THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 9, 1994 TAG: 9412090754
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHARLIE DENN, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
In this area of the country, practically anyone who has any ties to basketball knows about Oak Hill Academy.
The prep school in Mouth-of-Wilson annually turns out a handful of top college prospects. College recruiters have become very familiar with how to get to the out-of-the-way school.
But there is another prep school in the northeast that area fans will get to know this weekend during the Tidewater Basketball Classic: Maine Central Institute.
The private school in Pittsfield, Maine, has become the rival, if not the equal, of Oak Hill.
``When I first got here, I had to do a lot of recruiting,'' said MCI coach Max Good, a former college coach at Eastern Kentucky for eight years. ``But now almost all my players who come here are referred by someone. It's the best sub-college program in the country.''
The scenario at MCI is much like that at Oak Hill: a controlled environment conducive to learning. It is a school designed to help students improve their grades and SAT scores to gain admittance into college.
And just like at Oak Hill, the students Good deals with just happen to be very promising basketball players.
Maine Central, which plays Friday night at 7:30 against Southern High of Baltimore, has a star-laden list of alumni. Mario Mullen, the ODU forward, played there. Ditto for ex-Kecoughtan High product Faisel Abraham, now playing at Marquette. Current college starters Johnny Rhodes (Maryland) and George Butler (Georgetown) are MCI graduates.
Maine Central plays college junior varsity teams as well as prep schools. The schedule is demanding. But Good likes it that way.
``It's like Arkansas found out this year,'' he said. ``Sometimes when you open with tough games, you get beat. But that lets you know right away where you are. I don't mind a loss now if it helps us down the road.''
MCI is 1-1 after winning six scrimmages, which didn't count, against Division III college teams. The top players include a mammoth front line of 6-foot-9 Luther Clay, a Purdue signee, 6-6 Llewyn Cole and 6-9 Isiah Epps.
``They look like Tarzan and play like Jane,'' Good quipped.
MCI's most consistent players thus far have been guards Kelly Taylor and Andy Bedard. Taylor averages 20 points a game to lead MCI in scoring.
``We've got a lot of potential for a good year,'' Good said. ``But we need our inside kids to be more emphatic and focused.''
Clay, a probable Top Twenty prospect, has been slowed by his recovery from a knee injury. Cole has had trouble with free throws, hitting just 6-of-16.
``He draws a lot of fouls,'' Good said. ``But he needs to make his free throws.''
Other out-of-town teams in the tournament include Paul Robeson of Brooklyn, N.Y., Southern High of Baltimore and Cardinal O'Hara of Springfield, Pa. by CNB