Who is Canada's Next Jamal Murray?
Before he was the hottest scorer in the NBA and the slayer of the Los Angeles Clippers, Jamal Murray was just a uber-talented basketball prospect shooting hoops in a small town an hour north-east of Toronto.
It's there in Mono, Ont. that Murray first began making a name for himself at Orangeville Prep., one of Canada's premier basketball institutions.
Over the past five years, the program — also known as Athlete Institute — has produced six NBA players. Last year alone the program had four players join the league. Ignas Brazdeikis was selected in the second round of the 2019 draft by the New York Knicks, while breakout rookie Luguentz Dort, Kyle Alexander, and Oshae Brissett all signed with teams following the draft.
On Thursday, the next group of Orangeville Prep players will show off their talent in a showcase practice for university and college scouts that will be broadcast on YouTube.
This year's core is led by Jefferson Monegro, a 6-foot-4 combo guard, Darius DeAveiro, a 5-foot-10 guard, Majambu Mbikay, a 6-foot-7 forward, and Enoch Kalambay, a 6-foot-5 wing.
"They've got some really talented guys," said Wesley Brown, a Canadian basketball scout who will be broadcasting the showcase. "There's talent for every college level."
The program also has a few foreign-born players to keep an eye on including Rory Stewart, a 6-foot-9 forward from London, England, and Tyrhe Fortney, a 6-foot-9 forward from who is transferring in from Michigan this season.
As for who could potentially follow in Murray's footsteps at the next level, Orangeville coach Tony Mcintyre said there are a few guys to keep an eye on.
"I think when I look at my roster, from a pro potential, I think Jefferson Monegro is a kid that as a guard, I think eventually could come into that at some point," Mcintyre said. "I think I’ve been really high on Jalik Dunkley-Distant, a 14-year-old, just a lot of the length and plays a lot like Shai-Alexander, and then our wings, I think Majambu and Enoch are kind of in between a Matthew Alexander-Moncrief and an Oshae Brissett. And then we have a 6-foot-9 kid out of Detroit, Michigan, [Fortney] that Is just a freak athlete, he can jump out of the gym, can shoot the 3, and I think he’s got that pedigree as well."
The event will start at 10:15 a.m. and run through 1:15 p.m.
Full Schedule:
10:15-11:05am - Dynamic Warm Up
11:05-11:20am - Flow Warm Up - Screen and Roll, Pick and Pop
11:20-11:30am - 5 vs 5 Shell Drill
11:30-11:33am - Free Throws
11:33-11:43am - 5 vs 5 Transition Build
11:44-11:54am - Group Shooting
11:55-12:05pm - 33 in 3 (3 Pointers)
12:05-12:07pm - Free Throws
12:07-12:17pm - 5 Man Transition Drill
12:17-12:20pm - Full Court Transition Layups in 2 Minutes
12:20-12:30pm - Sideline Transition into Flow Offence
12:30-1:00pm - 2 Way Champion - First to 7
1:00-1:15pm - Cool Down & Interviews
