Reed announces Lehigh men’s basketball incoming class of 2024
11/19/2019 1:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh head men's basketball coach Brett Reed announced the Mountain Hawks' incoming class on Tuesday, featuring impressive talent all over the court. Forward Ben Li, guard Jalin Sinclair and center John Thomas Tan are set to join the Brown and White next fall.
Li comes to Lehigh from Thornlea Secondary School in Ontario. An accomplished student-athlete, the 6-foot-6 Li averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds per game at Middleburg Academy in Virginia. He was named second team All-State of Virginia as a junior. Among his junior-year highlights, he enjoyed a monster 42-point, 17-rebound effort against Massanutten Military Academy. Li was previously named a top 25 2020 player in Virginia and a top 20 2020 player in Canada. He was a member of the 2019 Under-19 FIBA Chinese National team, and the U17 Ontario Provincial team in the Canadian National Basketball Championship. Li was ranked in the top 15 in the class of 2020 by the OSBA prep league. In addition, he was a 3-point champion in the JIT Lissone Tournament in Milan, Italy, and MVP of the Magic3 Shanghai 3X3 Tournament.
"Ben is a unique player," said Reed. "He is explosive and can score, but also really values playing hard and sacrificing for his team to be successful. He will dive on the ground for a loose ball or give his body up and take a charge. Those qualities, combined with solid range on his jump shot, explosiveness and strength when he attacks the basket on drives – as well as the awareness to see who's open on the court around him – should make him not only a strong offensive threat, but also allow him to be a complete player who helps teams win games."
Meanwhile, Sinclair has averaged 15 points, four rebounds and three assists in a strong career at Suffield Academy in Connecticut. Sinclair was named a top 50 prospect by the NERR (New England Recruiting Part) and was a two-time Class A All-NEPSAC honoree. He helped his team to a 14-8 record in the prestigious New England Preparatory School Athletic Council, reaching the NEPSAC Tournament three times. Sinclair also participated in the Zero Gravity Prep Classic, NERR Coaches vs. Cancer Scholar Roundball Classic and BasketBull Holiday Classic. Strong off the court as well, Sinclair was an honor roll student, dorm protector and Boys Club of New York Student-Athlete of the Year. Sinclair played for Nike's EYBL for Summer AAU with New York City's PSA Cardinals. PSA played all the way into the EYBL's Peach Jam (the most competitive tournament in AAU Basketball). He was a three-sport athlete – in football, baseball and basketball.
"Jalin has a natural charisma and leadership ability," said Reed. "He plays with a passion for the game and has shown he is willing to fulfill any role to help a team win. He is a willing distributor and gets teammates involved. To complement that, he has the ability to penetrate for himself or to set up teammates. He also has a jump shot that defenses will have to respect and guard. Those offensive attributes, combined with his tenacity and toughness, should allow him to influence games on both ends of the floor."
Tan has been a standout at Rolling Hills Preparatory in California, averaging 17 points, 11 rebounds and five assists over his career. As a junior, Tan was named the CIF Southern Section Division 3AA Boys Basketball Player of the Year. He won the John Wooden High School Player of the Year Award, was named the 2018-2019 MaxPreps California Division 3 MVP and garnered Hoophall West MVP recognition. As a sophomore, Tan helped Rolling Hills to the CIF Southern Section 4A Championship. As a freshman, he won a Division 5 State Title and Southern Section 5A Championship. Strong in the classroom as well, Tan was inducted into the National Honor Society.
"JT has a rugged body and great footwork," said Reed. "He knows how to create position for himself on his post ups as well for rebounding angles. He's got soft hands and a nice touch. All of those physical qualities allow him to be a scoring threat and he has consistently found ways to score throughout his career. His strong frame should allow him to add toughness to our team for years to come."
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Li comes to Lehigh from Thornlea Secondary School in Ontario. An accomplished student-athlete, the 6-foot-6 Li averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds per game at Middleburg Academy in Virginia. He was named second team All-State of Virginia as a junior. Among his junior-year highlights, he enjoyed a monster 42-point, 17-rebound effort against Massanutten Military Academy. Li was previously named a top 25 2020 player in Virginia and a top 20 2020 player in Canada. He was a member of the 2019 Under-19 FIBA Chinese National team, and the U17 Ontario Provincial team in the Canadian National Basketball Championship. Li was ranked in the top 15 in the class of 2020 by the OSBA prep league. In addition, he was a 3-point champion in the JIT Lissone Tournament in Milan, Italy, and MVP of the Magic3 Shanghai 3X3 Tournament.
"Ben is a unique player," said Reed. "He is explosive and can score, but also really values playing hard and sacrificing for his team to be successful. He will dive on the ground for a loose ball or give his body up and take a charge. Those qualities, combined with solid range on his jump shot, explosiveness and strength when he attacks the basket on drives – as well as the awareness to see who's open on the court around him – should make him not only a strong offensive threat, but also allow him to be a complete player who helps teams win games."
Meanwhile, Sinclair has averaged 15 points, four rebounds and three assists in a strong career at Suffield Academy in Connecticut. Sinclair was named a top 50 prospect by the NERR (New England Recruiting Part) and was a two-time Class A All-NEPSAC honoree. He helped his team to a 14-8 record in the prestigious New England Preparatory School Athletic Council, reaching the NEPSAC Tournament three times. Sinclair also participated in the Zero Gravity Prep Classic, NERR Coaches vs. Cancer Scholar Roundball Classic and BasketBull Holiday Classic. Strong off the court as well, Sinclair was an honor roll student, dorm protector and Boys Club of New York Student-Athlete of the Year. Sinclair played for Nike's EYBL for Summer AAU with New York City's PSA Cardinals. PSA played all the way into the EYBL's Peach Jam (the most competitive tournament in AAU Basketball). He was a three-sport athlete – in football, baseball and basketball.
"Jalin has a natural charisma and leadership ability," said Reed. "He plays with a passion for the game and has shown he is willing to fulfill any role to help a team win. He is a willing distributor and gets teammates involved. To complement that, he has the ability to penetrate for himself or to set up teammates. He also has a jump shot that defenses will have to respect and guard. Those offensive attributes, combined with his tenacity and toughness, should allow him to influence games on both ends of the floor."
Tan has been a standout at Rolling Hills Preparatory in California, averaging 17 points, 11 rebounds and five assists over his career. As a junior, Tan was named the CIF Southern Section Division 3AA Boys Basketball Player of the Year. He won the John Wooden High School Player of the Year Award, was named the 2018-2019 MaxPreps California Division 3 MVP and garnered Hoophall West MVP recognition. As a sophomore, Tan helped Rolling Hills to the CIF Southern Section 4A Championship. As a freshman, he won a Division 5 State Title and Southern Section 5A Championship. Strong in the classroom as well, Tan was inducted into the National Honor Society.
"JT has a rugged body and great footwork," said Reed. "He knows how to create position for himself on his post ups as well for rebounding angles. He's got soft hands and a nice touch. All of those physical qualities allow him to be a scoring threat and he has consistently found ways to score throughout his career. His strong frame should allow him to add toughness to our team for years to come."
Like Lehigh Men's Basketball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
| Name | Pos. | Ht./Wt. | Hometown/Previous School/AAU Team |
| Ben Li | F | 6-6/220 | Toronto, Ontario/Thornlea Secondary School/Team Loaded VA |
| Jalin Sinclair | G | 6-0/175 | Manhattan, N.Y./Suffield Academy/PSA Cardinals |
| John Thomas Tan | C | 6-8/250 | Redondo Beach, Calif./Rolling Hills Prep/LA Elite |
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