AMHERST, Mass. – We take a look at some of the talent we saw in the playoff rounds of the Hall of Fame Spring Classic.
Nathan Boothe (6’8″ Jr. PF, Gurnee (IL) Warren HS) Wide-bodied post player isn’t carrying all good weight, but he looked serviceable in helping his team advance as far as they could before they had to leave for a flight home. He blocked a few shots and showed he can finish inside, going for 11 points in one game, and his offense should get better if he improves his conditioning and thus his mobility.
Bernard Brantley (6’1″ So. PG, Stratford (CT) High) Though overshadowed by a couple of bigger names, this point guard with a slight frame played well in helping his team take home the title. He got in the lane often, showing a touch with a floater, and has a jumper that has to be respected.
La’Quan Coaxum (6’2″ Jr. SG, Philadelphia (PA) St. John Neumann-Goretti) Athletic guard had a nice game for his team’s only game of Sunday, as he scored 14 points. He did that with a couple of shots from deep to go along with a nice post move and finish against another guard.
Kris Dunn (6’3″ Jr. PG-SG, New London (CT) High) Early in the day, he didn’t have it, as he was ineffective in the first half of his team’s opener on the day. But that changed quickly, and the rest of the day it was what one can expect of him. His body still has a good ways to go, and while he’s not a jet he’s athletic and was able to get in the lane often. In his team’s three games, he scored 20, 15 and 27 points, scoring mainly on drives and mid-range jumpers, including one when he was off-balance and got fouled, and showed a little more range on the jump shot as well. High-major/high-major minus prospect is also an excellent student.
Alex Furness (6’6″ Jr. SF, Wells (ME) High) Lefty wing had a nice 18-point outing in a win for his team, before he wasn’t as much of a factor the next time out. His body isn’t there yet and he travels with the ball at times, but he’s not bad at going to his right, can drive and dish, and frequently was able to spin and then finish in close, although it is a predictable move in that he tries it very often. He will attend Cushing Academy next year.
Kris Hargraves (5’11” Jr. PG, Teaneck (NJ) High) In helping his team give the eventual champions all they could handle, he constantly attacked the basket. In scoring 16 points, he got to the foul line several times from drives and finished once while fouled, and while shooting isn’t his forte he did knock down a three-pointer. He has a thin upper body, so he’ll need to get stronger, and he’s very left-handed, so he’ll need to improve on using his off hand.
Davon Jones (6’3″ Jr. SG, Haddon Heights (NJ) High) Scoring guard drove aggressively in an 18-point outing. He scored on a baseline drive and layup and on a few other trips in the lane, and also hit a couple of mid-range jumpers as well. While he did travel with the ball a couple of times, more often he was able to get in the lane for a scoring chance.
Chris Joseph (6’0″ Jr. PG, Montreal (Que.) Dawson HS) A scoring point guard, he plays the game at a fast pace and constantly looked to penetrate. He drew his share of fouls when getting in the lane, went to his left quite well and finished with the left hand a few times, and utilized a spin move in the lane from time to time as well.
Eric Laster (6’4″ Jr. SG-SF, Woodside (DE) Polytech HS) Lanky forward had a nice game on Sunday before his team had to leave early, scoring 25 points to lead them to a win. He has a thin upper body and is a plus athlete, scored often on mid-range jump shots and also finished close, including one time where he drove across the lane and scored. He also scored in transition and on stickbacks.
Ricardo Ledo (6’6″ Jr. SG-SF, Providence (RI) Notre Dame Prep) One of the elite players in the class of 2012, he showed his talents once again in scoring 29 and 30 points in his first two games, then another 23 in a losing effort later in the day. He did so with a lot of jumpers, including a couple from well behind the three-point line, and he also showed that his ability to drive and score has improved as well. While he tends to be selfish, and was at times here, just when you think he’s hopeless he runs the break and finds a cutting teammate with a nice pass for a layup. Big-time prospect.
Mike Mallory (6’0″ Jr. PG-SG, Waterbury (CT) Holy Cross HS) Very athletic guard is more of an undersized shooting guard, although he had a couple of big three-pointers in his team’s last game. He uses his athleticism to get in the lane, and on one play used a ball fake well to get in close and finish.
Aaron McBurnie (6’6″ Jr. PF, Brooklyn (NY) Boys & Girls HS) Undersized power forward was very effective in his team’s only game of the day as he battled inside. He has a good frame and can still get stronger, and isn’t lacking post skills, which he showed en route to 15 points.
Ethan O’Day (6’8″ Jr. PF, Mansfield (CT) Northfield Mount Hermon) Lanky post player was very effective all day inside, putting up some good scoring numbers with 50 points in three games. He scored mainly in close including an alley-oop on an inbounds pass, finished while fouled and also got a couple of stickbacks to anchor the post for his team.
Timajh Parker-Rivera (6’7″ Jr. PF, Trumbull (CT) St. Joseph’s HS) Early on, he was a relative non-factor, but later in the day he was better and he ended the first game with 13 points. He doesn’t appear to be a wing, as his handle looked shaky, but he did knock down a mid-range jumper and is above average athletically for the power forward spot.
Darren Payen (6’7″ Jr. SF-PF, Hamden (CT) Hall HS) It was another good weekend for this emerging forward, as he helped his team win the 17-Under Platinum. A plus athlete who is more of a power forward, he rebounded well at both ends and finished close as he has consistently done, scoring 12 points in the semifinal win.
Jonte Rutty (6’5″ Jr. SF-PF, Newburgh (NY) Free Academy) Active forward plays more like an undersized power forward, although it wouldn’t be a stretch for him to develop into a wing one day. The lefty was in constant motion and found ways to post some nice scoring games of 20, 14 and 15 points to lead his team deep into the day. He has no defined position, but a good motor and a good body, and both are good starting points.
John Schneider (6’6″ Jr. SF, Barrington (IL) High) Long wing has a body that hasn’t developed yet, and he played well in helping his team advance until they had to leave for a flight. He scored 13 against a team full of guards, and once his body develops should only get better at that end of the floor.
Aaron Simpson (6’0″ Jr. PG, North Chicago (IL) High) Athletic point guard has some length, which he used effectively against a team that had good guard depth. He went for 12 points in that game, including a shot from long range as he showed he’ll run the team but also be a scoring threat.
Keandre Stanton (6’6″ Jr. SF-PF, Lynn (MA) English HS) Long and athletic, he showed some of his talent just like he has at other times this spring. He scored 16 points in one game, showing a touch from mid-range and getting stickbacks. His body needs to develop, and while he can block shots and at times can be a good rebounder, a few times on Sunday he didn’t get a body on someone when a shot went up and he leaked out instead.
Sal Vitiello (5’8″ Jr. PG, Bridgewater (NJ) Bridgewater-Raritan HS) Small point guard was a major thorn in the side of the eventual champs, as he was able to drive and dish all day against them. He only scored nine points, but he was constantly finding guys in tight spots, and often from around the baseline.
I liked watching Zak Blodgett on the Maine MAC team. Didn’t get ball much, but hustled, was always wide open and when he did shoot: smooth, played unselfishly, and had good ball IQ.