Tech coach Seth Greenberg took steps last fall to replace some production that will depart after the 2010-11 season by signing two big-time scorers in Jarell Eddie and Tyrone Garland.
Both of them wrapped up their prep careers this season by scoring more than 2,000 career points and guiding their respective teams into the state playoffs. Given their ability to score – and lead – they may see extensive minutes in the fall.
Here’s a look at how each fared:
JARELL EDDIE
Eddie, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound small forward from Concord, N.C., earned first-team All-NCISAA Class 3A honors after a season in which he averaged 23 points per game and led Cannon School to the quarterfinals of the NCISAA (North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association) state tournament. His team finished 16-14 this season, and his career came to an end with a 41-37 loss to Ravenscroft.
Eddie scored at least 20 points in nine straight games during one stretch this season. In his final regular-season home game, he scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and then in his final home game, he scored 26 points in Cannon’s 60-42 victory over Durham Academy.
His best performances came in the Cannon Classic in mid-November. He scored 33 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in back-to-back games, both victories, to earn the tournament MVP nod.
Eddie actually scored his 2,000th career point as a junior – a season in which he averaged 25 points and eight rebounds per game. He finished his career by scoring more than 2,700 points.
Eddie, ranked the 63rd prospect nationally by Rivals and No. 77 by Scout.com for the Class of 2010, also has been nominated for the 2010 McDonald’s All-American game.
TYRONE GARLAND
Garland, a 6-1, 170-pound combo guard from Philadelphia, had a rough ending to his career, as his team – John Bartram High School – lost its final three games to finish the season with a 19-10 mark.
Still, he put up impressive numbers, averaging nearly 25 points per game this season. He eclipsed the 2,000-point mark when he scored 19 points in Bartam’s 72-56 victory over Olney on Feb. 4.
Garland, who averaged nearly 29 points per game as a junior, scored more than 30 points in five games this past season and more than 40 on one occasion. He scored 43 of Bartram’s 78 points in a 78-72 win over Overbrook.
His career came to an end in the first round of the PIAA Class AAAA playoffs when he scored 14 points in Bartram’s 69-58 loss to Neshaminy. He came up 10 points short of moving past Wilt Chamberlain into second place as the all-time leading scorer in the history of the fabled Public League.
Garland finished his career with 2,198 points. Like Eddie, he was nominated for the 2010 McDonald’s All-American game.
