The Latest on Jarrod Davis, Mike Balkovic and More

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With the important month of July moving along quickly and the summer boys basketball league at Hoop Group Headquarters wrapping up on Monday night, here is some news from around the Shore Conference boys basketball scene.We’ll start with the latest twist in the saga of Lakewood senior swingman Jarrod Davis, who initially said on July 7 that he had verbally committed to Seton Hall, but then when reports surfaced the next day that Seton Hall had not received a commitment, he texted me saying that his commitment was not official and he would make it in the near future.

On Monday, I spoke with Lakewood head coach Randy Holmes, who said that, “Jarrod should have just told you that Seton Hall was at the top of his list, but he has not committed anywhere.” When I asked if Davis was definitely going to commit to Seton Hall eventually, he said that is not the case right now. Holmes added that St. John’s, Cincinnati, and LSU have entered the picture. He said that Davis had too many voices in his ear when it came to his commitment, and some people in his circle have now been cut out of the decision-making process.

No word yet on whether Davis will be holding an hour-long television special to announce his final decision. Kidding, kidding. Still, it appears as if his decision is far from made at this point.

Holmes also said that senior guard Anthony Carrington has transferred back to Toms River North, where he played as a sophomore before playing for the Piners last season. Carrington is also a wide receiver on the football team and Holmes said it was for football reasons that he is headed back to the much stronger Toms River North program from a Piners team that went 0-10 in 2009 and is now under the direction of former Brick legend Warren Wolf. Carrington broke his leg in the season opener for Lakewood’s football team last season and did not return until January of the basketball season.

Another highly-recruited player returning for Lakewood is senior swingman Anthony Walker, and Holmes said he will most likely do a post-grad year at a prep school. As for a former Lakewood player, the well-traveled John Marshall, he is now reportedly transferring to St. Benedict’s Prep, which is his fourth high school in two years. The senior forward was at Toms River North, Lakewood and Manchester at different points during this past school year.

St. John Vianney update

It’s been a tumultuous offseason for St. John Vianney, but the good news is that senior small forward Mike Balkovic is healthy and back for his final season after missing a chunk of his junior season with a shoulder injury. He has received interest from high-level Division II schools like Bentley, Stonehill and St. Michael’s College as well as some lower-level Division I schools like New Hampshire and others. He said he would like to make his collegiate decision before the school year starts so that he can focus on his senior season.

He seems to be one of the few returners, as guard Mark Zientek has transferred to a prep school in New York, while starting forward Mike Murphy has transferred to Howell as a senior. Head coach Bob Mahala has not been present at the majority of St. John Vianney’s summer league games, and Balkovic said he hadn’t seen or spoken to him in over a month, so it may be in doubt that he is returning as the team’s head coach. Senior forward Ryan Gille, who is 6-5 and had generated some interest as a tight end/defensive end on the football team, also is reportedly dropping football to focus on basketball.

McDonnell Brothers, Wejnert, Koury Generating Interest

A good amount of Shore Conference standouts were down in West Virginia this past weekend at one of the big AAU events during this evaluation period, the West Virginia Jam Fest presented by The Hoop Group. The Jersey Shore Warriors, which include Balkovic and Christian Brothers Academy star forward Matt McMullen, reached the semifinals of the 17U Gold bracket that featured some of the top talent on the East Coast.

The New Jersey ShoreShots, who are coached by Jackson Memorial head coach Joe Fagan, reached the Round of 16 and lost to the eventual 17U Gold champions, the New England Playaz, who boasted an imposing front line of power forward Alex Murphy (recruited by Duke, Florida, Texas, Kentucky, North Carolina, etc.), 7-footer Kaleb Tarczewski, and 6-foot-9 Villanova recruit Markus Kennedy. The Playaz also were the team that knocked off the Warriors in the semifinals.

The ShoreShots U16 team, which includes Colts Neck’s Brian Kenny, Hunter Wysocki and Sean O’Reilly, reached the Round of 16 in the U16 Gold Bracket.

Two of the big winners for the ShoreShots U17 team were recent Jackson Memorial graduate Jimmy McDonnell and his younger brother, 6-5 junior guard Brandon McDonnell. The elder McDonnell, who is committed to UMass-Lowell, has now received heavy interest from seven Division I programs, according to Fagan, although most of them want the 6-foot-8 forward with 3-point range to do a year at a prep school. Still, McDonnell may end up at a much higher-level program than initially thought, and we’ll see if he ends up at UMass-Lowell or snags a spot on a Division I roster. Meanwhile, Brandon McDonnell received interest from several Patriot League and Ivy League teams that will now be tracking him this season.

Christian Brothers Academy senior swingman J.P. Koury also is part of the team and has received interest from Navy, Princeton and other Ivy League/Patriot League schools, according to Fagan. The Colts could end up with two Division I commits in their starting lineup this season between Koury and McMullen.

Also, former Point Beach forward Jordan Wejnert, who will play a post-grad year at Worcester (Mass.) Academy, may do so with a Division I scholarship offer in hand. He received offers from three Division I programs after this weekend, according to Fagan, so his future in 2012 may be secured before he even gets to Worcester.

Random Notes

Freehold senior swingman Jesse Hunt, one of the Colonials’ top returning players, was recently named the MVP at the Moravian College Greyhound Basketball Camp, which was held from July 11-15…There is a persistent rumor going around that Academy Charter high-flier Fuquan McDonald may be transferring to Neptune…I have heard from a few sources that Monmouth Regional senior forward/center Loren Jackson will be transferring back to Lakewood, where he played as a freshman before playing at Monmouth the past two seasons…In case you missed it on the blog a little while ago, Raritan and junior center Mike Aaman have had a strong summer (click here for more).

Tags: Anthony Walker, Brandon McDonnell, J.P. Koury, Jarrod Davis, Jimmy McDonnell, Jordan Wejnert, Lakewood, Mike Balkovic, Randy Holmes, St. John Vianney