The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
State prospects continue to mull offers, improve their stock
BRIDGEPORT — It was a little over a year ago when London Jemison lit up East CatholicManchester for 17 points in the first half of the CIAC Division I championship game.
But Northwest Catholic-West Hartford couldn’t hold its lead in the second half and East Catholic came away with the 4947 victory and the title. Jemison finished with 23 points.
Jemison transferred to St. Thomas More in the spring and reclassified as a junior. He helped St. Thomas More reach the NEPSAC Class AAA prep school final this season.
The 6-foot-8, 180-pound small forward already has a boatload of Division I college offers which include Notre Dame, Xavier, Washington, Providence, Syracuse and Villanova, Jemison said at a recent practice for the JCC Schoolboy/Schoolgirl Classic.
“It’s definitely given me more motivation to keep working,” Jemison said.
Jemison scored a game-high 28 points in Team Connecticut’s 140-98 win over Team New Jersey on March 23.
The recruiting website 247 Sports ranks Jemison second in the Class of 2025. It lists offers from Virginia, Temple and UMass, along with state schools Yale and Fairfield.
Jemison, who is taking a post grad year at St. Thomas More, said he would take some official visits this spring. He doesn’t have a timeline yet when he wants to commit to a program, but he knows what he is looking for.
Jemison listed “my relationship with the coach” and style of play as important factors, but winning is above all.
“Winning is the main thing,” Jemison said. “The important thing for me because that’s why
I play.”
St. Thomas More coach Jere Quinn offers the same advice to all of his players, including Jemison’s heralded teammate, Tyler Betsey, the former Windsor standout and now two-time Gatorade Connecticut Player of the Year.
“I tell them to take their time, find a way through the maze of college sports and talk to the right people,” Quinn said. “No decision would be a bad decision but there could be some better decisions. Go to a place where the head coach likes you. Honestly, go to a place you feel comfortable.”
Rashawn Tibby took a similar route last year, transferring from Windsor to South Kent and reclassifying. The 6-foot-9, 190-pound forward now has an entire summer of AAU ball upcoming to gain more interest. He said he already has a handful of offers, including Washington and Iowa.
“I want to play at a school that wants me,” said Tibby, who said he has grown 2 inches since transferring. “I’m looking for a team that welcomes me as a family once I’m there.”
Tibby, who scored eight points in the JCC game, said he was at the Mohegan Sun Arena to watch Windsor win the CIAC Division II championship over West Haven last month. He said he “was really happy because I saw my guys win it” and admitted to missing being at Windsor.
“I was planning on staying and committing to UMass, but I decided to go prep because going prep will help me be more prepared for college,” Tibby said. “So, that’s why I decided to go to prep school.”
Victor Payne chose to stay and finish what was a successful career at Cromwell. He was the two-time Shoreline Conference Player of the Year and won a CIAC Division IV championship last year.
Payne, who scored 15 points in the JCC game, said he received an offer from St. Francis (Pa.) after his senior season ended. He plans to visit the school this month as he waits the possibility of other offers. He also has St. Thomas More as an option for a post-grad season.
“If it’s something Victor and his family wants to do, we would 100 percent be excited,” Quinn said. “If Victor and his family decide that he wants to go to St. Francis, we — as our school and our staff — would be 100% excited for Victor.”