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Next Stop
Woodstock Academy prep basketball player Ethan Edwards, above, left, will attend and play basketball for Brandeis University in the 2021-22 season. Above right: Woodstock Academy post-graduate basketball player Quaran McPherson will play for the University of Nebraska in the 2021-22 season. Marc Allard photos.
A host of Woodstock Academy prep basketball players have decided where they will attend school and play basketball come this fall.
Guard Quaran McPherson has signed on to play for the University of Nebraska in the Big-10.
Mark Heber will return to his native New Jersey and play for Division-II Caldwell University; Kyle Alcy will play for Post University, a Division-II school in Waterbury; Jayden Beloti will return home to North Carolina and play for Division-II Elizabeth City and Ethan Edwards is headed to Brandeis University in Massachusetts to play Division III basketball.
“Coach Jacque Rivera has done an amazing job in recruiting these kids and getting these kids aid to go to school for free,” said Woodstock Academy assistant prep basketball coach Denzel Washington. “The coaching staff has worked hard, long days, long nights, to make sure these guys are able to go to college. Kudos to the coaching staff and the teachers who taught through a pandemic and made this all possible.”
Washington added that the season, as a whole, was difficult because there were so many different moving parts.
The Centaurs spent the first month and a half of the basketball season, outside on the football field turf, practicing as best they could.
Eventually, the team was allowed to go back into the gym and after several weeks of intrasquad scrimmages were able to get some games in.
“Overall, it was great because the kids were able to play and that’s what mattered the most. They were able to do it safely. There were no hiccups or pauses where we lost games. They were able to be put in front of college coaches and were able to display their talent,” Washington said.
Edwards agreed that while there was no national championship tournament or a Power-5 Conference title to play for, the season was satisfying.
“I still had a good experience,” Edwards said.
McPherson returned to Woodstock Academy for a second season last fall.
But he left at midseason due to pandemic-related issues.
”We were sad to see Quaran go midway through his postgraduate year due to the uncertainty of the season at the time of his decision. It was great pleasure to work with Quaran as he came to us at a time when most counted him out after his injury in his junior season. He brought a competitiveness to our program and aggressive frame of mind,” Rivera said.
The Centaurs head coach was happy to see McPherson land with a major program like the Cornhuskers.
“We are extremely excited to see Quaran receive a full scholarship. He is well deserving of the opportunity afforded to him. He like many of the kids in our program used this opportunity at WA to move his career forward,” Rivera said.
Rivera feels the Nebraska program, which finished 7-20 last year, is on the rise as it has been recruiting players who are physical, sport a competitive edge, and may have a little chip on their shoulder.
Heber, a 6-foot, 1-inch guard, was pursued relentlessly by Caldwell.
“They called every day, they texted every day, sometimes too much, but they made sure they made Mark know that he was a priority,” Washington said. “As far as playing time, Mark will have to earn his stripes. The program is very good with a great coaching staff.”
Heber joins another former Woodstock Academy player at Caldwell, Danny Dade, who will be a sophomore for the Cougars.
Alcy, a 6-7 forward from Massachusetts, will stay in Connecticut.
“Post University is getting a very dynamic player in Kyle Alcy,” Washington said. “He has grown so much from the time he stepped on campus to the time he graduated (on June 12). He talks throughout the game, always screaming, always yelling, high energy, a really good teammate.”
While Edwards, a 5-11 guard, embarks on his career at a Division III school, Washington believes the Brooklyn, N.Y., native may have made the best choice of all.
“Brandeis is right outside the heart of Boston. I’m so happy for Ethan because he could not have chosen a better school. It’s unheard of to go to Brandeis for free and that’s what he is doing. He might be in one of the best situations of any player who has committed because he is setting himself up for the future,” Washington said.
Edwards considers it a chance to advance not only his athletic, but academic future.
“The coaches and I really connected but it’s also one of the top academic schools in the country and I considered it a great opportunity,” Edwards said.
Edwards wants to be a computer engineer, but before he left Woodstock Academy dabbled in athletic administration as he served as an intern for athletic director Sean Saucier.
“I was seeing what goes into being an athletic director. I might want to get into that field. I didn’t know so much went into that,” Edwards said.
While it’s true that not every member of the 2020-21 Centaurs has decided what their next step will be, the future is now at hand as the 21-22 version of the program is being put together.
“It’s something that is in the back of your mind throughout the season, because you are never not recruiting, but the priority is always the students we have in front of us and their college placement and development,” Washington said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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