Quentin Scott found
himself all alone in the open court, a position he’d been angling for all
afternoon.
Scott, an explosively athletic 6-foot-7
guard/forward, was engaged in repeated rounds of verbal warfare with some
GOTR-Ocala opponents. So, when Conrad’s high-rising Class of 2017 was all alone
with the rim, his eyes lit up.
With two defenders
giving thorough chase, Scott levitated and crunched an extravagant and emphatic
dunk.
He was uproarious after
it, a statement which echoed throughout the gym at Conrad Academy High School
in Orlando.
Scott, who has scattered
interest from Providence, Charleston Southern, Stephen F. Austin, South
Florida, Southern Miss, Richmond, Texas State and a barrage of others scored a
game-high 38 points.
A native of Ellender
High in Louisiana, Scott averaged 22 points, 12 boards, and seven assists to
bag MVP honors in District 7-4A. Since transferring to The Conrad Academy from
TAAG Academy in Tampa, Scott has twice gone off for 35+.
The scoring punch of the kid they call "Q" fills
a major void as high-scoring guard Cameron Corcoran (An Arkansas-Little Rock
signee) and top-shelf athlete Deloran “Niko” Oliver are not currently with the
first-year program.
Lacking grit on
defensive rebounds and looking winded and disengaged defensively, TCA fell
behind by as many as nine in the third quarter.
GOTR (Game On The Rise) was
paced by 15 first-half points from 6-foot-1, 195-pound point guard Rayne
McKeyton.
A product of D.C.,
McKeyton is a gritty guard with all-around game and low to mid-major potential.
He’s capable of scoring the ball in a variety of ways, as evidenced by a pair
of 3-pointers, floaters, and hard finishes at the rim. A student who holds a 4.2 GPA and scored a 29 on the ACT, McKeyton oozes of Ivy League potential. Stetson, Howard, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore and Alcorn State have all been in pursuit.
All game long, Conrad coach/Director
of Player Development Brad Traina emphasized his team's numbers advantage on their visitors. GOTR came with only six players, as TCA had the augmented depth
advantage well in its favor.
The deft, long-range
shooting of Turkay Barutcuoglo and the interior hustle of Freddy Zotchi was a
major factor in TCA’s second half run.
This, plus the innate exploits of Scott—who
scored on the full package of dunks, high-elevation mid-range jumpers from the
elbow, 3-pointers, and drives—enabled Conrad to storm out of a nine-point rut
and build a double-digit lead.
Barutcuoglo, who has
potential at the next level as a kick-out shooter, finished with 18 points
(five 3-pointers). He connected on a deep 3-ball from damn near NBA range in
the first half. He also shut the door on the chance of a late GOTR rally with a corner trey with 2:57 remaining.
Zotchi, though forced
to play at the four due to Conrad’s height deficiency, had 16 points.
TCA atoned for the lack
of height by pushing the ball up court at frenetic pace, led by jet-quick,
diminutive guards Dondre Rowser and Anfernee King.