Stealing the show

With his letter of intent already recorded in the annals as signed and sealed, point guard Corey Fisher may want to check the terms of his commitment to Villanova.

With Wildcats assistants Ed Pinckney and Brett Gunning watching from the crowd, the star guard for No. 2-ranked St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) should have been the one testing the rims for softness and court for dead spots at the Pavilion on Friday night during the PrimeTime Shootout. But it was teammates Jeff Robinson and Quintrell Thomas that made themselves comfortable in the Celtics' 71-55 win over Chester (Pa.).

"That was one of the least productive games that Corey has had," St. Patrick coach Kevin Boyle said. "As a team we were taking too many jumpers and not working the ball well enough. We were settling."

Unable to connect on any of his four three-point attempts, Fisher (14 points) eventually found his stroke in the third quarter when he connected from behind the arc on back-to-back possessions, but it was the senior, Robinson (24 points), and developing junior, Thomas (16 points), who crashed the boards and showed the continued maturation process of the Celtics' post game.

"I think we're getting better each game, and with Quintrell playing well it opens things up for all of us with teams starting to focus on him," said Robinson, a Memphis signee.

With Fisher and Robinson graduating this year, it has been a St. Patrick coaching staff project to develop Thomas into a more aggressive post player. Already 6-foot-8 and a solid 230 pounds, Thomas is averaging a double-double on the season.

"Quintrell's averaging about a rebound per minute that he is in the game, and the ability to block shots is certainly intimidating teams coming down the lane against us," Boyle said. "It's adding a dimension to our games where teams can't think once they're past the guards that it's a free ride."

In the night cap, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) hammered home a 99-66 victory over Philadelphia's Prep Charter. Point guard Brandon Jennings scored 29 points as he slashed through the Charter defense.

More important news though was the collection of former Warriors who will be assembling an alumni game at the Bobcat Arena in Charlotte on June 30. Jerry Stackhouse, Rajon Rondo, Dasagana Diop, Ty Lawson, and Carmelo Anthony have all said they are in for the run. "It's like a fraternity that they have going," Oak Hill coach Steve Smith said. " The guys who went before knows the guys behind them and vice versa."