Quentin Scott found himself all alone in the open court, a position he’d been angling for all afternoon.
Scott, an explosively athletic 6-foot-7 guard/forward, was engaged in repeated rounds of verbal warfare with some GOTR-Ocala opponents. So, when Conrad’s high-rising Class of 2017 was all alone with the rim, his eyes lit up.
With two defenders giving thorough chase, Scott levitated and crunched an extravagant and emphatic dunk.
He was uproarious after it, a statement which echoed throughout the gym at Conrad Academy High School in Orlando.
Scott, who has scattered interest from Providence, Charleston Southern, Stephen F. Austin, South Florida, Southern Miss, Richmond, Texas State and a barrage of others scored a game-high 38 points.
A native of EllenderHigh in Louisiana, Scott averaged 22 points, 12 boards, and seven assists to bag MVP honors in District 7-4A. Since transferring to The Conrad Academy from TAAG Academy in Tampa, Scott has twice gone off for 35+.
The scoring punch of the kid they call “Q” fills a major void as high-scoring guard Cameron Corcoran (An Arkansas-Little Rocksignee) and top-shelf athlete Deloran “Niko” Oliver are not currently with the first-year program.
Lacking grit on defensive rebounds and looking winded and disengaged defensively, TCA fell behind by as many as nine in the third quarter.
GOTR (Game On The Rise) was paced by 15 first-half points from 6-foot-1, 195-pound point guard Rayne McKeyton.
A product of D.C., McKeyton is a gritty guard with all-around game and low to mid-major potential. He’s capable of scoring the ball in a variety of ways, as evidenced by a pair of 3-pointers, floaters, and hard finishes at the rim. A student who holds a 4.2 GPA and scored a 29 on the ACT, McKeyton oozes of Ivy League potential. Stetson, Howard, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore and Alcorn State have all been in pursuit.
All game long, Conrad coach/Director of Player Development Brad Traina emphasized his team’s numbers advantage on their visitors. GOTR came with only six players, as TCA had the augmented depth advantage well in its favor.
The deft, long-range shooting of Turkay Barutcuoglo and the interior hustle of Freddy Zotchi was a major factor in TCA’s second half run.
This, plus the innate exploits of Scott—who scored on the full package of dunks, high-elevation mid-range jumpers from the elbow, 3-pointers, and drives—enabled Conrad to storm out of a nine-point rut and build a double-digit lead.
Barutcuoglo, who has potential at the next level as a kick-out shooter, finished with 18 points (five 3-pointers). He connected on a deep 3-ball from damn near NBA range in the first half. He also shut the door on the chance of a late GOTR rally with a corner trey with 2:57 remaining.
Zotchi, though forced to play at the four due to Conrad’s height deficiency, had 16 points.
TCA atoned for the lack of height by pushing the ball up court at frenetic pace, led by jet-quick, diminutive guards Dondre Rowser and Anfernee King.
