NYer Selected To International Showcase
Several weeks after Our Savior Lutheran's Ian Jackson and Stepinac's Boogie Fland attained the ultimate national elitism for high school basketball in America with their selection to the 2024 McDonald's All-American game, New York has now garnered international visibility at this level. Christ The King's Class of 2024 forward/center Qin Pang has been selected for the prestigious Nike Hoop Summit.
The event, which is slated for April 13, 2024 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, will provide international visibility. It features the top men's high school seniors in America in a game against top-tier, highly-ranked players all around the world who are 19 years of age or younger.
"I'm extremely honored and blessed," said Pang, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound mountain man with a soft touch, a rarefied all around tool-set, and defensive versatility.
"To be recognized for such a big game, to be thought of as a guy who is at this level, it means a lot to me. I am grateful and looking forward to the event. I know it is a big deal. I know that a lot of great players have played in it before. It's an exciting thing to look to for the future."
The event's long, lauded alum list includes American-born players such as Coney Island's Stephon Marbury, Peekskill's Elton Brand, Queensbridge product Ron Artest, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Julius Randle, Zion Williamson, and myriad others. International-born players such as Tony Parker, Nikola Jokic, Dirk Nowitzki, and Ben Simmons.
Having established himself as a skilled, inside-outside scoring threat with an evolving face up game and back to the rim game, Pang has been a stabilizing interior piece for Joe Arbitiello's Royals. Last season, as he transitioned to a thoroughly upgraded roster with himself and 6-foot-7 sky-rising forward Brandon Gardner (now at Southern California) joining a high major point forward in 6-foot-9 Brandon Williams (Currently at UCLA) and a defensively sound, shot-making 6-foot-4 guard in Devin Vanterpool (currently at Florida Atlantic), Pang showed promise. There were multiple games of 18+ points and Pang's springboard bouncy, above-rim finishing ability was evident.
This season, with Iowa State-commit Dwayne Pierce out indefinitely with an injury, Pang has been the program's biggest attraction. Figuratively and literally. He has been one of the city's biggest attractions, as he proved during a 15-point, six rebound performance en route to a 56-51 victory over Monroe HS during the Public vs Catholic Schools Showdown at the Westchester County Center on Saturday.
Pang, who entered the performance averaging 14.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, shooting it at 52 percent clip from the floor and 31 percent from beyond the arc. Pang's presence was instrumental in pulling away from a gritty Monroe team on Saturday. He was able to establish his position in the post. Pang finished amid hard contact overpowered considerably smaller defenders by bulldozing them to the rim.
Recruiting-wise, Pang is currently hearing from the likes of Florida Atlantic University, Loyola-Chicago, Elon, Siena, and several others.