| Veritas Boy's Basketball 2007/2008 Prospectus Veritas Christian located in Fletcher, NC is known as one of the top academic schools in Western North Carolina sporting an average SAT score of 1260 (old scale) ,1924 (new scale), the highest in the region. Veritas is a classical Christian high school and all students in the 11th and 12th grade years either take AP or honors courses. No special admissions are given or any academic breaks given to athletes. No post- grads are allowed. Despite this rigorous academic setting, VCA has managed to field a boys and girls basketball team that can compete on the upper echelons of the nations top high school programs. The boys team average GPA last season was 3.4 while the girl’s average was 3.3. Veritas finished the 2006/2007 season 20-5 against high school teams including two of those losses to national power Oak Hill Academy. The boys were 23 -11 overall including their games against college teams and post- grad teams. The Warriors made it to the National Association of Christian Athletes Division I National Championship game before losing by one basket to Victory Christian Center (Charlotte NC). Veritas lost three senior starters, all who have gone on to play college ball (Jonah Baize - Clemson, Paulius Skema - NJIT - Aleks Spasovsky - Warren Wilson). While these young men will be missed the cupboard is by no means bare. Veritas will feature five players being recruited by NCAA Division I schools. The line up can go as large as 7'1", 6'9"6’8” , with 6'6 and 5'11" guards. The bench will also be much deeper than last year and will feature several high level younger players including a 7'1" sophomore. The schedule will again be one of the toughest in the nation including a home opener on regional television against two time USA Today defending national champions, Oak Hill Academy as well as games against several post grad schools and college teams. Perhaps VCA should change their name to “Road Warriors” this season as they will travel to 6 states and the Bahamas in their quest for an NACA National title. Meet The Team Seniors 10 - All American candidate Catalin Baciu - 7'1" (Committed to Clemson) An athletic mobile big man who runs the floor extremely well and has a shooting touch out to the three point line. Has a good jump hook left and right, he can write with both his right and left hand. Has the potential to develop into a 3 man on the pro level. Will play some 3-5 for us this season. Had a high game of 48 points last season in just three quarters of play. “Bo Bo” as he is known had offers from several top 20 programs including; Memphis, NC State, Tennessee before deciding to be a Tiger. A native of Cluj, Romania, he first learned English by watching the Cartoon Network. A gifted writer who is considered one of the top academic minds in the school. 14 - Jonathan Ellington - 5'11" 160 lb point guard - This lefty has several Big South and CAA schools on him but lately has attracted some interest from mid major schools such as Baylor and Oral Roberts. An extremely quick and smart point who can run a team but also has a great first step, can shoot the ball and finishes well in transition. Has big games against big names including a 29 point outburst in the NACA National Semi-Finals last season against Georgia bound, Dustin Ware and the Georgia 3A champion, North Cobb County Christian, A great quarterback, leader and student. He is also considered a national level classical guitarist. He wants to major in music and play college basketball. 40 - Patrick Narron - 6'2" 175 lb combo guard - Patrick is a muscular athletic guard who can knock down the three and is the best defender on the team. He consistently has the job of holding down some of the nation’s top guards. Patrick is also a deadly three point shooter and great weak side rebounder. Patrick has lots NCAA Division II and III interest from schools such as Anderson, Johns Hopkins, Skidmore, Oberlin and Randolph. Another top student with a 1100 plus SAT and near the top of his class who wants to play college ball and major in Mathematics. Juniors 44 -Andrew Kyles - 6'9" 245 lb 4/5 Junior - Andrew is a big body who is also quite mobile. He ran cross country this fall and is an extremely hard worker. A big physical presence who can finish down low, is a great rebounder and has an advanced understanding of pick angles. He will play the 4/5 for us this season. Western Carolina, East Tennessee State, Columbia and American University are some of the schools already recruiting him. Andrew's Mom moved to the Asheville area from Statesville, NC so her son could attend VCA. A solid student who brings the same work ethic to the classroom that he brings to the court. 23- Allen Ebert - 6'6" 200 lb 2/3 Junior. Allen is another long kid with long arms who can play multiple positions ranging from shooting guard to small and even power forward.. A player who has a nice shooting touch but can also slash and finish with a dunk. Allen is being recruited by USC/Upstate, North Florida, Elon and VMI among others. Allen has dreams of becoming a college coach. 0 - Paschal Mensah – 6’0 155 lb combo guard – Paschal is a native of the African country of Ghana. A standout player on our soccer team who is being recruited in that sport by several colleges. Paschal is also a very talented basketball player. A great defender, with a lightning quick first step. A top student who aspires to attend college and play soccer. 24 – Sasa Borovnjak – 6’8” 235 lb 4/5 – Sasa is a native of Belgrade, Serbia. A tough rebounder who can play the post position but also can step out to shoot. He likes to mix it up underneath and is a tough competitor. Sasa is new in the country and once the scouts find out about him will be a recruited by plenty of American colleges. Sophomores 32 - Devon Pickering - 5'10" 160 lb point guard – Devin was an All Western North Carolina selection as a freshman at his former school. This young man has an incredible basketball IQ, a quality point guard who will be able to step in and play right away. Has great 3 point range, is a great penetrator and has great court presence. A mature player for his age. An excellent student who Ivy league and Patriot league programs are already monitoring. 34- Andrew Ellington – 5’11” combo guard – Andrew was some limited time last season as a freshman. A quick first step, improved ball handling and extended shooting range give him the opportunity to earn more minutes this year. Andrew is an excellent student who is also a musician and plays in a local band. 50 - Davit Pavliashvili - 7'1" center - David is a young 7 footer with a great wing span, good coordination and the ability to step in and contribute on the varsity level this season. A native of the Republic of Georgia, this young man is an outstanding student who looks forward to learning both on the court and in the classroom. Freshman 41 – David Shaw – 6’1” combo guard – David is a good shooter and athletic. He was moved up from the JV squad. He was a standout player during his middle school years and has the potential to develop into a varsity contributor as early as next season. He will continue to get the majority of his game time this year on the JV level but the practice against varsity competition daily should accelerate his development. 12 – Ben Hayes – 6’0 guard/forward – Ben was also moved up from the JV level after showing great promise last season in middle school. He will also continue to see the majority of his playing time on the junior varsity level. Once he can combine his natural aggressiveness and toughness with a more polished skill, the sky is the limit for his potential. Veritas is coached by Raleigh, NC native, John Jordan. The former college and professional coach has a long and diverse history in the sport of basketball. He has worked with several current and former NBA players, been a minor league commissioner and consulted for various teams and leagues around the world. Jordan left the pro game four years ago because he said he wanted to make a difference in young peoples lives. It would be hard to argue that he has not kept his word. During this time, Jordan has sent 16 players on to the collegiate level to play, including 8 to NCAA Division I programs. His 2006 Statesville Christian team won the National Association of Christian Athletes Division I National Championship and his Veritas Christian team was within a basket of accomplishing the same feat last season. He has been a finalist for the NACA National High School Basketball Coach of the Year Award for two straight years. In this four year span, Jordan has amassed a 103-39 record despite facing one of the toughest high school schedules in the nation each of those years. His mantra is “anybody, anywhere anytime.” and his schedule proves that. Under his tutelage his programs have had 11 McDonalds All American candidates including two players ranked in the top 50 nationally of their senior class. Coach Jordan is married to his wife of 21 years, Tina and lives with their 16 year old daughter, Jamie, in Fletcher. Coach Jordan is assisted by Robert Hutchinson, Baron Jackson, Dave Lebowiechz and Thomas Burch. |
 | |  | |  |
Warrior Head Coach - John Jordan