Notes From Hoop Mountain Super Week II – July 7, 2011
EASTON, Mass. – As the busy month of July gets going, our first stop was a quick trip down the road to Hoop Mountain’s Super Week II on Wednesday night. This year’s event was not certified by the NCAA after many years of having the certification, so it didn’t have quite the level of talent that it normally does. It still had some good talent without the depth it usually has, and here we take a look at some of who stood out on Wednesday evening.
A few future Suffield Academy players were among those who competed, including newcomers Eric Sanders (6’5″ Sr. SG-SF, New York (NY) Suffield Academy) and Ben Freeland (6’10″ Sr. C, Santa Rosas (CA) Suffield Academy). Sanders looks like the better prospect, as he has some length and isn’t lacking in skills although he didn’t wow anyone with them, while Freeland has a decent frame to carry more weight as his body matures and could be a presence inside. In addition, a holdover had a nice game on Wednesday as Colin Pascoe (6’5″ Jr. SG-SF, Somers (CT) Suffield Academy) showed a nice mid-range touch and made a lot of plays while showing he’s not a bad athlete as well.
Kenny Armstead (6’5″ Sr. SF, New Haven (CT) Career HS) is a great example of a “potential” kid showcased at this event. He’s long and has a good frame, but is a baby physically. He can block and alter shots and showed some ball skills, so there’s reason for optimism as his body matures.
Kamali Bey (6’3″ Jr. SG, Springfield (MA) Wilbraham & Monson Academy) had his first live action in over a year, and the results were mixed. While the basketball side of things showed little rust – he drove and finished well, including while fouled a couple of times – from a conditioning standpoint he has some work to do. He wasn’t the best athlete in the world before the injury, and he wasn’t getting up and down the floor exceedingly well.
Rene Castro (6’2″ Jr. PG-SG, Milton (MA) school TBD) handled the ball and initiated the offense for his team, while also scoring close to the basket and on a few stickbacks. He’s still in between schools at the moment, but his future school may be known soon.
Castro’s travel teammate Andrew Chrabascz (6’6″ Jr. SF-PF, Portsmouth (RI) Cushing Academy) continues to show a well-rounded game. He showed some game off the bounce and a more mature body, while knocking down a three-pointer and later when he drove he spun and finished while getting fouled. Another BABC player, Kamari Robinson (6’4″ Jr. SF, Springfield (MA) Central HS), has talent, but he needs to work harder to make himself a factor in games.
Carlin Haymon (5’9″ So. PG, South Boston (MA) Rivers School) drove through the defense often to score or find teammates. Jacquil Taylor (6’8″ So. PF, Cambridge (MA) Beaver Country Day School) was more active and got some offensive boards.
Javon Williams (5’11″ Jr. PG, Nashua (NH) North HS) is an athletic guard with a good body for the position, and he made a very nice bounce lead pass on one play. Avery Wilmore (6’2″ Sr. PG-SG, St. James (MD) School) is a thick guard carrying around some bad weight, but he was effective with it nonetheless. Another from the mid-Atlantic, Andre Walker (6’10″ Jr. C, Clarksburg (MD) High), is a lanky post player who was active inside and looks like he will be a good prospect down the road. While he didn’t dominate, he showed a good motor, which goes a long way for a young post player.
