Zach Braziller

Zach Braziller

Sports

Queens guard McBrayer flourishing after Vegas academy

What happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas.

That, however, doesn’t work for Dupree McBrayer. The talented 6-foot-3 southpaw Queens guard took everything he learned during his six months in Las Vegas at Quest Academy with him back east, and has applied those lessons.

“It helped him a lot,” JR Rembert, an adviser to McBrayer, said in a phone interview. “It made him deal with life. You have to take basketball seriously. Everything was a set schedule. You work out, go to school, work out again. It helped develop him. He took all that potential and started turning out results.”

Rembert has seen McBrayer as more focused since he back, not resting on his ability. That was clear this season, when McBrayer enrolled at The Patrick School in Elizabeth, N.J., and thrived, helping them win the Union County championship.

He has continued to excel on the AAU circuit with New Heights, winning titles at the Pittsburgh Jam Fest and Super 16 Showcase in Connecticut.

McBrayer went to Las Vegas last March after starring at Springfield Gardens High School.

McBrayer’s future remains uncertain at the moment. He will attend prep school. The details of where have yet to be ironed out, but it will likely be in the Northeast. He has a host of scholarship offers from high- and mid-major programs, such as Seton Hall, Minnesota, Providence, St. John’s, Manhattan and Rhode Island, among others. New Heights coach Moe Hicks raved about his versatility, his ability to be a lockdown defender, play both guard spots, create for others and get to the rim.

“He’s the type of kid I think can play on a high level,” Hicks said.

One college coach recruiting McBrayer said he would be a “nice piece” at the high-major level and a “stud” for a mid-major.

“He has a chance to be a special player,” the coach said. “He’s a lefty who can drive the ball, makes shots, has good size. He’s similar to Josh Pace that played at Syracuse a few years back, but with a better shot.”


The fourth annual Mary Kline Classic, a showcase to raise money for cancer research, will be held Saturday at West Orange (N.J.) High School. It includes a number of top local products, including Seton Hall signees I saiah Whitehead and Khadeen Carrington of Brooklyn, Long Island’s highly ranked forward Cheick Diallo and New Jersey stars Karl Towns, a Kentucky signee, and Isaiah Briscoe, among others.

Missouri transfer Shane Rector of The Bronx is being recruited by St. John’s, Boston College, La Salle and Drexel.

Georgia Tech transfer Robert Carter Jr., who visited St. John’s recently, will be at South Carolina this weekend and Maryland next week.

Monsignor Scanlon rising senior forward Jonathan Nwankwo added a scholarship offer from Rice on Thursday, joining the likes of Tennessee, Drexel, Seton Hall, Minnesota and Lehigh.

The event is run in honor of Mary Kline, the mother of Rivals.com recruiting analyst Alex Kline. As part of the festivities, forward Moustapha Diagne of Pope John XXIII in Sparta, N.J., is expected to announce his college decision, either for Syracuse or Memphis.