Top New England Talent Shows Promise
by Phil Kasiecki
FOXBORO, Mass. – An event featuring the top high school basketball talent in New England probably won’t grab the attention of the average fan. But if Wednesday’s New England Elite 75 Showcase is any indication, there is some good talent in the area and especially amongst the younger generation.
New England Basketball Services and national writer Jeff Goodman got together to put on the event at Mass Premier Courts about 25 miles south of Boston. The morning started out with point guards, wings and post players going into separate groups for work on fundamentals at each position, before the afternoon featured each of the eight teams playing in two games. An all-star game followed to close out the day’s events.
Class of 2007
Pat Bergmann (6’9″ PF, Burlington (VT) Rice HS) Thin post player had a nice showing with his work inside. He showed a nice touch and some mobility inside, using the window on a number of his shots to get post baskets. If he adds some strength, he could be a steal for a mid-major.
Corey Bingham (6’2″ PG-SG, Lynn (MA) Lee Academy) Not known as a shooter, he generally made his jumpers here and that’s a good sign. He went for 11 in one game and hit a few shots from mid-range and long range.
Remy Cofield (6’5″ SF, West Roxbury (MA) High) Well-built wing was just okay, though not without his highlights. He had a four-point play en route to 12 points in his second game and made a few plays, but we expected a little more. Mid-major prospect.
Tyrone Conley (6’2″ SG, Burlington (VT) High) One of the best scoring guards at this event, Conley shot the ball well en route to scoring 15 and 13 points and getting to the all-star game. In that game, he continued to knock down shots. Good mid-major prospect will surely be tough to get out of Vermont.
Matt Glass (6’6″ SG-SF, Northfield (MA) Mount Hermon) He has good size for his position and showed a good touch shooting the ball, especially off the dribble. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him make a low-level Division I team as a shooting specialist given his touch and size.
John Hegarty (7’0″ C, Winchendon (MA) School) He was the big story on the stat sheet as he went for 20 and 16 points in his two games. He has a big body but is a step slow on the post and a little mechanical, and even slower when it comes to running the floor. But the fundamentals he showed are good signs if he can drop off some weight and improve his conditioning.
Matt Hill (6’7″ PF, Tilton (NH) Academy) He made the all-star game and went for 18 in the second game, so his showing was good. He’s a plus athlete, but we’re not sure if he’s an Atlantic 10 level player from what we’ve seen, noteworthy since he recently committed to UMass.
Sedale Jones (6’4″ SG, Fitchburg (MA) Notre Dame Prep) Wing has a slight frame but also a good touch from long range that was on display for his two games. When he had a shot from long range, it went in most of the day.
Barry Latham (6’3″ SG, Thompson (RI) Marianapolis Prep) Nice scoring wing reached double digits in both games and had a good showing overall, but did not make the all-star game.
John Mariano (6’1″ SG, Stamford (CT) Trinity Catholic) He consistently knocked down three-pointers, including a clutch shot in the all-star game. He didn’t do much else and is undersized for the position, so he may wind up outside of Division I, but teams often have a place for a guy who can shoot the ball and he fits the bill.
Mike Myers-Keitt (6’5″ SF, Fairfield (CT) Prep) Lanky wing is fresh off a serious injury sustained in late June, but showed no ill effects. He’s athletic and a good role player, reaching double digits in his second game. Mid-major prospect.
Mike Moore (6’5″ SF, New Haven (CT) Hillhouse HS) Had himself a very good showing that should spark some interest in his recruitment. A plus athlete, he shot the ball well en route to making the all-star game. Mid-major prospect.
Dominique Price (6’3″ SG, Worcester (MA) Holy Name HS) Athletic guard is a scorer much more than a shooter, and he did nothing to dispel that here. He’s active and will get points in ways other than drives and transition, and here he went for 15 points in one game and 10 in another. Mid-major prospect.
T.J. Robinson (6’6″ SF, Bridgeport (CT) Kolbe Cathedral HS) Lefty forward is athletic and can score, though he doesn’t have a well-defined game. He’s not a natural at either forward, but he runs the floor and finds ways to score such as loose balls and offensive rebounds in addition to transition.
Rakim Sanders (6’5″ SG, Barrington (RI) St. Andrew’s School) At times, he was clearly the best player here, and that’s to be expected. He continued to shoot the ball well en route to 15 points in one game and 10 in another, and unlike a few times we’ve seen him, he didn’t do it by settling for catch-and-shoot jumpers. Instead, he drove and also hit a couple of pull-up jumpers along the way. High-major prospect has committed to Boston College.
Damian Saunders (6’7″ PF, school TBD) Athletic forward went for 12 points in one game, including a dunk off a rebound. He scored close to the basket at the offensive end, a couple of times by running the floor.
Eric Webster (6’3″ SG, Fitchburg (MA) Notre Dame Prep) Aggressive athlete goes full-tilt and can score the ball as well as handle it in a pinch. At times, he didn’t quite do what he needed to when the wings did a stop-and-pop short jumper drill (driving all the way instead), but he can knock down shots in addition to slashing.
Trevon Wilcher (6’7″ PF, Springfield (MA) Lee Academy) He really looked at home playing the power forward spot, which makes sense: he doesn’t have a small forward’s game and he has a definite advantage athletically on post players. He’ll need to get stronger for that position, but games like his 19-point effort to start the day are a good sign for the UMass commit.
Class of 2008
Peterson Bernard (6’7″ PF, Boston (MA) Madison Park HS) Thick post player didn’t get a lot of scoring chances, but in the games and post player instruction you can see that he has a good touch near the basket. His offensive game is quite raw as he needs to improve his footwork and array of moves, but he can rebound and give a team something inside.
Allan Cheney (6’7″ PF, New London (CT) High) A little lanky, word is he’s looking to transition to the wing from the power forward spot. He showed a little touch from long range but not much else in the way of wing skills here.
Uche Egesionu (6’6″ PF, Newton (MA) Trinity Catholic HS) An undersized post player, it’s not hard to figure he hasn’t been playing the game for long. But he’s come a long way and may not be done growing, and he won’t turn 16 until October. He’s bulky and dominated for a few early minutes of a game, showing the potential he has.
R.J. Evans (6’3″ SG, Norwich (CT) Free Academy) Didn’t play his best here, and it’s not entirely of his own doing as he didn’t get many good scoring opportunities. He needs that since his game is scoring the ball, as he’s shown in some other events.
Chris Flores (6’1″ PG-SG, Roxbury (MA) John D. O’Bryant HS) He didn’t show the same sweet shooting stroke he did a few months ago at the 16-under state AAU, but he did knock down a couple of shots later. More importantly, he played the point a good deal of the day, which is important given his size, and he looked okay doing it.
Gabe Fumudoh (6’7″ SF-PF, Brighton (MA) High) Although his ball skills still need work, this athletic forward is getting better and you can see it. He played here with plenty of confidence, hitting jumpers and playing well enough to reach the all-star game.
David Gibbs (6’3″ PG-SG, West Simsbury (CT) Masters School) An athletic guard with some quickness, he looks like he could be a big point guard since he made several nice passes on the move. Since he doesn’t shoot the ball much (although he did knock down at least one mid-range shot on the day), that would also seem to fit his talents well.
Jerrell Gomes (6’3″ SG, Providence (RI) Feinstein HS) One of the better shooters we saw, he went for 17 in one game that included three three-pointers. Some of his non-shooting decisions weren’t great and his frame is a little slight, but his shooting touch makes him one to watch.
Nick Greenbacker (6’8″ PF, East Hartford (CT) East Catholic HS) Has a good body in the post, and while he wasn’t a big factor, we like that he ran the floor well for much of the two games.
Andrew McCarthy (6’7″ SF-PF, Cambridge (MA) BB&N School) Very active forward had a nice showing here playing like he usually does. He simply plays the game, getting his hands on a lot of balls, and runs the floor very well. McCarthy is at his best when in constant motion, and we saw him go for 15 in his second game of the day.
Steve Mejia (5’7″ PG, Lexington (MA) Christian Academy) The diminutive point guard is quick and tough, and really impressed. He’ll play tough defense and get steals, and at the offensive end he ran his team and also showed a little range on his jumper, though he didn’t look to score too much.
B.J. Monteiro (6’4″ SG-SF, Waterbury (CT) Crosby HS) A good athlete capable of putting up good scoring numbers, he didn’t reach double digits but made his share of plays. He has three-point range and gets out in transition, and we liked what we saw from him during drills with the wing players.
Orion Outerbridge (6’9″ PF, Boston (MA) New Hampton School) One of the more impressive post players here, he’s long, active and used his wingspan well on the boards. He went for 12 points in one game and generally made his mark by being around the ball.
Chris Prescott (6’1″ PG, Hartford (CT) Northwest Catholic HS) We already knew he was one of the better floor leaders in the class of 2008, and he did nothing to dispel that here. He comes to play and can score as well as run the team, going for 14 in one game.
Andrew Van Nest (6’10″ PF-C, Northfield (MA) Mount Hermon) Lanky post player has some fundamentals, including a nice touch close to the basket. We also saw him knock down a mid-range jump shot and even take the ball coast-to-coast for a layup.
Class of 2009
Tevin Baskin (6’5″ SF, Stamford (CT) Trinity Catholic) Athletic wing is active and made a number of plays by being in constant motion at both ends of the floor. He scored several baskets on slashes to the hoop, including 14 points in one game, and can rebound from the wing.
Alberto Bueno (6’5″ SG, Providence (RI) Feinstein HS) His shooting impressed and he has good size for that as well. Not overly quick or athletic, he didn’t show much else, but his stroke will make him one to keep an eye on.
Jamaal Coombs (6’6″ SF, Winchendon (MA) School) Recent Connecticut commit won’t make you stand up and take notice, as he doesn’t have “superstar” written all over him, but he’s a good player. He looks like he’s added some weight in the last few months and can shoot the ball from mid-range and long range. When it’s all said and done, he’ll be a good scoring small forward.
Daryl McCoy (6’9″ PF, West Simsbury (CT) Masters School) He broke out for 12 points in his second game and looks like he has some real potential. He has a mature body already and can hit from long range, though that doesn’t look to be his forte.
Erik Murphy (6’8″ PF, Southboro (MA) St. Mark’s School) Every time out, he looks better. He owns a soft touch near the basket and had that on display, while also showing a touch from about the foul line, rebounding and running the floor.
Alex Oriakhi (6’8″ PF, Winchendon (MA) School) He’s like a lot of young players in the same boat: the tools are all there to be a stud, but they’re not always evident. During the drills, he impressed with his touch, footwork and mobility, but he was rather unimpressive during the games and an injury early in the first game didn’t help matters. He hasn’t yet realized how good he can be, but the recent Connecticut commit has time on his side.
Nyheem Sanders (6’1″ PG-SG, Barrington (RI) St. Andrew’s) Active guard had a few good moments, scoring 10 points in his second game of the day. Not overly quick or athletic, he made plays and got a few of his baskets from simply being on the move as a play developed.
Class of 2010
Billy Baron (6’0″ PG, Warwick (RI) Bishop Hendricken HS) The younger son of the Rhode Island head coach, he can shoot it like his brother but looks more like a point guard. He also has a mature body than his older brother, but the same feel for the game.
Joe Sharkey (6’2″ PG, Chestnut Hill (MA) Brimmer & May School) Featured in a story in the Boston Globe last month about the sneaker wars, he showed some promise here while not starring. He did show some range on his jumper and scored 11 points in one game. He’ll surely be watched plenty in the next four years.
Nadir Tharpe (5’11″ PG, Worcester (MA) St. Peter-Marian HS) This pass-first point guard impressed with his ability to find teammates and let them score. He’ll be one to keep an eye on as he begins his high school career soon.
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