Offers, Interest Pouring in For Dominic Magee

Dominic MaGee at LeBron James Skills Academy
Photo Courtesy of 247Sports

Written by Bobby Sibley @CoachB_Sibley on twitter

As many of you know, March through July are huge months for a kids recruiting, one kid taking advantage of that is New Orleans, LA (Helen Cox) PG Dominic MaGee. The 6'4" athletic lead guard has had a huge spring that is transferring into a huge summer. Playing his travel ball with Baton Rouge based Louisiana Future, MaGee has raised his stock a ton. Coming into the summer as a virtual unknown nationally, the rising 2014 PG has definitely seen his stock rise. After a 1st round exit of the playoffs during his junior year, MaGee has since been working on his game and traveling the country against the top players nationally. A strong, physical PG that is explosive and can score, MaGee is a high major player that when he limits his turnovers, will be one of the top players in the country next season. With fellow New Orleans player Craig Victor departing St. Augustine HS, MaGee is considered the #1 player in Louisiana now. With that target on his back, he will be out to prove that he deserves this title. Below is a Q&A that Dominic and Louisiana Basketball Report had yesterday.

LBR: What schools have officially offered?
DM: LSU, UCLA, Alabama, Oklahoma, Houston, Memphis, Louisville, Louisiana Tech, Tulane, Tulsa, Minnesota, Auburn, Oral Roberts, Arizona and Texas A&M

LBR: If you have a top 10 list of schools, who are they and why?
DM: I don't have a top 10. I want to enjoy the process.

LBR: When will you make a decision?
DM: I am not sure, just weighing all of my options.

LBR: What schools are recruiting you that haven't offered, but you would like to get an offer from?
DM: Kansas, Kansas State and Texas

LBR: Who are the best players you have faced?
DM: Rashad Vaughn(Top 15 Recruit Nationally), Josh Perkins(Top 30 Recruit Nationally) and Jaylin Lindsay(Top 50 Recruit nationally and new Providence Commit)

LBR: What is your current GPA and ACT?
DM: GPA is 2.8 and my ACT is 17 but I will be taking it again in September.

LBR: How big of an influence is your mom and who will be helping with your decision?
DM: My mom is my #1 fan, she is my heart. With my decision, my family will be helping me.

LBR: What are some things that people don't know about Dominic Magee that you want them to know?
DM: I am a fun loving kid, who loves to have fun, I am coach able, I want to learn more about the game, I want to get better and I don't want to learn from a coach that wants to put me down or hates on me.

LBR: What do you want to accomplish this season at Helen Cox?
DM: I want to take my team past the 1st round and win state.

LBR: What camps have you been to this summer?
DM: I have been to the Reebok Breakout Camp, LeBron James Skills Academy and the Deron Williams/Kyrie Irving Skills Academy.

LBR: What did you learn from these events?
DM: I learned to be a smarter PG, how to play more smoothly and that I need to be more patient on the pick and roll as well as being a more vocal leader/floor general.

We would like to personally thank Dominic for his time and we look forward to seeing how he does the rest of the month with Louisiana Future.

Also, follow Dominic on Twitter @YounginDnic and follow us on twitter at @LA_BBALLREPORT and @CoachB_Sibley

Thanks

Interview with Oklahoma State Signee Markel Brown

Class 5A Playoff Preview and Predictions

J-Jay Thomas(left) of Scotlandville and Dominick Scelfo(right) of Jesuit will lead their teams tonight

Antonio Landers(Left) of Ouachita and Shavon Coleman(Right) of Thibodaux will lead their teams tonight

Traditional power is back on top of 5A once again as St. Augustine Purple Knights led by senior Elridge Moore and sophomore standouts Javan Felix and Sydie London come in as the top seed followed at 2 by Scotlandville and J-Jay Thomas who is a Stephen F. Austin signee. Coming in as the 3 seed is Ouachita, the defending 5A champ led by coach Casey Jones and Antonio Landers. Sulphur comes in as the 4 seed led by Chip Armelin and Matt LeBato while Hammond rounds out the top 5 with first year coach Brent Grigas. With much of the hype around Scotlandville's amazing season in which they have won the East Baton Rouge Parish tournament, beaten Istrouma twice, Glen Oaks twice, Christian Life, Ouachita, Ellender and Northside, a sleeper team to watch are the Jesuit Blue Jays and 21 seed Southwood. Jesuit comes in as the 6 seed and hosts East St. John, while Southwood travels to 12 seed Central-BR. Southwood will look to the senior scoring of guards Dean Johns and Mike Davis who both can flat out play. Central will counter with PG Josh Veals, Wes Brisoe and Brock Poydras. This 12/21 game should be a great game and I am planning on covering this game tonight I don't think Southwood will win on the road, but I will not be shocked if they do. As for the top seed St. Aug, they have a tough road to the dome as does Scotlandville. St. Aug's path could include Thibodaux on the road led by top 100 player Shavon Coleman, and a possible rematch with district rival Brother Martin or a rematch from last years quarterfinal with West Monroe in which they lost. So, those are a few things to look for as the playoffs begin. Some other players to note are Jesuit's Dominick Scelfo(Cornell) and junior Brady Hadden, Brother Martin's Pat Swilling Jr., West Monroe's Cory Lacy, Hammond's Mark Bridgewater and Dominic McCoy, St. Thomas More's Xavier Blackburn and Will Norman, Westgate's Jacoby Colbert, and Airline's sophomore sensation Josh Hagins.

First Round Playoff Predictions

Top Bracket

1. St. Augustine  over 32. Acadiana
17. Thibodaux over 16. Slidell
9. Brother Martin  over 24. Lafayette
8. West Monroe over25. Ponchatoula
5. Hammond over 28. West Jefferson
21. Southwood over 12. Central-BR
20. Pineville over 13. LaGrange
29. South Lafourche over 4. Sulphur

Bottom Bracket

3. Ouachita  over 30. C.E. Byrd
14. St. Thomas More  over 19. Destrehan
11. Hahnville  over 22. Catholic-BR
6. Jesuit  over 27. East St. John
7. Westgate  over 26. Central Lafourche
10. John Ehret  over 23. Covington
15. Airline over 18. Natchitoches Central
2. Scotlandville over 31. Denham Springs

Official *Class 4A Playoff Brackets

pictures courtesy of LHSAA.org

Class 4A Official Playoff Brackets from the LHSAA

Higher Seed is Home for first round


Top Bracket

1. Peabody
32. Woodlawn-SH

16. McDonogh #35
17. Franklin

9. Salmen
24. Morgan City

8. Istrouma
25. St. Louis

5. Wossman
28. Belle Chasse

12. DeRidder
21. Tioga

13. Minden
20. Huntington

4. Glen Oaks
29. Haughton

Bottom Bracket

3. Washington Marion
30. Woodlawn-BR

14. Edna Karr
19. Vandebilt Catholic

11. East Jefferson
22. St. Martinville

6. Northside
27. Benton

7. Ellender
26. O.P. Walker

10. Cecilia
23. Helen Cox

15. Neville
18. Alexandria

2. Bossier
31. Franklinton

Louisiana D-1 Ambassador and Beau Chene Star Joseph Charles: Overcoming Adversity Against All Odds

Highlights are from the 2009 River City Showdown at the University of Memphis Finch Center

and the 2009 Memphis Select Classic IV Tournament which both stretched from July 9-15

By Larry Young
lyoung@dailyworld.com
The Daily Advertiser

Take a long, hard look at the 5-foot-9 kid playing starting point guard for Beau Chene high school. Watch him play.

Observe how he flies up and down the court with free will, often generating a fire-like spark his teammates feed off. How he scores, penetrates and passes with ease.

Then imagine that two years ago, in a matter of minutes, all that was almost stripped away from him.

You'd never know that same kid, Joseph Charles, is fresh off the road of recovery from a two and a half year break, which almost ended his basketball career.

How'd it happen?

One October night, Charles was headed to Beau Chene to watch the game he loves most — basketball.

Minutes later, a serious car accident leaving him with a punctured lung, among other injuries derailed those plans. He never made it.

The repercussions from the accident left the then high school sophomore with two choices. He could either spend seven months in a halo, which would help his neck heal. Or risk surgery, a move that could have potentially left him paralyzed from the neck down.

Charles chose the halo. In turn, the decision helped the speedy guard make a swift recovery and avoid neck surgery.

He said his time in the halo provided him some much needed time to get things right.

"Sitting in the halo made me think what I wanted to do with life," Charles said. "I got back in school, started hitting the books and playing basketball."

Charles' comeback bid has been nothing short of his signature style on the basketball court: hard and fast. But it wasn't always that way.

At one point during his recovery, Charles said he had given up. He didn't want to play basketball anymore. Then, one day, he picked up a ball and played around.

Jumpers began to fall. Charles noticed he still had it.

From there the rest is history.

"I just got back on court and started working hard again," Charles said.
It was during this time he thought of all the trips he made to watch Beau Chene basketball games when he was unable to play. During that seven-month span, he watched and began plotting his return.

Why Beau Chene?

"All my family members came here," Charles said. "When my uncle (Kentrail Charles) was here he brought them to the top 28, so I'm trying to do it again."

Before enrolling at Beau Chene at the beginning of the school year, Charles spent his freshman year at Carencro, before transferring to Acadiana Prep midway through his sophomore year.

Then, the car accident came just months before he was to first suit up for Acadiana Prep. He never played there.

"It just made me realize that I shouldn't take things in life for granted," Charles said. "Life's short. You have to go at it and get it."

Since then he's lived by those words.

And first year Gators coach Roy Young is satisfied with his floor general. He said he is fortunate to have the levelheaded senior. He also tabbed him the team's scoring and emotional leader.

"The fact that I was new and he was new probably benefited both of us," said Young, who neither knew Charles nor had any knowledge of his accident before this school year.

"Technically the only basketball he's had the past few years is AAU ball. That's a totally different game. That's the biggest transition he's had to make. I think he's making it fairly well."

Take another long, hard look. It's safe to say he's making it fairly well.