Prep school didn’t work out quite as planned for Malik Nichols and Darrel Lucky. The two former PSAL stars from Boys & Girls and Robeson, respectively, hope junior college is their ticket to a Division I school.
Nichols and Lucky are headed to JUCO powerhouse South Plains College in Texas, assistant coach Hank Ploma said. Nichols, a one-time Hofstra, attended Bridgton Academy in Maine last year while Lucky was Newark’s NIA Prep.
The 6-foot-4 Nichols helped lead Boys & Girls to a PSAL Class AA city championship his senior year after transferring from Hillcrest in Queens. The-foot-11 Lucky, meanwhile, averaged over 24 points per game for Robeson his senior year.
The two will bring their talents to one of the top JUCO’s in the country, a program that went 36-0 last winter and won their second NJCAA Championship in five seasons.
“We’re excited about them, they can each do some different things,” Ploma said. “Malik is very versatile. He’s a guy who can play a lot of different positions, score the ball. We think he’s a guy who can step right in, complete for a lot of minutes and keep at the level we’ve been at. And Darrel is a lightning-quick guard who can really score. …. Darrel has a very good mid-range game, can hit some floaters, some pull-ups, shoots the ball effectively from 3. He’s one of the guys who adds an edge to our team.”
Telfair leaves Lincoln for Las Vegas: Ethan Telfair is leaving Coney Island.
The younger brother of NBA point guard and former Lincoln superstar Sebastian Telfair, Ethan will attend Quest Prep Academy in Las Vegas, his family told The Post, and reclassify into the Class of 2014. With his family moving to Wappingers Falls, N.Y., the 5-foot-9 pass-first point guard opted to leave the city.
Telfair is coming off an up-and-down junior year, in which he averaged seven points and four assists per game as Lincoln reached the PSAL Class AA semifinals. There were extremely bright moments, such as an 18-point, eight-assist performance in a win over Brooklyn AA regular season winner Jefferson and had 11 points and eight assists in a narrow loss to national powerhouse St. Anthony of Jersey City. He also struggled throughout his career meeting the insanely high expectations that came with following in his older brother’s large footsteps. He didn’t play much AAU over the summer, but did perform well with the New York Panthers at the Fab 48 event in Las Vegas.
Former Gompers star Galan sees Promise in Iowa prep school: Carlos Galan will attend Quakerdale Promise Academy in Iowa, advisor and Gompers assistant coach Quentin Lauriston, said. The 6-foot-1 combo guard, who was second in PSAL Class AA in scoring at 23 points per game, visited Montclair College Prep (N.J.), Primetime Prep (S.C.) and South Kent (Conn.), but picked Promise because “we believe Coach Brad Matney will help Carlos grow as a student and player,” Lauriston said.
Galan, who holds offers from St. John’s and Iowa State and interest from SMU, may reclassify into the Class of 2014, Lauriston said. He will take an unofficial visit to Iowa State Sept. 1.
Boys High’s Pinder to McCook: Shakur Pinker has signed with McCook Community College in Nebraska, he said. The 6-foot-7 forward, known for his shot-blocking and rebounding acumen, helped Boys & Girls win a school- record third straight city title and first state Federation Class AA crown.
NOTES: Top prospect Chris McCullough of The Bronx visited Seton Hall on Sunday and will see Memphis Aug. 27 and Syracuse Aug. 29, Team SCAN director Terrance (Munch) Williams said. … Lincoln’s Isaiah Whitehead will also be at Syracuse Aug. 29 for the school’s elite camp, he said. Whitehead recently added an offer from Texas. … South Shore guard Terrence Samuel will visit Rhode Island on Friday, per a source, and visit Connecticut Aug. 24. … Former Lincoln forward Travis Charles landed a scholarship offer from Austin Peay and visited the Ohio Valley conference school last week, New York Panthers coach Paul Ruddock said. Charles is waiting to be approved by the NCAA Clearinghouse. … Wings Academy rising sophomore guard Mohamed Toray listed interested from Notre Dame, Xavier, Providence, VCU, DePaul, Iona, Hofstra, Manhattan, Fordham, Dayton, Bucknell and Boston University. … Former St. John’s commit Darrick Wood of Bridgeton Academy will attend JUCO Palm Beach College, per a source, after failing to qualify. … Team SCAN’s Terry Larrier, Quincy McKnight, Kevin Seymour, Unique McLean, and Mike Jurynski attended Providence’s elite camp over the weekend.