2024 Empire 8 Prep Tip-off Classic Recap
November 4, 2024 by Brian Flinn
The inaugural Empire 8 Prep Tip-Off Classic took place on Sunday. Featuring 4 teams from Long Island and 4 teams from the city, this new league offers another post-graduate opportunity for players to continue to chase their scholarship dreams. A couple of teams made major statements on opening day, while others look like dark horses who aren’t close to their ceilings just yet. With that in mind, MADE recaps the first day of the Empire 8 Prep League play:
Game 1: B.A.C.E. Academy 54 - Shots With Patience Prep 100
Shots With Patience used pressure and physicality to jump out to an early lead before taking a 13 point advantage into halftime. Coming out of the break, it was more of the same, securing a 30 point lead with 8:30 to play before furthering their lead late. Their full court press looked downright lethal, and the backcourt of Khaleel Mitchell, Jordin Walker and Stevie Williams shined running their offense. Mitchell and Walker played very well off each other as starters, while Williams ignited the bench united. Wing Jordane Johnson is an impactful defender and slasher with athleticism- he could be the x-factor for this group.
B.A.C.E. Academy will have to head back to the drawing board after game one but got good performances from point guard Jaidan Johnson- who hit several big threes, as well as Tee-Jay Ellier. A 6-foot-6 forward with good athleticism, Ellier was a difference maker around the rim on both ends and as a slasher when he was getting touches and engaged. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out for him.
Game 2: Winchendon NYC 68 - 238 Academy 109
Like the first game, 238 Academy overwhelmed their opponent with their depth and pressure created by their guards. Jacob Roman and Nowah Hargrow got things going early offensively before wing Jason Robinson got hot from beyond the arc and put up 10 quick points midway into the first half to extend their lead to 20 at the 8:32 mark. 238 would take a 57-34 lead into halftime before having a similar performance led by guard Kamari Broomfield and wing Josh Louis leading to the 41 point win. They look every bit like a top 3 team in the early going.
Winchendon did a good job of keeping it around the 20 point mark for most of the 2nd half, getting it down to as low as 13 before late turnovers and the bench units coming on. 2026 wing Bryston Joyce was particularly effective, scoring 30 of his team’s 68. The 6-foot-6 swingman looks poised to be one of the league leaders in scoring in the Empire 8’s opening season. 6-foot-3 guard Phil Stewart had some nice moments while senior guard Bruno Katz knocked down several threes and provided leadership. Freshman Nick Lloyd looked very comfortable running the show when he was on the floor and could find his way to more minutes sooner rather than later.
Game 3: Broome Street Academy 69 - The Knox School 101
Perhaps the most impressive performance of the day, the Knox School started slow and then caught fire from beyond the arc against Broome Street. Big man Saif Al Deen Saleh knocked down 5 of 7 threes while VA native Chris Elderedge also buried a number of deep looks. Guards Bryceson Dobie and Basti Williams mixed scoring and distributing well, while wings Ben Manuel and Christian Smiley found multiple ways to impact the game. The All-MHC quartet make up a large part of what may just be the best perimeter in the league and that was on display in their first game.
Broome Street big man Ernesto Gonzalez was effective around the basket, carving out space and using his strength to create scoring opportunities for himself and was a force on the glass, notching a double-double. Point guard Jayport Smith appears to be an emotional leader for this group in his homecoming post-grad season. Another group that looked to pressure the ball and play with physicality, Broome Street will be a tough test for most teams this season.
Game 4: Lawrence Woodmere Academy 56 - First Love Christian Academy 86
First Love jumped out to a 14-1 lead to start the game thanks to the shooting and physicality of 2025 guard Elijah Witter. The former Nazareth guard looked right at home, knocking down seven threes en route to 28 points. Big men Abraham Rosario and Ahmir Penn were deterrents around the rim and combined to take LWA’s big men away for the most part.
LWA stayed in the fight for the majority of the game. Forward Caleb Andigue was able to find some success in the mid-range while physical wing slasher Sam Marner scored 10 quick points in the early going to jumpstart the LWA offense in the first half. Marner’s ability to find his way to the rim either as a slasher or as an offensive rebounding threat allows him to play bigger than he is. LWA was missing a couple of their forwards as well, so it could be interesting to see how it plays out if and when these two meet again.
With several matchups across the league happening in the coming days, there will be a better idea of how the league hierarchy will ultimately shake out. Keep it locked with MADE as it continues to cover New York’s newest prep school league.