NEW HAMPTON, N.H. – Even without a key component of the team on the floor due to injury, the New Hampton School had a good deal of size on display at Monday night’s open gym. This time around, Pete Hutchins will have a lot of flexibility in the frontcourt to go with a good collection of wings, and in all it’s a team with a lot of potential waiting to be tapped.
The guards who will get them the ball and play off them look like a solid and perhaps underrated bunch as a whole. Two in the mix at the point are Matt Dean (5’10” Sr. PG, Gilford (NH)) and Danny Levitt (6’1″ Jr. PG, Westmount (Que.)), the latter being another Canadian to come to the school. Levitt was able to drive past his man and score a couple of times and also hit a mid-range pull-up on one occasion.
However, one of the youngest players on the team might also be their best prospect, Donovan Love (6’1″ So. PG, Cranston (RI)). A very quick and shifty point guard, the lefty is a baby physically who will cause a lot of problems for opponents, especially if his jumper is better than on Monday night. While he hit a few shots from long range, he was far better at driving to the basket, where he used a hesitation move a few times, sliced through the defense another and bounced off defenders like a running back another time. He looks to pass first, one time making a nice long lead pass, and can handle well. Simply put, he’ll be one to watch the next few years because there’s a lot of upside.
Holdover Anthony Pate (6’3″ Sr. SG, Oakville (Ont.)) sat out Monday’s workout as his right foot was in a walking boot, but he’ll undoubtedly be in the mix for a key role. He’ll likely get to play off the ball all year this time around as the Huskies have several point guards. A.J. Turner (6’7″ Jr. SG-SF, New Haven (MI)) has a slight frame and a body that’s not there yet, and while not a bad shooter he was much more successful driving to score on Monday than shooting. Quincy Aubertine (6’2″ So. SG, Cape Vincent (NY)) has a good frame and showed a good touch shooting the ball from mid-range. Josh Repine (6’3″ Sr. SG, Englewood (CO)) will also be in the mix.
Two others will see time at both wing spots: Elijah Bryant (6’5″ Sr. SG-SF, Braselton (GA)) and Aubrey Dawkins (6’5″ Sr. SG-SF, Stanford (CA)). Bryant isn’t very athletic and has a relatively mature body, but the well-built wing showed he can find a way to the basket and finish while fouled, and he hit a couple of mid-range shots. Dawkins is athletic and shifty, and his body isn’t there yet, but he will take contact and can finish. One time, he made a very quick spin move to score on a drive. He struggled shooting the ball on Monday night.
The aforementioned Turner is one of seven Huskies who stands at least 6’7″, so the frontcourt offers good overall size even though no one is taller than 6’9″. The tallest of them, Jeremy Miller (6’9″ Jr. PF, Milton (MA)), showed why he has long been viewed as having a lot of upside. Although he’s shown an inconsistent motor in the past, Monday night looks like evidence that he’s starting to shed that label as he competed all night long, including when he struggled shooting the ball later after starting well. Very long, he played some disruptive defense inside and was active on the glass at both ends.
Two Ivy League commits join him in the frontcourt. Mike Leblanc (6’7″ Sr. SF-PF, Dover (NH)) recently committed to Princeton, and he still has some physical maturity to come. He started slowly on offense Monday night, but got better as the workout went along and should be a fine complementary player. Recent Penn commit Mike Auger (6’7″ Sr. PF, Hopkinton (NH)) is well-built and has a mature body that he isn’t afraid to throw around. A plus athlete, he’s aggressive and battles at both ends, so effort is never in question with him.
Tory Miller (6’8″ Sr. PF, Lees Summit (MO)) returns for his second season at the school and will get plenty of high-major interest. He sat out Monday’s workout with a concussion, giving others a chance to shine. One player who got a little more opportunity inside on the evening was Nick Morris (6’8″ Jr. PF, Toronto (Ont.)), who has a good frame and a game that’s a little rough around the edges. The lefty was in position for a lot of rebounds he didn’t get in addition to the ones he hauled in, getting a couple of stickbacks.
Rounding out the frontcourt is a prospect whose stock should grow more in Tyler Lydon (6’8″ Jr. PF, Elizaville (NY)). He might strike you as just another face-up power forward at first glance, but the lanky forward is active and will battle when on the court. He’s a factor on the glass and competes at both ends, and offensively he is more than just a shooter although he does that well. His body has a ways to go, so there’s some good upside with him.
The Huskies aren’t always at the top of anyone’s list of perennial contenders, but Hutchins has done some good work at his alma mater, including a run to the championship game a few years ago. If Love grows up fast, it bodes well since he might have as much upside as anyone and plays the most important position on the floor. This team certainly has good talent and a nice class balance, which all means they should be contenders in NEPSAC Class AAA this year.
