National Prep Championship Tournament Set to Feature Ryan Mela, Erhunmwunse Oswin, and Joson Sanon
Elite prep schools will play in Worcester, MA this week. Here's a look at some key storylines.
While Kim English and Providence face a make-or-break week ahead, a pair of future Friars and a number of PC targets will take to the court at Clark University in Worcester, MA to play in the National Prep Championship.
This tournament has been a staple of the prep basketball scene dating back to 2007, and this year’s field includes 16 teams from across the country. Play begins on Tuesday (March 5) and runs through Thursday night (March 7).
There are a number of games of interest for Friar fans, as Ryan Mela and his Newman School team face a big test against a pair of Marquette signees in the opening round, Erhunmwunse Oswin and Putnam Science look to bring home the national title for the third straight year, while superstar guard Joson Sanon leads Vermont Academy in their first ever appearance in the Prep Championship.
Here are some storylines to watch for:
Newman versus Western Reserve highlight the opening round
Ryan Mela and Newman fell short of upsetting Vermont Academy in the semifinals of the NEPSAC AAA tournament on Saturday. That was a back-and-forth game until around the three-minute mark of the second half, when Vermont separated on a late run. The victory gave VA their third win of the year over Newman, and they went on to defeat New Hampton in the title game on Sunday.
Mela will get his first look at a pair of players he’ll see plenty more of in the coming years, as Western Reserve features a pair of 6’8 forwards in Marquette’s recruiting class of 2024.
Damarius Owens is ranked 59th in the class of 2024 by 247 Sports, while fellow Marquette commit Royce Parham comes in at #82. They are coached by a familiar name: Matt Garvey, who was a special assistant to Ed Cooley after being a team manager while an undergrad and graduate student at PC. They defeated Putnam Science earlier this year, as well as fellow Prep Championship qualifiers Perkiomen and Phelps. They did fall to Vermont Academy, the top seed in the tournament.
Newman will need big games from Mela and Boston College commit Luka Toews. Mela is still wearing a brace from an ankle injury suffered in February. Swing players in this game for Newman could be Providence native Khalil Badru, a 6’5 guard who plays in attack mode, American commit Wyatt Nausadis, and sharpshooting guard Hudson Geremia, who can swing games with 3-point outbursts.
A name to watch from Newman in this tournament, and beyond, is 6’11 class of 2026 big Collins Onyejiaka. The Nigeria native has tremendous upside, and is good for at least one highlight block or dunk a game. The Friar staff is closely monitoring him, as Onyejiaka keeps taking steps forward under a very good coaching staff.