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With lots of guard depth, St. Andrew’s can contend again

BARRINGTON, R.I. – The first live day for Division I coaches to view open gym workouts led to a school that was so close to a title just six months ago. St. Andrew’s lost a heart-breaker in the NEPSAC Class AA final to Cushing Academy on a buzzer-beater in a game they led by double digits with just a few minutes left. It’s a loss that still stings, but Mike Hart’s team has a lot of depth and should be a factor once again this season. That was especially evident on Monday as neither of the two best players on the floor were the two best prospects on the team.

The best player on the floor was Henry Bolton (6’2″ Sr. PG-SG, Portsmouth (RI)), a well-built guard who enters his third season at the school. He’s more of a point guard than when he got there, although he really starred on the day by driving to the basket to score at will. Besides using his quickness and athleticism, he finished with contact and finished with the left hand. The Division I offers have been slow to come, but if he keeps playing like he did on Monday that shouldn’t be the case much longer.

Right behind him on the day was Chancellor Ellis (6’5″ Jr. SG-SF, Queens (NY)), who returns for his second season at the school. Another well-built perimeter player, Ellis has returned in better shape and is handling the ball better. He also shot it well on the day, including several from long range, and made a very nice bounce pass to a teammate for a dunk on one play.

There are plenty of other riches on the perimeter, however, and that’s where the Saints will have the most depth. Tom Hunt (6’2″ Sr. SG, Smithfield (RI)) had a fine season for them a year ago and looks primed to do more of the same this year, as he has a mature body and a good frame to go with his shooting ability. Before he took an inadvertent shot to the left eye that ended his day early (he was fine and should be right back in action in a day), he also made a nice drive and took contact well when going to the basket. Edson Dascy (6’5″ Sr. SG-SF, Fall River (MA)) is the consummate glue guy, a plus athlete with a mature body that blends in well to make others better. John Geary (6’5″ Sr. SG-SF, Duxbury (MA)) is a lefty who can hit from long range and has done a lot of that since arriving on campus last week. Jordan DeCicco (6’1″ Sr. SG, Kingston (NY)) ably battled Bolton at both ends while showing some good scoring ability, driving for a layup early before hitting a couple of jumpers that included a bank shot from mid-range. Malcolm Smith (6’3″ Sr. SG, Saco (ME)) comes to the school after two years at Winchendon. He gives them an athlete on the wing who can hit jumpers but didn’t shoot well on the day, with a couple of questionable shots among them. Aaron Brown (6’3″ Sr. SG, Woonsocket (RI)) has a body that has a ways to go and can hit from mid-range.

Two underclassmen could be in the mix as well. Nate Duda (6’4″ So. SG, Framingham (MA)) has a long way to go physically but showed some promise, including a nice drive and layup in traffic. Nazier Cotton (5’8″ Jr. PG, Morristown (NJ)) didn’t work out on the afternoon but gives them another option at the point.

The frontourt is where the team’s two best prospects can be found, starting with Bonzie Colson (6’6″ Sr. SF-PF, New Bedford (MA)), who has seen his recruitment go to new levels after a big spring and summer on the Nike EYBL circuit, where he was a finalist for MVP. Hart talked about how Colson doesn’t look like a high-major player at first glance, but he is simply a winner who knows the game well and has consistently improved over his career. He’s more athletic, has improved his scoring tools and gets stickbacks, and also can handle and pass although the former needs more development. His track record suggests that will happen.

Colson’s teammate on the travel circuit, Terrell Brown (6’6″ So. SF-PF, East Providence (RI)), is all upside right now. His body is developing but still has a long way to go, and as a player he has a ways to go as well, but there should be a change to that soon. His role will expand this season, and he’s already earned invites to some elite camps and will be going to a USA Basketball mini-camp next month.

Andre Berry (6’7″ Sr. PF-C, Malverne (NY)) gives them a presence in the middle, especially as he continues to get in better shape. He has already lost a lot of weight in the past year, and on Monday he finished with his left (off) hand inside in addition to running the floor well given his body.

Ellis, Dascy and Geary could see minutes at the power forward spot as well given the perimeter depth and having just three true frontcourt players.

Hart said the most important thing for this team will be for leadership to emerge. Geary has already emerged as a captain, and Colson’s experience would certainly seem to qualify him for a leadership role, so there’s reason to believe that won’t hold this team back. From a basketball standpoint, Hart is not really concerned about this team, which isn’t loaded with big-time prospects but has several underrated players. Besides hosting their own event as they always do, the Saints’ schedule includes a trip to British Columbia during the season.

The Saints were painfully close last season. NEPSAC Class AA should once again be a relatively even race between a number of schools, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if St. Andrew’s is going for the title once again and even breaks through this time around.

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