New England Best 40 Brings Talent to Boston

ROXBURY, Mass. – The New England Best 40 Presented by Hoopville was held on Saturday at Roxbury Community College. The event brought some good prospects, a number of whom have been under the radar, together for a few hours to go through some drills and games. All high school classes were represented, although a good majority were underclassmen.

 

One of the instructors was former UMass standout Anthony Gurley, who recently completed his college career. A Newton North alum who grew up in the city, Gurley and fellow coach Deshawn Gibbons were once where these kids are. Gurley is now working on getting his Anthony Gurley Skills Academy off the ground, basing his work at his alma mater.

 

Now, we take a look at some of the players who competed, starting with some of the best ones.

 

Jaylen Blakely (5’10″ So. PG, Brockton (MA) High) A point guard with a good frame, his body can still get better and he showed solid offensive abilities. He drove effectively, finding teammates with passes on occasion and also finishing with the left hand, and if he adds some upper body strength as he develops he should finish even better. He showed some range on his jumper as well, hitting a couple of three-pointers including one from deep.

 

Jordan Brydie (6’4″ So. SG-SF, Needham (MA) St. Sebastian’s School) Although this left-handed wing needs to gain strength, he showed that he has a lot going for him right now. He can handle the ball well for his position, and he drove often with success and even went coast to coast off a turnover for a layup. While not a stud defender, he was able to make a nice block on one play, and overall he was one of the better players here.

 

Fredens Deneus (6’5″ So. SF-PF, Cambridge (MA) Rindge & Latin School) He’s flown under the radar to this point, but if he keeps playing like he did here that won’t be the case much longer. More of a post player at the moment, he’s long and has a good frame, was active at both ends and might have been the best rebounder here. While he ran the floor well and got chances on the break, he did a good job of finishing in close, including one time with a quick spin move to set it up, and his jumpers off the dribble started falling later and he showed a good touch.

 

Juwan Gooding (5’11″ Fr. PG, Milton (MA) High) The lefty guard can definitely score, as he’s not a jet but constantly got to the basket, as he’s done many times before. He finished with contact, something he should be even better at as his body matures, and also hit a couple of jumpers. Right now, the question is if he will ultimately be a point guard, as his size dictates that but his game is that of a scorer. There’s undeniable talent, but he has to make better decisions with the ball.

 

Jonathan Joseph (5’9″ Fr. PG, Brockton (MA) Putnam Science Academy) A quick point guard with solid floor leader capabilities, he showed some of that while also showing that he can still occasionally put up a questionable shot. Even so, the good outweighed the bad by a lot, as he drove and dished effectively, showed good range on his jumper and also got several deep rebounds that came out to him.

 

Andrew Kaufmann (6’6″ So. SF-PF, Acton (MA) Rivers School) A skilled forward with a good frame, he could develop into a stretch power forward if he continues to upgrade the skill package. He showed range on his jumper, on which he gets a lot of arc, drove to his right to score in close, and showed he can post up to score as well.

 

Elijah Rogers (5’10″ So. PG, Brookline (MA) High) Certainly, this quick point guard needs to gain strength. But right now he has a lot going for him, and here he shot the ball well with shots off the dribble in stations and pull-ups during game action. He showed his ability to drive and dish, and also went in for a stickback despite being one of the smallest players on the floor.

 

Matthew Sherlock (6’1″ Jr. SG, Melrose (MA) High) An athletic wing with a mature body, he showed a better jumper here than he has before, including a couple of three-pointers in the all-star game. While he has good scoring tools and has been underrated, he also has to finish better as he did miss his share of close shots.

 

Aaron Welch (5’9″ Sr. PG-SG, Melrose (MA) High) One player who came out from under the radar at this event was Welch, who isn’t the truest point guard. In truth, his position is not a conventional one as he is simply a junkyard dog. He was a constant factor at both ends, getting stickbacks and loose balls, making good passes inside and finishing often when he was near the basket even with some bigger players. He’s not a Division I prospect, but someone will be happy to have him starting next year.

 

Tyree Weston (6’1″ Fr. PG, New Bedford (MA) High) An athletic guard whose body will still get better, he showed some very good speed with the ball en route to the all-star game. He used that speed to drive and be a factor in transition, while also knocking down a few jumpers out to three-point range although that doesn’t appear to be a major strength at the moment.

 

A few players were under the radar but should be moving out from there.

 

Steve Carangelo (6’1″ Jr. SG, Lynnfield (MA) High) A wing with a relatively mature body, he’s not a bad athlete and a capable shooter who has played well in recent events. When he’s aggressive, he’s capable of scoring on drives along with his jumper out to three-point range.

 

Nate Clark (5’11″ Jr. PG, Reading (MA) Memorial HS) A heady glue guy-type, he made several nice passes and showed that to be the best part of his game. He’s not overly quick, but looks adept at finding teammates and knocked down a couple of mid-range shots.

 

Craig Fitzgerald (6’6″ Sr. PF, Winchester (MA) High) A post player with a good body and some fundamentals inside, he also showed a nice touch shooting the ball. He made some shots off the dribble in the stations, and later stepped away to hit during game action.

 

Ridge Francisque (6’2″ Jr. SG, Brockton (MA) High) An athletic guard, this lefty was not lacking in effort and had a nice showing. He showed a touch shooting the ball a couple of times and also made a nice pass to a cutter on another play.

 

SaQuan Hinds-Taylor (5’9″ So. PG, Charlestown (MA) High) He kind of got lost among all the point guards to a degree, but he acquitted himself well as he showed the ability to drive through the defense for a layup and has some range on his jumper.

 

Rayoni Matos (5’11″ So. PG, Somerville (MA) Prospect Hill Academy) While he might be more of an undersized shooting guard, the best things about him are his intangibles, as his motor is always running and he battled the entire time. He finished with contact close to the basket, and on one play he did a nice job of tipping a loose ball so he could get it and not another player.

 

Myles McDermott (5’11″ Fr. PG, Milton (MA) High) Not unlike his older brother, now a junior at Babson, he’s very fundamentally sound and knows the game. A baby physically, he moved well without the ball and showed range on his jumper out past the three-point line.

 

Avalon McLaren (6’0″ So. PG, Brockton (MA) High) Intangibles are big for this young guard, whose body has a ways to go. He can push the tempo both with and without the ball, the latter evidenced by a nice long lead pass he threw, and although he’s a natural point guard, he moved very well without the ball.

 

Kyle Padmore (6’2″ Fr. SG, Milton (MA) High) Like future teammate Myles McDermott, he won’t jump out at you but acquitted himself well. He showed some good range on the jumper and should be a fine complement in the backcourt for the next few years.

 

Rashan Powell (5’10″ Sr. PG-SG, Weston (MA) High) Here’s a guard who didn’t mind going inside to do some work. He has a good frame, finished well with contact and got a stickback in close.

 

Eric Price (6’4″ So. SF, Brockton (MA) High) Very much a “potential” player, the lefty wing is skinny and needs to upgrade the ball skills. A plus athlete, he was active and showed a hint of his potential when he drove right by a guard to score.

 

Keshon Robinson (5’8″ So. PG, Boston (MA) Charlestown HS) A point guard with some quickness, he didn’t show a lot in the way of scoring but was able to get to the hoop often. That bodes well for being able to set up teammates and make things happen, and he also got a stickback on one trip.

 

Joe Spinelli (5’10″ Sr. PG, Wilmington (MA) Shawsheen Regional Tech) Quietly, he made some nice passes, picking up a couple of good assists and making a good long cross-court pass to set up a play.

 

David St. Peter (6’6″ Sr. PF, Gloucester (MA) High) A post player with a mature body, he held his own inside as one of the few true post players here en route to an all-star game appearance.

 

Taris Wilson (6’2″ So. SG, Charlestown (MA) High) A very good leaper, he has plenty of physical gifts and looks like he’s well on his way to using them effectively. Besides his leaping ability, he showed good speed with the ball and finished well when he got to the basket.

 

Additionally, a couple of promising eighth graders played up here. Kaheem Campbell (6’0″ PG, Amherst (MA) Middle School) has a good frame and competed the entire time, having some good moments but also looking at times like one of the youngest players here. Alonzo Jackson (6’3″ PF, Medford (MA) Lynn Middle School) is very raw offensively, but he’s long and clearly not done growing and you can’t beat the effort he gave. He’s also an excellent student.