St. John The Baptist Guard Receives Honor

Reporter Mike Sullivan reports on an honor for Prentice Small ...

He may be the smallest guy on the court for some games. But Prentice Small always plays big with his skills and heart. This dynamic, energetic senior point guard from St. John The Baptist High School in West Islip, New York was recently awarded the player of the year in the Long Island Catholic League (Nassau and Suffolk Counties).

Small, a 5-foot-8, 165 pound senior floor general, had an obviously very successful season and displayed an individual game worthy of playing on the division one level. He did accept an offer from Lehigh to start his college career for the 2007-2008 season.

Small impressed us when the reporters on this website watched him in person. He previously opened on eyes in how good he is when he competed in the Hope Through Hoops Classic held on the campus of Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.

Small scored 18 points in a 65-51 loss to Xavieran at the Tom Crotty Memorial Classic, shooting 5-for-15 from the field and 4-for-8 from three-point range.

Brian Towey's View on Prentice Small: The lefthander showed range on his jumper, quickness to the hole, and speed in the open floor. But what impressed us most was his mindset at the point, his decision-making and poise with the ball.

The native of North Babylon has always shown the ability to get to the rim and confidence in getting his own offense.

*Prentice played with New York Elite on the AAU circuit, coached by Chris Phillips and Eric Jaklitsch. Eric recently said that he was very proud that Prentice was honored as the player of the year. Congratulations Prentice!