Carey Jr. scores 29 points in U-School’s loss
University School may not have had the depth of elite prospects of storied basketball program Oak Hill Academy to come away with a victory, but the Sharks possibly had the best player on the floor.
Vernon Carey Jr., the nation’s top-ranked junior basketball prospect according to 247 Sports, put on a show as University, ranked third in the nation by USA Today, fell to second-ranked Oak Hill (Va.), 83-69, Monday in a Hoophall Classic game broadcast on ESPNU from Blake Arena at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
Carey is the son of former Miami Hurricanes and Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Vernon Carey. UM is one of the eight schools he has under consideration for playing college basketball.
Carey, working mostly against David McCormack, a four-star center who signed with Kansas, scored 29 points in a multitude of ways. He was able to score in the paint, whether it was on the low block, off putbacks or driving to the hoop. He also displayed a midrange jumper and even threw a near full-court outlet pass in the first half that led to a fast-break layup.
Oak Hill, a school which has produced 30 McDonald’s All-Americans under longtime coach Steve Smith, improved to 25-0 while handing U-School (17-1) its first loss.
A balanced effort with four players finishing in double figures was the difference for Oak Hill. Fivestar senior shooting guard Keldon Johnson, who signed with Kentucky, led the team with 21 points and seven rebounds. Point guard Will Richardson, who signed with Oregon, nearly had a triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
Scottie Barnes, the sixthranked sophomore in the nation (247), had 10 of his 14 points in the second half and shot 7-for-11 for the Sharks. Carey grabbed 11 rebounds. U-School trailed 44-30 at halftime as Oak Hill finished the second half on an 11-0 run, capped by a buzzerbeating corner 3-pointer from forward Maurice Calloo. Carey, who had 15 of his team’s 30 at the half, started seeing strong double teams. The Sharks made pushes in the second half, but never got the deficit to single digits.
dfurones@ sunsentinel.com / @DavidFurones_