2011 Fitzy’s New England All-Star Challenge Recap

NEWTON, Mass. – Mt. Ida College was home on Sunday to the third annual Fitzy’s New England All-Star Challenge. The event is three all-star games with players from around New England, along with a three-point shootout and a slam dunk contest. It started with a group of Connecticut players taking on the most powerful travel team in the region, then had a game with public school players and concluded with a game played between two teams of prep school players.

In between the second and third games of the day, Andre King of Suffield Academy, who recently committed to St. Anselm, won the three-point shootout. The slam dunk contest came down to DeShawn Murphy (Choate Rosemary Hall) and Drew Crudup (Hillhouse HS), with Murphy coming out on top.

BABC 96, Connecticut Underclassmen 72

In the opening game, BABC ran out to an early lead and was never seriously challenged as they coasted to a 96-72 win over a team of Connecticut underclassmen.

Georges Niang (6’7″ Jr. PF, Methuen (MA) Tilton Schoo) led BABC with 37 points, 20 coming in the first half. He did this by staying true to what he is, as he scored almost exclusively on layups and dunks. What was most impressive was that he showed a great sense of where he was relative to the basket when he got the ball on the post, as he always knew exactly where to go to get a layup.

Jake Layman (6’8″ Jr. SF-PF, Wrentham (MA) King Philip Regional HS) added 16 points with a solid outing. The lanky forward was active as usual and knocked down a couple of three-pointers, with the one knock being that he reached in a little too often on defense although he didn’t get called for fouls.

Rene Castro (6’2″ So. SG, Milton (MA) Beaver Country Day School) had a nice outing with 13 points, including three three-pointers, and several nice passes. He also looked more into the game at both ends of the floor, a positive sign. When the starting lineup was announced, he was mentioned as attending the Tilton School, which was later corrected but undoubtedly raised a question to those in attendance. Castro told Hoopville after the game that he is not changing schools.

Andrew Chrabascz (6’6″ So. SF-PF, Portsmouth (RI) Cushing Academy) scored 10 points and had several assists, playing well as a glue guy. Jaylen Brantley (5’8″ So. PG, Springfield (MA) Wilbraham & Monson Academy) has played better than he did here, as he wasn’t much of a factor although he handled the ball very well. One thing that constantly hurt him was his tendency to try to get the ball to the post through the air instead of a bounce entry pass.

Daren Payen (6’7″ Jr. SF-PF, Hamden (CT) Hall HS) was the most impressive player for the Connecticut underclassmen. The lefty has a good frame and was very active, getting out in transition and looking like a 4-3 combo forward. He scored just 10 points, but impacted the game more than that indicates and two of those points came in a nice jumper he made over the shot-blocking Nerlens Noel, to whom he gives up a couple of inches.

Another forward, Sean Obi (6’8″ So. PF, Greens Farms (CT) Academy), is a well-built and undersized post player. He showed good ball toughness and is a plus athlete, which all help overcome his questionable hands and generally being raw at the offensive end.

Kahlil Dukes (5’11″ So. PG, Hartford (CT) Capital Prep) had a tough time getting untracked, although he led them with 14 points and had a few good passes. He scored 12 of his points in the second half, including a shot at the buzzer of the third quarter that he banked in.

Public South 110, Public North 99

A team of public school stars from the south had a relatively safe lead for a lot of the game, leading 47-41 at the half and flirting with double digits for a lot of the second half en route to a 110-99 win.

Greg Andrade (6’4″ Sr. SF, Windsor (CT) High) was the MVP and scored 18 points. He finished well near the basket, including with contact, and was in a lot of plays.

Tying him with 18 points was Torin Childs-Harris (6’3″ Sr. SG, New London (CT) High). A plus athlete with a relatively mature body, Childs-Harris showed a little range on his jumper and was out in transition often. His ball skills could be a little better, but he made up for that by being active as like Andrade he was in a lot of plays.

The top scorer was Rob Lewis (6’5″ Sr. SF, Providence (RI) Central HS), who quietly had 19 points. He wasn’t spectacular and didn’t score in bunches, but he was solid putting it in the basket when he got the ball.

Tyler McFarland (6’5″ Sr. SF-PF, Rockport (ME) Camden Hills Regional HS) added 16 points as a steady glue guy. The well-built forward showed a touch from mid-range, even banking home one shot along the way.

Drew Crudup (6’0″ Sr. PG, New Haven (CT) Hillhouse HS) will be headed to prep school next year, and that could do him so good physically as he’s athletic but his body has a ways to go. He scored nine points in this game, but the highlight was a nice long bounce pass for a layup.

For the North, Samir McDaniels (6’3″ Sr. SG-SF, Roxbury (MA) New Mission School) had the game high of 20 points. McDaniels, who recently committed to New Haven, drew fouls often and finished with contact several times as he used his strength. He also finished with both hands and scored on stickbacks, the latter nothing new as he’s often played bigger than his size.

Joe Bramanti (6’1″ Sr. SG, Andover (MA) High) scored 19 points with a nice effort. He has a mature body that he uses well when trying to finish, and he did so a couple of times while fouled.

Among their teammates, Tevin Falzon (6’7″ Sr. SF-PF, Newton (MA) North HS) and Kachi Nzerem (6’5″ Sr. PF, Roxbury (MA) New Mission School) both had their moments in the game and are likely to prep next year.

Prep South 95, Prep North 90

The most competitive game of the day was the prep school game, as it was tied at 50 at the half. The South team took the lead after three and held on late for a 95-90 win.

James Kennedy (6’6″ Sr. PF, Dorchester (MA) Cushing Academy) was the MVP with 14 points, albeit a quiet 14. He showed his emerging mid-range game as well as his improved conditioning that he’s had on display all season, all of which will help him contribute as a freshman at Boston University next year.

Teammate Tyler Strange (5’10″ Sr. PG, Leominster (MA) Notre Dame Prep) had 16 points to lead the way, including a couple of late baskets to help seal the game. He scored a few times with stop-and-pop jumpers, and while he wasn’t quite the floor leader he can be he didn’t call his own number too often.

Marco Banegas (5’11″ Sr. PG, Dorchester (MA) Brimmer & May School) looked more like a pass-first point guard here, which is a welcome development because he hasn’t done that often enough. He scored 11 points, but got them in the flow of the offense instead of hunting his shot too much.

Andre King (6’0″ Sr. PG-SG, Springfield (MA) Suffield Academy) had 12 points and played a solid game. The well-built guard recently committed to St. Anselm and should thrive there playing both guard spots.

The most impressive player for the North team was Stony Brook signee Scott King (6’7″ Sr. PF, Plymouth (NH) Holderness School). As was the case when he burst upon the scene last July, he was active and ran the floor well, while also showing some range on his jumper en route to scoring a team-high 17 points.

Ryan Canty (6’9″ Sr. PF, Danvers (MA) Brimmer & May School) added 16 points and didn’t stray from what he normally does. That might often be a good thing, but the Fordham commit too often unnecessarily adds to the degree of difficulty on the shots he takes in an apparent attempt to make the highlight reel instead of helping his team win. His aggressiveness is a plus since it’s easier to rein that in as opposed to having to prod a player to be more aggressive.

Tavon Allen (6’7″ Sr. SF, New Haven (CT) Worcester Academy) had 14 points, hitting a couple of three-pointers along the way. The lanky wing has a lot of potential when he suits up for Drexel next year.

Brandon Sherrod (6’6″ Sr. PF, Bridgeport (CT) Choate Rosemary Hall) had 12 points. The powerfully-built post player showed he can go to his left, and next year should give Yale another solid post player as James Jones is building some good depth inside.