In its inaugural season, First State Prep features a number of intriguing and under the radar talents who could potentially rise in stock this year.
The Wilmington, Delaware based prep has several noteworthy prospects from the surrounding areas. In tapping into the local market, First State Prep discovered 6-foot-6 Class of 2021 guard Julian McGowan, a freakishly athletic big guard who is adapting to the lead guard role.
“Cincinnati, Texas, UCLA, St. Joe’s, Temple, they are all calling about (McGowan) now,” explained First State head coach Darryl Schofield, who has helped nurture the likes of former Temple star Dionte Christmas, Stefon Jackson (who scored a Conference USA record 2,456 points while at UTEP) and other Philadelphia area talent during his storied prep career.
“He (McGowan) has a 30+ inch vertical. We press, we play uptempo, we employ a lot of ball screens and really let out guys go and he’s a great engineer for that system. He’s been working with former UMass guard, Maurice Maxwell, my former player, at ball skills.”
McGowan will have help from sharpshooter Chase McWhite a long 6-foot-5 wing who has shown an ability to heat it up from beyond the arc this preseason. From Baltimore originally, McWhite has the length that enables him to guard multiple positions and out battle bigger players for rebounds and 50-50 balls.
“Chase definitely has a chance to be special,” said Schofield, who spent the previous seasons at Capital Christian in Washington, DC.
“He’s got a unique scoring skill set and gets well above the rim. We are going to play fast paced and apply pressure all across the court and he fits in with that concept very well.
McGowan will lead a team of high flying and athletic guys who tend to thrive in the speedball attack. Schofield’s teams at former Philadelphia power and now defunct Lutheran Christian were known for tough, inner city kids who played with a swagger and a perpetual chip on their shoulder.
This team features much of the same, style wise and with unheralded and unknown guys who could use this year as a launchpad to a four year scholarship.
Bringing in the Philadelphia-bred Maxwell, who starred under Schofield at the aforementioned Lutheran Christian, has helped sharpen the skill set of the team’s guards.
“Maurice has been working with all of our guys, preparing for the season and the schedule we have,” Schofield said. “He wants to get into coaching and he’s got a great situation with these guys and our facility.”
First State Academy’s strength of schedule certainly helps as well. The team plays in several high profile events and tournaments, including the Tark Classic in Las Vegas and The Gervin Classic in San Antonio, TX. They play road games at Scotland Campus and Oak Hill Academy.
