Young Players Show Talent in Rising Freshman Games

NEW YORK – On Sunday, the Jim Couch Foundation presented the second annual Rising Freshman Games, held at Baruch College in Manhattan.  It was a series of three games that featured talented freshmen from Boston to New Jersey, with two teams from New York although several players took the court for both teams.

Here is a look at some players from each game.

Upstate 65, New York 54

Featuring many players in the Albany City Rocks program, the Upstate team took home a 65-54 win over one of the New York teams to open the day.  Although New York made some runs in the second half, you never had the feeling they were about to break through and seriously threaten Upstate.

Upstate was led by the solid backcourt of tough point guard Darrien White (PG, Albany (NY) Academy) and game MVP Maurice West (SG, Albany (NY) Bishop Maginn HS).  Although New York City has been known for its point guards, White was the best one on the court this day, as he’s quick, stronger than he looks and fearless, as he constantly drove to the basket and made things happen by creating contact and finishing.  He also rebounded and simply made his team go while scoring 12 points.  West, who had 14 points, has the makings of a good scorer, as he scored in transition and from long range and has a little physical maturity for his age.

Another wing who showed some promise is Julian Moore.  He has some size and scored 13 in the game, but he’ll need to work on his shot release as his shooting foot leads a lot when he goes up, making his release look awkward.

Trahmier Burrell (SG-SF, Albany (NY) High) is a baby physically with some athleticism, similar to promising forward Casey Hall (PF, Latham (NY) Shaker HS), who scored 10 points and ran the floor well.  West’s school teammate, Damere Hannah (Albany (NY) Bishop Maginn HS), went for 10 points and showed a good touch on a couple of runners.

The best prospects on the New York team were a pair from St. Raymond’s.  Kendall Kinlock (PF-C, Bronx (NY) St. Raymond’s) played in both New York games and showed a lot of potential, as he’s long, has a good lower body and got a few stickbacks.  If he develops inside, including getting rid of the habit of putting the ball on the floor inside, he’ll move toward a high ceiling.  Shane Rector (PG-SG, Bronx (NY) St. Raymond’s) was a warrior on the court, as he was active and around the ball often, and in perhaps the best play of the game made a nice long bounce lead pass for a basket.  He scored 19 points and later played in the last game of the day just like Kinlock.

Jaquan Lynch (SG-SF, Brooklyn (NY) Jefferson HS) looks like he develop into a solid wing, as he went for 13 points by playing bigger and finishing with contact.

New Jersey 76, Connecticut 65

In a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated, the New Jersey team knocked off a team from Connecticut in the middle game of the day by a score of 76-65.

Manny Suarez (PF-C, Cliffside Park (NJ) High) was the inside catalyst, scoring 12 points and being a constant presence at both ends.  The lefty has some length, which he used on defense inside, was around the ball and rebounded well.  He got good help from co-MVP Jared Sina (Gladstone (NJ) Gill St. Bernard School), who’s not the most physically gifted athlete but was very heady and got teammates involved while scoring 17 points of his own.  Another floor leader who impressed was Chris Myers (PG, Hackensack (NJ) High), a very thin but quick point guard who drove all day to make things happen.

Jordan Forehand (SG, Jersey City (NJ) St. Anthony’s) had a game-high 25 points and looked every bit the scorer that number would suggest, as he went to the basket all day and finished when fouled.  School teammate Jamar McGloster (PF, Jersey City (NJ) St. Anthony’s) is well-built and looks like he can be a solid inside player before his high school career is over.  He was helped inside by Jordan Arthur (PF, Plainfield (NJ) St. Peter’s Prep), who has a good body and showed a good deal of polish on his post moves for his age.

Keione Osborne (SG-SF, Englewood (NJ) Dwight Morrow HS) was one of the good complements on the team, as the thin wing showed a good touch from mid-range.  Another one, Kyle Menard (New City (NY) Clarkstown North HS), had a big stretch in the third quarter and impressed by taking a charge and driving and dishing.

Jahvaney Beckford (SG-SF, Manchester (CT) Cheney Tech) was the best player on the Connecticut side, battling all day and taking contact when he got near the basket.  They also had Daquan Clark (SF, New Britain (CT) High), who is Earl Clark’s cousin and had his moments, and Trevor Thigpen (SF, New Haven (CT) Hillhouse HS), who struggled to finish but looks to have promise while playing for a powerhouse school.  Cane Broome (PG, East Hartford (CT) High) also showed some potential, as the lefty is just a baby physically and went for 15 points.

Boston 74, New York 73

Boston had a double-digit lead after a dominating second quarter, but couldn’t hold it as a poor third quarter and a carryover into the fourth allowed New York to get back into the game and eventually take the lead late in the game.  But a few clutch plays down the stretch allowed Boston to escape with a 74-73 win.

Without question, the players who had the most buzz were Kuran Iverson (SF-PF, Hartford (CT) Northwest Catholic HS) and Ramon Gibbons (SG, Roxbury (MA) Charlestown HS).  But the player who was Mr. Clutch for Boston was Zach Lewis (PG-SG, Hartford (CT) Northwest Catholic HS), who had 15 points with three three-pointers, including the game-winner in the final seconds.  Before that, the slight point guard made several key steals and baskets to help them maintain the lead.

Iverson certainly grabbed attention with his tantalizing potential, but also showed that his skills and I.Q. have not caught up to his body just yet as all too often he tried to do too much and came up empty.  He’s a classic example of a young player who doesn’t yet realize how good he can be.  When he figures it out, he’ll head toward a very high ceiling as he’s athletic, can block shots and run the floor, and he rebounded well on this day to go with his 19 points.

Gibbons likewise tried to do too much at times and forced his share of plays that weren’t there, but in scoring 22 points he showed that he can flat-out score and is built like a football player.  He rebounded and is simply too strong for many other guards his age, and he uses that strength well when driving to the basket.

Boston’s point guards did not play well on this day, as Khalil Dukes (PG, Hartford (CT) Capital Prep) showed poor shot selection and Kaleb Joseph (Fr. PG, Nashua (NH) High) just never got untracked but has some physical gifts to work with.  Diamonte Zayba (SG-SF, Sheffield (MA) Berkshire HS) acquitted himself well with 11 points, finishing well when he got to the basket including in transition.

The aforementioned Shane Rector and Kendall Kinlock also made appearances in this game for New York, with Rector scoring 15 points in a solid outing and Kinlock continuing to run the floor and show a penchant for rebounding his own misses.

Davonne Ragin (SF, Bronx (NY) Wings Academy) has a wide body but was very effective for stretches of the game.  He has some baby fat he’ll need to shed but moves reasonably well, although that is more of an issue on the wing than it would be if he were taller and played inside.  In scoring 11 points, he showed a touch shooting the ball but also missed his fair share of shots.  Also joining Ragin on the perimeter was Steven Bush (SG, Roselle (NJ) Catholic HS), who scored 14 points helped by several three-pointers off the catch.  As the game went along, Jason Boswell (SG-SF, Elizabeth (NJ) St. Patrick’s) looked like he could be one of the next stars to come out of St. Patrick’s, as he’s athletic and solid fundamentally.  He went for 14 points and his body isn’t there yet, although he’s not a baby physically.