Karim Coulibaly, Pittsburgh
The 6-foot-9 freshman was named to national men's college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein's "10 ACC Under The Radar Freshman For 19-20," alongside other highly touted incoming freshmen. Like the elite company on that list, Coulibaly authored a productive summer.
A Class of 2019 SCS graduate, Coulibaly scored 18 points and pulled down 12 rebounds during Pitt's thorough 104-41 thrashing of the Vicenzo All-Stars in Italy.
His performance capped a 3-0 trip to Italy by the Panthers, which rode the hot shooting of JUCO transfer and 3-point gunslinger Ryan Murphy.
Coulibaly went 57-4 during his two seasons at Scotland, culminating an illustrious career as versatile big with a crafty left handed scoring arsenal and a dependable deep jumper.
His ability to switch on screens and guard nearly every position consistently catapulted him to the high major recruiting market, as he garnered offers from Providence, Maryland, St. Joe's, Tulane, URI, Rutgers, St. John's, Arkansas, and a handful of others.
Coulibaly's senior season concluded with a berth in the national title game for the first time in school history.
Leadership, toughness, accountability, and defensive aptitude were all bedrock assets of Coulibaly's trade.
As a junior, he created a stabilizing rim protection tandem alongside 7-foot-1 man-child Ari Boya, who is now at Bradley.
The former teammates and roommates could potentially face each other at a tournament in Florida on Nov.27.
Coulibaly's unselfish and hustle heavy style of play, coupled with his ability to attack the run and put the ball on the deck like a guard, were tremendous factors in his rapid ascension.
Coulibaly, who is originally from Mali, Africa, proved he could step out and hit the 3-pointer. He bagged big, momentum bolstering 3-pointers in victories over Fork Union Military Academy (VA) and national power Macduffie (MA) during the 2018 Prep National Showcase in New Haven, Conn.
Overall, Coulibaly leaves a tough act to follow as Scotland Campus' all time leading scorer (1,000+ points in two years), all time single game leading scorer (42 points in a win over Rocktop Academy), and all time single game leading rebounder (22).
The upside Coulibaly possesses is evident through day to day progression over the last few years. Just five years ago, this kid was playing soccer and only dabbling with hoops in pickup games in Mali.
Justice Kendall, Husson College
The 6-foot guard is flushed into a prominent role as a tough and battle tested sophomore combination guard.
The Baltimore native, who averaged 14 points and seven assists on head coach Chris Chaney's 21-2 2017-18 team, played a significant role as a freshman.
After averaging 9 points and four assists as a freshman, anticipate a bigger role for Kendall in 2019-2020. He's become more adept as a facilitator and his passing arsenal has grown. Kendall is a high level knockdown shooter who knows how to create space and establish his scoring off the dribble and on the run. If he can fully utilize this crafty scoring package, one complete with nifty stepbacks, floaters, and ambidextrous finishing, he has the chance to really leave his stamp at this level.
Koreem Ozier, Sacred Heart
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound guard averaged 14 points and 4.7 boards en route to earning a spot on the Northeast Conference All-Rookie team.
The Racine, Wisconsin native had five games of 20+ points, materializing as the quick hit impact player he was recruited as. The transition was smooth for Ozier, who averaged 17 points, seven assists, and five boards during his prep year at Scotland. He averaged 24.5 PPG during his first week of college basketball, registering as the nation's third leading freshman scorer behind the Duke tandem of (2019 NBA draft lottery picks) Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett.
Ozier added strength and athleticism during his prep year under Chaney, where he scored 26 points and tore down 13 boards during a marquee and memorable upset of preps to pros NBA player Anfernee Simons and IMG Academy's national post grad team. Ozier played possessed during a wild 38-point performance against Putnam Science (CT) in the Prep National Elite Eight in 2018.
Ozier is a classic case of choosing the program that best fits you and best utilizes your capabilities.
The Pioneers went four deep, with their entire coaching staff on hand to see him during the aforementioned Prep National post season tournament.
The kid they call "KO" saw where there was a demand for him and where he best fit the system, rather than holding out and waiting for another offer. In the end, he made a decision that has him projected to be a memorable guard in an NEC conference that is traditionally predicated on gritty guard play. Think Julian Norfleet at Mount St. Mary's (MD). Think Tony Lee at Robert Morris. Think Javier Mojica or Tristan Blackwood at Central Connecticut. Think Jared Grasso, Rob Monroe or DeMario Anderson at Quinnipiac. Think of the guys from Ozier's own Sacred Heart program, Drew Shubik and Corey Hassan and the late Chauncey Hardy.
That's the caliber of memorable and legendary NEC player the sophomore should pan out as when all is said and done.
Having overcome difficult circumstances as a kid growing up in hard-edged Racine, Ozier (who was mentored by former NBA player Caron Butler and scored a school record 1,405 points at Racine Case) and his toughness is a direct byproduct of how he grew up and how much of the work and unrequired work he has put in.