PITTSFIELD — There are a dozen players on the Maine Central Institute postgraduate basketball team this season, and coach Dave Campbell feels approximately half of them will play Division I college basketball.
On Thursday, three of the Huskies signed letters of intent to play Division I basketball next season. James Farr will attend Xavier, Jared Brandon will attend Cal State Fullerton, and Tobe Okafor will go to Loyola Marymount, where he’ll be coached by former MCI coach Max Good.
A 6-foot-9 forward, Farr will join a Xavier squad that’s currently ranked No. 14 in the nation in the AP Top 25 poll. The Musketeers are perennial contenders for the Atlantic-10 Conference title. Last season, Xavier lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Marquette.
“That was a major factor. I knew I could play some pretty good competition there and better myself as a player as well,” Farr, of Evanston, Ill., said. “The first time I went there on my visit, the way the coaching staff took me in, before they decided to even offer me (a scholarship), I just felt like I was part of the family. The way they introduced me to the players, the coaching staff, even the fans. They really embraced me.”
Farr can play inside or out, Campbell said, and can handle the ball and passes well.
“He’s not a finished product yet. His best basketball is ahead of him,” Campbell said. “He can shoot from the perimeter and he’s crafty inside near the basket.”
Brandon said he liked the style of play at Cal State Fullerton, and felt comfortable with the Titans.
“Just the way they play, how talkative it was at practice, just the attitude at practice, I loved it. It put a smile on my face just watching. I thought it would be a great fit for me,” Brandon said.
A 6-5 slasher, playing at MCI gives Brandon the opportunity to play guard.
“This is my first time being able to play point guard, really, because I’ve always been the tallest on my team,” Brandon, a Las Vegas native, said.
In MCI’s season opener on Wednesday, a 74-63 loss at Notre Dame Prep, Brandon scored 25 points.
“And he didn’t make a perimeter shot,” Campbell said. “He can get to the basket. He shot 10 free throws.
A native of Lagos, Nigeria, Okafor has only been playing basketball for four years, but over that time, he’s built a relationship with Loyola Marymount associate head coach Myke Scholl.
“I’ve known him since I was 14. He came to basketball camps back home in Africa. He followed up on my development,” Okafor said.
The 6-foot-10 Okafor is inexperienced, but talented, Campbell said.
“Tobe, he’s a raw talent that blocks shots and rebounds the basketball,” Campbell said. “His offensive skill is not developed yet. He’s gotten better since he’s been here. He runs the floor well. When he plays with energy, he accomplishes a lot of things.”
Added Okafor: “I’m just trying to get myself up there to the college level. Get my confidence level up, and develop my post game. I just want to be more effective in the paint.”
Now in his fourth year as Loyola Marymount’s head coach, Good has shared some stories of some of the players he coached at MCI with Okafor.
“He’s talked about some of the other players he had here. Caron Butler and some others,” Okafor said.
Among the players Campbell feels can attract Division I attention are Bangor native Tristan Thomas a 6-3 guard and the lone Mainer on the team. Thomas and Farr are the team captains.
“Tristan can play at the Division I level. Number one, he plays hard,” Campbell said. “He’s got intangibles. A lot of kids don’t have. He’s got a tremendous work ethic.”
Other players who could sign with Division I teams include Jean-Pierre Charles, a 6-8 forward from Ottawa, Ontario; Dustin Smith, a 6-1 guard from Wilkinson, Ind.; and Sean James, a 6-4 forward from Newark, Del.
“I think this group here has the ability to make some headway in March,” Campbell said.
The Huskies play at home at 1 p.m. Sunday against Winchendon Academy. Former Nokomis standout Chris Braley and Phillips Exeter Academy come to Pittsfield on Jan. 7.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
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