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Georges Niang (Methuen, Mass./The Tilton School) has never really gotten the respect he deserves.
It began early in his high school career when, as just a freshman, he exceeded expectations and played a vital role on a Tilton team that included Alex Oriakhi, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel and Gerard Coleman. That team went on to be the Cinderella of prep school basketball by claiming the 2009 National Prep Championship, and Niang was a key component, coming off the bench as the sixth man.
ESPN.comGeorges Niang is the No. 82 overall player in the 2012 class.
When Niang returned as a sophomore, his inside-out scoring ability was already well documented, and yet his long-term potential was still questioned, primarily because of his conditioning and body type. Even that summer, despite being the leading scorer on a BABC team that took the U-16 national championship, people still questioned what level of college basketball he could be successful at.
Almost two years later, Niang has finally gotten his fair share of respect. He has successfully cracked the ESPNU 100 and signed a letter of intent with Iowa State after seeing his recruitment go to the high-major level last winter and spring.
Last summer, he was the leading scorer on a BABC team that took the Nike EYBL title, but Niang has me convinced that he still doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
Tilton took the title at the State Farm Tournament of Champions over Thanksgiving break. Nerlens Noel, the second-ranked junior in the ESPNU 60, took tournament MVP honors after tallying 26 points, 24 rebounds, 12 assists, and 11 blocks through three games. Niang was named to the All-Tournament team after finishing his three games with 68 points, 25 rebounds, nine assists, and two blocks.
In Tilton’s first game back, Niang didn't play, and the team suffered its first loss of the season, a 74-63 decision to the hands of South Kent. With its leading scorer out of the lineup, Tilton looked out of sorts, not just on the offensive end, where Niang's scoring ability is undeniable and his passing far underestimated, but also in terms of leadership, as no one was there to rally the troops when Ricardo Ledo led South Kent on what proved to be a game-changing run.
Niang returned a few nights later and put up 33 points and 11 boards in a 77-62 win over Worcester Academy. Two nights after that, it was 34 points and 11 rebounds as Tilton knocked off Notre Dame Prep in the first round of the Brewster Invitational. The Rams would suffer their second loss of the season a night later, as Brewster would defend its home court with an 84-78 win.
This weekend, Tilton participated in the St. Andrew’s School Holiday Classic, another loaded event that featured 14 of the 16 AA programs in the NEPSAC. Niang had 25 points against Kaleb Tarczewski and St. Mark’s and 30 against Kyle Washington and Hotchkiss.
The bottom line is this, Tilton is a team loaded with talent, Noel and Wayne Selden are both future NBA prospects, but Niang is the motor that makes that engine work. He may not be the prototype high-major athlete, but you’ll be hard pressed to find many better 18-year-old basketball players.
