Chris McCullough is officially headed to prep powerhouse Brewster Academy.
The 6-foot-10 forward, considering one of the nation’s top prospects in the Class of 2014, will leave for the New Hampshire juggernaut on Friday
“I just want to play better basketball, better competition,” said McCullough, who spent the last two years at the Salisbury School (Conn.). “Playing with better kids, better teammates, will make me better.”
Ranked 11th overall in his class by Scout.com, McCullough holds a bushel of high-major offers, from St. John’s, UCLA, Kansas, Arizona, Syracuse and Louisville, among many others. Kentucky has also become involved lately with head coach John Calipari text-messaging McCullough, the junior said. He plans to cut his list down to 10 at some point this month and has visited Seton Hall, Syracuse, Memphis and West Virginia recently.
“It’s especially important he’s challenged on a day-to-day [basis],” Team SCAN director Terrance (Munch) Williams. “He’ll have to bring his ‘A’ game every day in practice and games. It will prepare him for the next level. It’s a great step for him.”
McCullough had a big AAU season, leading Team SCAN’s 16U team to a No. 1 national ranking and 11 titles over the spring and summer. He will be part of coach Jason Smith’s loaded team, which includes top prospects Kevin Zabo and Jared Terrell.
“We want to win a national championship,” McCullough said.
Mitchell set to take over Gauchos: Dwayne Mitchell, the recently-hired Scanlan boys basketball coach, has been rewarded for his 17 years of service to the New York Gauchos.
Looking to find a spark, the once-renowned AAU program recently tabbed Mitchell as its director of basketball operations and named longtime streetball and AAU coach Maxwell (Bingo) Cole his assistant.
“I’m glad to have the opportunity to get it back to where we were,” said Mitchell, who replaces Billy Singleton. “We’re down, but we’re not out.”
For years, the Gauchos were one of the nation’s top AAU program, drawing the likes of Kemba Walker, Kenny Anderson and Mark Jackson. The program has fallen on tough times of late, losing its Nike sponsorship and a ton of its top players.
Mitchell plans on making some changes. He wants to emphasize academics and player development more and make the Gauchos more attractive to parents. He will remain coaching the program’s players – next season he will coach the Gauchos’ fourth-grade team – and will have an office at the Gerard Avenue building.
“It’s still a quality program,” said Mitchell, who previously coached at dynamo Rice before the school closed for financial reasons. “My challenge is to bring back the name we had, to show the Gauchos are still a place parents should want their kids to be.”
Bronx native Larrier headed to Philly: Terry Larrier, The Bronx native who enjoyed a huge summer with Team SCAN, will lead for Philadelphia and The Phelps School on Wednesday, he said. The versatile 6-foot-7 forward, who spent last year at PSAL power John F. Kennedy and has reclassified into the Class of 2014, holds a slew of mid-major offers schools like Drexel, Iona, Siena, Fairfield and Fordham, and high-major interest from Oklahoma, Providence and Texas.
“I think it’s good, get rid of all the distractions,” Larrier said. “I can just go and focus on my grades, school and basketball. … It’s a good school and it has a good program.”