A new brand of basketball in Elmira gets going Friday, November 6, as the Elmira Notre Dame Prep basketball team plays its home opener at Notre Dame High School.
Notre Dame Prep will face Rocktop Academy (King of Prussia, Pennsylvania) at 7 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for non-Notre Dame students, and free for children under 5.
James Cray is Notre Dame’s head coach and director of basketball.
Notre Dame’s roster includes players from across the United States, along with an international element. The program’s focus is on becoming one of the top prep basketball programs in the Northeast while developing players for potential college opportunities.
“Our goal is to build something the entire Southern Tier can be proud of,” Cray said in a press release from Notre Dame High School. “We want to show that high-level basketball belongs right here in Elmira.
“We’re building a program that can compete with some of the best schools in the country, while giving our student-athletes the resources and opportunities to reach their potential.”
Notre Dame Prep players live on campus and attend classes at the school.
Among the top talent is Kobe Zhang, a 6-foot-10 native of China who has drawn attention from high-level Division I programs.
Matthew Pope is a guard from the Syracuse area who picked Notre Dame over established prep schools. Jaden Schwenebraten is a Rochester-area guard who played at the Salisbury School in Connecticut. Manoa Deso hails from France.
Notre Dame’s schedule includes Ohio’s Western Reserve Academy, the new school for former Corning-Painted Post star Nolyn Proudfoot. Notre Dame faces Western Reserve on the road this season.
Others on the schedule include Vermont Academy (Rockingham, Vermont), Peddie School (Hightstown, New Jersey), Hill School (Pottstown, Pennsylvania), and Mercersburg Academy (Pennsylvania).
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Elmira Notre Dame Prep basketball team set for inaugural home game
