VYPE's Preseason Top 20 -- No. 5 The Second Baptist Eagles

November 16, 2010

By Matt Malatesta of VYPE MAGAZINE - Houston


Second Baptist has Unfinished Business
Super-Recruit Rose Returns to Lead Eagles to TAPPS Championship


2009-10 Record
32-6 Overall
Lost in the TAPPS State Finals to Westbury Christian




In his first year at Second Baptist, coach Roger Kollmansberger guided the Eagles to the TAPPS 4A state finals last year with a 36-5 record. This year, led by returning junior sensation L.J. Rose, Kollmansberger and his players hope to make it to the state finals for the second time in a row. However, it will be no easy task as the Eagles will need to quickly rebuild to overcome the void left by four graduating seniors, while playing one of the toughest schedules in the area.

Rose is a returning first-team all-state point guard, who averaged almost 16 points and seven assists a game last year. He will be the leading the charge as the Eagles will be playing one of the toughest schedules in the city. The Eagles are slated to play the likes of Ft. Bend Bush and Westbury Christian, but also will be the first private school ever invited to the McDonalds Texas Invitational in Pasadena. They will play some of the best high school teams at the national scale when Second Baptist travels to Lexington, Kentucky to play in the Kentucky Invitational this month.

While junior L.J. Rose is the big-name national recruit, seniors wingman Julien Person (6-foot-7) and shooting guard Charles Allen, Jr. (6-foot-3) also expect to be playing at the next level after graduation. Both Person and Allen will be keys to the Eagles’ success and will have to pick up the slack as Rose rehabs a foot injury through November. Person is expected to provide the Eagles with scoring from behind the three point line, while providing the rebounding support that most teams don’t have from their small forward.

Fellow senior Charles Allen, Jr. is expected to fill the scoring void left by Andre Prince, who is now using his basketball skills at James Madison. Moreover, once the football season is over senior all-state post Alex Cooper (6-foot-5) will return to help the Eagles, bringing his large frame and big talents to bear on opponents.

Sophomore Kendrick Morris (6-foot-7) and freshman Khadeem Lattin (6-foot-9) will bring youthful height to work with an already loaded backcourt. Morris, who got varsity minutes as a freshman last year, is one of the most improved players in the city and is already getting noticed by DI schools nationwide.

Similarly, Lattin has already been making waves on the national scene being recently asked to try out for the USA 16U Olympic team. Another freshman, Jay Prince, is expected to provide some spot point guard work as he provides Rose with some breathers throughout the season.

The talented Eagles are going to be young and inexperienced, but if they grow up under fire as expected by coach Kollmansberger they are going to be a team to watch.

Fun Fact: Last year, Mikhail McLean signed with the University of Houston out of Second Baptist. He was a 6-foot-7 small forward… The University of Texas’ back-up quarterback is Connor Wood, who also played at the downtown school… Freshman Khadeem Lattin is the son of former WNBA star Monica Lamb.