LEE — Few coaching challenges seem as daunting as developing a postgraduate basketball team.
The players come from a variety of backgrounds with a myriad of goals, among them to qualify scholastically to play in college or to improve their skills in order to compete at a higher level.
“We’re putting a lot on their plates from a basketball standpoint, and with the international guys we have, that’s been another adjustment they’ve had to make,” said Lee Academy postgraduate basketball coach Andrew Papaefthemiou. “It’s been a transition for these guys, but at the same time we only have them for a year or two, so there’s a lot for them to learn.”
Lee’s roster includes players from six different states and six different countries, and its play so far this season has reflected the unpredictability of that chemistry-building process.
“We’ve been up and down,” said Papaefthemiou. “Defensively, we haven’t played as well as we can play, and it’s costing us.”
The Pandas are 7-8 heading into Saturday’s 5 p.m. game against Notre Dame Prep of Fitchburg, Mass., in the first round of the annual MCI Classic tournament at Pittsfield. Host Maine Central Institute and Redemption Christian Academy of Troy, N.Y., will square off at 7 p.m., with two more games set for noon and 2 p.m. Sunday.
“We had a couple of tight tests with Notre Dame Prep earlier in the season, and we had a nice win over Redemption Christian,” said Papaefthemiou. “We haven’t played MCI yet, but the tournament should give us a progress report of sorts.”
Lee has been led by D.J. Peterson, a 6-foot-5 guard from Minnetonka, Minn., who was one of seven major-college prospects described as “stock risers” by ESPN.com after competing in the National Prep Showcase at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Conn., last month.
“He’s been our most consistent guard, really our most consistent player,” said Papaefthemiou.
Perhaps the most talked about Panda has been 6-9 Anthony Joseph Perez Cortesia, a 16-year-old Venezuelan who already has drawn comparisons to NBA star Dirk Nowitski because of his 3-point shooting range and ballhandling ability for a big man. The high school junior still needs to develop physically, but he already has drawn attention from the likes of Kansas State, Providence and Wake Forest.
“He scored 22 the other night for us,” said Papaefthemiou. “He’s coming along pretty well.”
Keith Coleman, a 6-9, 240-pound center from Philadelphia is another player drawing considerable attention from Division I college recruiters, with Seton Hall the latest to offer a scholarship.
“A lot of high majors have placed a high priority on recruiting big men,” said Papaefthemiou.
Rodney Beldo, a 5-10 point guard from Scituate, Mass., and 6-3 Calvin “Tyler” Scott of Halifax, Nova Scotia, also have been among productive postgraduate players, while Rodell Wigginton, a 6-5 swingman from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and 6-7 forward Jean Yves Toupane from Thier, Senegal, join Cortesia as members of a talented junior class.
This year’s squad also features three players with Maine connections.
Ben Teer, a 5-9 guard from Northfield, earned Bangor Daily News All-Maine honors last winter while leading Washington Academy of East Machias to the Class C state championship, while Koang Thok, a 6-3 guard from Portland, was a standout last winter as a senior at Portland High School.
“Both Koang and Ben have been good at times,” said Papaefthemiou. “Koang is very athletic and a good scorer, and Ben is a knockdown shooter when he has time for the 3, and when he plays with confidence has proven he can play with anyone.”
And Youssou Ndoye, a 6-9 senior center from Dakar, Senegal, moved up to the postgraduate squad this season after leading Lee’s high school team to the Eastern Maine Class C semifinals last winter.
