron Brodie has a lively young body and a promising upside. 6-foot-5 Sr. Kevin Chandler was a pleasant surprise when we saw him at the William Paterson Team Camp in June. He provides a second interior defender and rebounder.

Bench
Youngsters So. Omar Martinez and Fr. Will Joyce will be counted on for some minutes. Joyce is one of the top incoming frosh in the state.

Coaching
In a fairly unique dynamic the Red Raiders have what amounts to two head coaches in Bryant Garvin and Anthony Tavares. The situation seems to work as the pair have enjoyed quite a bit of success over the years.

Season Prediction

Three talented sophomores in Bodie, Carey and Chandler saw a lot of minutes as frosh. A major step forward is expected. They have some size and athleticism. If they all play together could be a good year in Newark.

Whiteside leads Herd past Ohio

CHARLESTON — Hassan Whiteside tied a Marshall University men’s basketball record for blocking shots Saturday night, but it wasn’t the best day he ever had.
Whiteside, who swatted away nine Ohio field goal tries in Marshall’s 60-53 victory over the Bobcats in the Charleston Civic Center, said afterward he once had 25 blocks in a prep school game.
Ohio players probably felt like he rejected that many of their shots, and used his 7-foot height and long arms to affect their aim on several other looks at the basket.
Oh, yes, Whiteside also toyed with a rare triple-double as he scored 14 and grabbed 17 rebounds.Marshall (4-1) rode the freshman’s performance to a solid win.
“If that’s what it takes, I’ll try to do it every night,” Whiteside said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to try to make the Herd better.”
Whiteside matched the Thundering Herd record of nine blocks set first by Omar Roland against Chattanooga on Jan. 3, 1990, then first tied by Latece Williams against the University of Charleston on Nov. 17,2000.
Marshall head coach Donnie Jones said he had no idea Whiteside was within reach of a triple-double when he replaced him with 29 seconds left in the game.
Jones said having a shot-blocking center is like having a goalie guarding the basket.Because of the blocks, Marshall was able to pressure the Bobcats (4-1), who made only 25.9 percent of their field goal attempts and were 6-for-26 on 3-point shots.
“He (Whiteside) did a good job manning the paint and it affected our two-point shooting percentage,” Ohio head coach John Groce said.
Herd forward Tyler Wilkerson, limited to 21 minutes on the court because of fouls, still scored 10 and grabbed seven rebounds. Guards Shaq Johnson and Darryl Merthie both added nine points.
Ohio wing player Tommy Freeman scored 16 on 4-of-8 3-point shooting and freshman guard D.J. Cooper had 15 points.
Marshall built a 14-point lead on Johnson’s 3-pointer with 17:03 left in the game, but Ohio refused to go away.
The Bobcats avoided Whiteside often enough to reduce the deficit to 55-51 when Cooper connected on a 3-pointer 1:20 remaining.
Ohio’s comeback bid was aided by some Marshall miscues, but the Herd played well defensively to hold on.
“Defense was the key, and rebounding, as I’ve been preaching,” Jones said. “We shut down what I thought was the best offensive team we’ve played.”
On Ohio’s next possession Whiteside reached out to block a shot by Armon Bassett.
Damier Pitts for the Herd was fouled and made a pair of free throws with 29 seconds to go for a 57-51 advantage.
Wilkerson sank three of four free throws in the final 18 seconds.
Marshall completed the Global Sports Invitational as the unofficial champion with a 4-0 record. Ohio finished the event at 3-1.
The crowd of 2,515 spectators was definitely pro-Marshall.
Jones used nine players and they all scored. Dago Pena (headaches) and Cam Miller (foot infection) were in uniform, but didn’t play.

Hassan Whiteside Welcome to College Basketball

Hassan Whiteside (Fr., Gastonia, N.C.) scored 10 points and blocked five shots coming off the bench. Whiteside's five blocks are the most in a game by a Marshall cager since Jean-Francis Bro Grebe had five against Tulane Feb. 17, 2007.

HIGH SCHOOL: Played prep basketball at the Patterson School in Lenoir, N.C., in 2008-09...helped lead Patterson with current Marshall teammate DeAndre Kane to a 34-2 record and a No. 1 national ranking...rated as the No. 19 center in the Class of 2009, according to Scout.com...ranked as the No. 87 recruit in the Class of 2009 by www.rivalshoops.com...averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and 5.5 blocked shots per game in 2007-08 at East Side High School in Newark, N.J...(LOL) played in the 2009 Reebok All-American preview game...chose Marshall over UCONN, Louisville, Mississippi State, South Carolina, South Florida, Xavier, VCU, and West Virginia.

PERSONAL: Born June 13, 1989...son of Hassan Arbubakrr and Debbie Whiteside...undecided upon a major...father played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers