Hoop Group Top 100 Recap

BOSTON – While most basketball fans this weekend were occupied by the NCAA Tournament, a number of high school players in New England made their way to Boston University for the Hoop Group Top 100.  The camp featured two days of drills and games, and some good talent was on hand for the Division II and III coaches who came to check it out.

Here’s a look at some of the players who caught our attention in the two days.

Sarkie Ampim (6’5″ Jr. SF-PF, Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy) He’s showing some continued progress, as he made a few good post moves here.  The progress is there, but it’s been a little on the slow side at times, and at times his moves look a little slow in developing, which wouldn’t be good against quicker defenders.

Anthony Barry (6’3″ So. SG, Milford (MA) High) He has a fairly mature body physically, more so than a good number of his peers, but the jury is out on him as a player.  Although he had a few good moments in our viewing of him, it’s not clear what kind of player he is from his play here.

Greg Beaufort (6’5″ Jr. SF-PF, Manchester (CT) High) He looks like an undersized power forward, but has a good motor and made his share of plays.  He showed a touch from mid-range a couple of times and got some rebounds, and at his size he needs to be a max-effort player.

Khem Birch (6’10″ So. PF-C, Montreal (Que.) Riverdale HS) There probably wasn’t another player here who has as much upside as this lanky post player.  A baby physically, he’s very active and runs the floor well, and he’s only getting better.

Denzel Brito (6’2″ Jr. SG, Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy) At first, his three-point shots weren’t going, but later he warmed up from long range.  Too often, he looked to be coasting this weekend and not playing his best basketball.

Kylerr Bucano (6’5″ So. SF, Southborough (MA) St. Mark’s School) The lanky lefty had some moments of promise, primarily at the offensive end.  He’s got some ways to go physically and has some skills, so he’ll be one to keep an eye on.

Dennis Clifford (6’11″ Jr. C, Bridgewater (MA) Bridgewater-Raynham HS) Lanky post player hasn’t matured much physically, but still has size and ability that will get some attention.  He knocked down a couple of short jumpers and helped his team offensively.

Andrew Douby (6’3″ Jr. SG, Oakdale (CT) St. Thomas More) The younger brother of the former Rutgers star is built just like him and has a similar game.  He’s not a great athlete, but isn’t lacking in that area, either, and has plenty of skills.  Not surprisingly, he can shoot it, but showed a little more game off the dribble and is unselfish.

Jared Fay (6’2″ Jr. SG, Lynn (MA) Classical HS) A baby physically, he was around the ball often and active, and a couple of times on defense managed to get deflections.  He ran the floor well and benefited from it, getting a few transition baskets along the way.

Da’Quan Grant (5’10″ Fr. PG, Oakdale (CT) St. Thomas More) A baby physically, his game also isn’t mature yet but has some promise.  He’s an attacking point guard with some quickness, and he plays at a school that’s had some good guards before.

Marcus Grant (6’1″ So. PG-SG, Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy) As is usually the case, he played well within the team concept and got his offense in that respect.  He was active and showed again that he can finish with his right (off) hand, although he did miss a couple of layups that way that he normally makes.

Kyle Lawrence (5’9″ Jr. PG, Roxbury (MA) Catholic Memorial HS) He had the ball in his hands often and made plays for others on his team.  Not the quickest guard, he was effective on the weekend after playing a more limited role for his school team this year.

Akoso Maduewaybunam (So. SF, Charlestown (MA) High) An athletic forward, he caught our attention by being active at both ends.  He won’t bowl you over with skills, but he made his share of plays and his body’s not there yet physically.

Bede Marstrs (6’7″ Jr. SF-PF, Simsbury (CT) The Masters School) A plus athlete, he caught our attention with his size and where he showed a little touch with a mid-range jump shot.  He didn’t stand out, but that’s an intriguing combination.

David Maturah (6’4″ Jr. SG-SF, Simsbury (CT) The Masters School) An athletic wing, he didn’t stand out like some others did but made a few plays with his athleticism.

Andrew McCarthy (6’11″ Sr. C, Scituate (MA) High) Although he has some physical maturity, his game isn’t at the same stage.  He scored a few close baskets and blocked a couple of shots, but looked just okay defensively despite a decided height advantage on most of the players here.

Louis Montes (6’4″ Sr. SG-SF, Brockton (MA) High) An athletic wing who’s very capable, he’s flown under the radar despite a big year with his school team.  Here, he had a couple of smooth drives to the basket to score, even finishing with the left hand.  While he has good guard skills, he tends to play a little more like a small forward and occasionally a combo forward.  A prep year is in store for him next year, and with some work he should have some good Division I suitors.

Shabazz Napier (5’10″ So. PG, Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy) His play here wasn’t very different from what we’ve seen a number of times – in short, the talent is there, the decision-making isn’t.  He has range from a couple of feet behind the three-point line and will make shots from there, but all too often he settles for those shots outside the flow of the offense.  When he didn’t settle for those shots, he dribbled too much without making anything happen.

Mike Rivera (5’11″ Sr. PG, Fall River (MA) Durfee HS) A solid penetrating point guard, he looked a little more to score here and did it well.  He showed a stop and pop from the foul line, finished with the left (off) hand on a drive, made a nice wrap-around pass one time when he got inside, and knocked down a shot from long range.  A prep year beckons.

Ryan Romich (6’5″ Jr. SF, Groton (MA) Groton-Dunstable HS) He didn’t score a whole lot here, but that’s in part because he didn’t get a lot of good chances.  He often played inside, which isn’t really his forte, but he did get out and help lead a fast break.  An excellent student, he’s getting interest from some top academic schools.

Jules Tavares (6’1″ So. SG, Wareham (MA) High) A very athletic guard, he can make things happen when the ball is in his hands.  His athleticism helps make him a scorer, but he also showed once again that he can find an open teammate as well and is unselfish.

Ryan Woumn (6’3″ Jr. SG, Lynn (MA) English HS) A big run in the state tournament, which featured a 39-point effort to lead a win over a team thought to be the favorite to win it all, should boost him as he enters a spring where he tries to work out from under the radar.  A skilled guard whose body has a ways to go physically, he can certainly score with some range on his jumper, and he showed that here.  On the down side, he at times seemed to coast out there and wasn’t as effective.