Reebok Starts Process For Summer With Headliner Camp
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Over 100 players from New England turned out for the second Reebok Headliner Camp at the Mansfield SportsPlex this weekend. It is one of a dozen such events held at various locations around the country during May and June.
The Headliner Camp is actually a precursor to three major events Reebok holds in late June and July. The top underclassmen advance to the Reebok Breakout Underclass Camp, held June 20-22 in Chicago. The best players regardless of class will be in the Reebok All-American Camp, held July 6-10 in Philadelphia, and the next best players will be invited to the Reebok Proving Ground Regional Combine. There are six such combines across the country, each held July 7-8 and live for college coaches.
On both days, the morning was spent putting players through several drills. The afternoon was spent with a series of games, each played with little time in between. The day ends at 4 each afternoon, making it easier on everyone after weeks of AAU tournaments that see days start early and end late.
Here, we take a look at some of the players we saw in action.
Luke Apfeld (6’7″ Jr. SF-PF, Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy) He continued to have a solid spring, as his motor was going the entire weekend as usual. Active as usual, he threw his body around to make plays, including a highlight-film dunk Sunday morning, and was among the better players at the camp. When shooting the ball, one thing became apparent: as he likes to play at one speed (very fast), he will at times try to catch and shoot the ball all in one motion, and he’ll miss most of those shots. When he got set on the catch, though, he knocked down most of his long range shots. Mid-major prospect.
Zach August (6’4″ Fr. SF-PF, Marlborough (MA) High) A baby physically, he wasn’t a big factor but made a few plays. He’ll be one to keep an eye on over the next few years.
Ike Azotam (6’7″ Jr. SF-PF, Roxbury (MA) John D. O’Bryant HS) Another who continued to have a nice spring, he was solid and unspectacular here doing some of the same things he’s done all along. He’s shown better ball skills each time out and makes more plays.
Marco Banegas (5’10” So. PG, Roxbury (MA) John D. O’Bryant HS) A talented young point guard with some growing to do, he was steady running a team. While he wasn’t a star, he played well and will be one to watch.
Denzel Brito (6’1″ So. SG, Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy) On Saturday, he was the best player we saw, showing the aggressiveness he lacked during the state AAU on prior weekends. He was dunking often, driving by defenders to get layups and dunks, knocking down jumpers, and finding teammates. He didn’t repeat that on Sunday, but overall had a very good weekend.
Keith Brown (6’1″ Jr. PG, Marlborough (MA) High) Quick guard has a good body that looks like it’s not entirely there physically just yet. His quickness allowed him to penetrate inside, and he showed a touch from long range a couple of times.
Matt Brown (6’2″ So. SG, Northfield (MA) Mount Hermon) Possessing a mature body, he can physically overpower many other guards his age. He’s capable of handling the ball as well as playing off the ball, but the big complaint here is that he missed too many shots, especially ones fairly close to the basket. To his credit, he never stopped competing, and in one game, he struggled to score but made a clutch three-pointer that won the game for his team.
Jarell Byrd (6’3″ So. SG-SF, Lynn (MA) Classical HS) Very athletic wing struggled shooting the ball from long range, something he tried a few times. A lot of his shots seemed to be of the “settle” variety, which just reflects that he hasn’t developed much of an offensive game yet. Right now, he’s a live body who’s able to get points from finding the ball on the offensive glass or on loose balls.
Kyle Casey (6’6″ Jr. SF, Chestnut Hill (MA) Brimmer & May School) Very active forward had a good couple of days. He had a lot of energy, running the floor and also leading fast breaks by getting rebounds and making nice outlet passes, while also getting stickbacks at the offensive end. When his motor is going like it was this weekend, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better competitor. Mid-major/mid-major plus prospect.
Darryl Cato-Bishop (6’3″ Jr. SG-SF, Dorchester (MA) Lawrence Academy) It’s not easy to get a real feel for what he can do in a setting like this, although he played well on both days. He’s simply a player, capable of doing many things to help a team win, and while he’s not going to put up 25 points per game, showed once again here that he’s very capable of driving to the basket and scoring. Mid-major prospect.
Dennis Clifford (6’10” Jr. PF-C, Bridgewater (MA) Bridgewater-Raynham HS) Thin lefty post player has a ways to go offensively and isn’t there yet physically. But he has some length and used that to block a few shots, and on one play he made a nice interior pass. Some Division I schools might check him out, but he might be more project than prospect.
Mike Clifford (6’7″ Jr. PF, Peabody (MA) Bishop Fenwick HS) There’s no question about effort when he’s on the floor, as he’s a horse inside and also dove for a couple of loose balls. He’s well-built and scores inside, and here he stepped out to nail a couple of three-pointers, though that’s not his forte. Mid-major prospect.
Gerard Coleman (6’3″ So. SG, West Roxbury (MA) High) Very athletic guard has had an excellent spring, although he wasn’t as good here as he’s been in other events. Although he made a highlight-film dunk on Saturday and knocked down a few jumpers, he didn’t finish the way he normally does and even missed a few close shots. Next year, he will be at the Tilton School and re-classify into the class of 2010.
Jeremy Driscoll (6’3″ So. SG, Dracut (MA) High) Although he didn’t star here, he showed some flashes of his potential. An athletic wing, he made a nice block from behind on one play and had a dunk that opened a few eyes another time. He plays well within the team concept.
Marcus Grant (6’3″ Fr. SG-SF, Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy) The lefty guard is a talent, but didn’t play his best basketball here. His jumper wasn’t going for a lot of time when we saw him, and he wasn’t a big factor. Also a very talented football player, he’s a good athlete and is comfortable using his right hand, and he has the tools to become a nice prospect on the hardwood.
Kyle Houston (So. PG, Brockton (MA) High) A small point guard whose body has some maturing to do, he has some quickness and used it at the offensive end. He didn’t show a lot of scoring, but initiated the offense.
Emmanuel Hutcherson (6’4″ So. SF, Milton (MA) High) His body is fairly mature and he may be just about done growing physically, so he has to improve his game from that of an undersized power forward, which he’s showing signs of doing. He’s athletic and very active, capable of getting a lot of rebounds and stickbacks, runs the floor well, and here he looked better offensively than even a week earlier in the state AAU tournament.
Keegan Hyland (6’3″ So. SG, South Portland (ME) High) There was a good deal of buzz about him on Saturday as he caught attention with his shooting. He kept that up on Sunday, while also showing that he can drive and hit a runner and he’s a little more athletic than he looks. He hasn’t fully matured physically yet, so there’s room to grow.
Greg Kelley (6’8″ So. PF, Newton (MA) North HS) As was the case in the state AAU, he took a pounding inside at times but kept on playing effectively. He works inside and battles, getting plenty of rebounds and also blocking some shots and showing solid fundamentals that give a hint of what he can become when his body matures.
Ryan Kilcullen (6’6″ So. SF-PF, Needham (MA) St. Sebastian’s) Quietly, he had a solid showing, especially on Sunday afternoon as he was an active rebounder. He also ran the floor well and knocked down a mid-range jumper at the offensive end.
Thomas Knight (6’8″ Jr. PF, Dixfield (ME) Dirigo HS) The past year has been quite a ride for this bulky big man. A year ago he arrived at this event as an unknown, before earning an invite to the Breakout Camp. He’s grown physically in the past year, and while he’ll need to shed some excess weight, was arguably the top post player here. The left ran the floor well for a dunk on one play, while rebounding well and hitting the occasional mid-range jumper, and on one play he made a nice move that ended with a right-handed reverse layup. Mid-major prospect.
Greg Langston (6’3″ So. SG-SF, Trumbull (CT) St. Joseph’s HS) A thick swingman who can also go inside, he’s a plus athlete with a mature body. Although he flew under the radar, he did have one game where he shined. As his body is mature, his growth from here on out will mainly need to come with his game. Right now, he can be effective inside against players of a similar size by over-powering them, and even against some bigger players.
Michael LaPlante (6’4″ So. SG-SF, Woonsocket (RI) High) A thin athlete, he played well both days, largely scoring with his athleticism. He has the look of a scorer more than a shooter, so as he matures developing a jumper will be important to complement his scoring ability.
Mike Marra (6’4″ Jr. SG, Smithfield (RI) Northfield Mount Hermon) He arrived on Sunday and during his one day, made his share of jumpers. More athletic than he looks, he made a couple of baskets from driving to the hoop, but generally stayed with his jumper, which has looked a bit streaky at times this spring. High-major prospect has committed to Louisville.
Deric McCotrell (6’3″ So. SG, Brockton (MA) High) Athletic wing is a little slight but also has some length. Although his dribble looked a little shaky, he drove to the basket for several field goals and also knocked down a couple of mid-range jumpers off the dribble. His range didn’t quite extend to the three-point line here in the shots we saw him take and make.
Mario Monroe (6’8″ Jr. PF, Cambridge (MA) North Cambridge Catholic HS) While he’s shown some signs of improvement this spring, he still has a ways to go. There was one drill where he constantly got the ball to keep playing, a good sign since a year ago he had no motor at all. On the down side, there were times he didn’t look very interested in taking this seriously, as evidenced by a time in a catch-and-shoot drill where he set up behind the out of bounds line to catch and launch a shot.
Alex Murphy (6’7″ Fr. PF, Wakefield (RI) Prout School) The younger brother of Erik is a baby physically but shows good fundamentals. He likes to play away from the basket more and knocked down a few three-pointers, but when he went inside he did a little damage and also showed the ability to finish with the left hand. Next year, he will join his big brother at St. Mark’s.
Shabazz Napier (5’9″ Jr. PG, Charlestown (MA) High) A capable shooter and floor leader, his talents can at times be lost when he gets caught up dribbling too much. Several times in recent weeks and this weekend, that’s what happened, as he dribbled for a while without making a play. He’ll need to learn to dribble with a purpose, while also needing to gain strength. His jumper was also a bit inconsistent this weekend.
Anali Okoloji (6’7″ Jr. SG-SF, Brooklyn (NY) Benjamin Banneker HS) A nice and engaging young man, he clearly has plenty of skills to go with his size. He can handle the ball, has range out to the three-point line and is pretty fluid when dribbling. But in the two days here, he was often erratic with the ball and tried to do too much, and in doing so wound up missing a lot of shots. There is a reason to think there’s upside, however. He’s had a growth spurt recently, so he’s in the midst of adjusting to his new body and being, essentially, a big guard, and he’s also fairly new to the game as he’s only been playing for a couple of years. The intangibles are there, especially a desire to get better, and that can go a long way.
Derek Retos (5’9″ So. PG-SG, Chestnut Hill (MA) Brimmer & May School) Known for his jumper, he didn’t disappoint here as his unlimited range was on display the entire two days. When he was open, he didn’t miss. He also made a few plays off the dribble, including a nice pass on the move on one play.
Matt Rista (6’1″ So. SG, Jersey City (NJ) St. Anthony’s HS) One of the better players in Sunday afternoon’s games, he at first looked like an undersized shooter, as he knocked down shots from long range mainly off the catch. But then he started knocking down mid-range shots off the dribble, then later driving to the basket and scoring while fouled.
James Rodriques (5’9″ So. PG, Hamilton (MA) Hamilton-Wenham HS) A steady floor leader over the two days, the lefty is a baby physically and showed some promise. We can’t quite call him a pass-first floor leader, although he didn’t call his own number an excessive amount. When he did look to score, one time we saw him knock down a long two-pointer off the dribble, so he can create and make shots.
Ryan Romich (6’5″ So. SG-SF, West Groton (MA) Groton-Dunstable HS) We caught a glimpse of him at the state AAU, and while he looked good there, he really shined here, especially on Sunday afternoon. He’s a plus athlete and constantly moving, as one of the many ways he can score is in transition and he also moves well without the ball. There isn’t one way of scoring he’s not capable of doing, although his best asset looks to be his in-between game and ability to get open in a scoring position.
Chris Sherwood (6’4″ Fr. SG-SF, Canton (MA) High) An athletic wing, he has some length and his body has some maturing to do. Offensively, he has range to the three-point line but didn’t shoot very well from there, looking better when he was in transition or tried to drive to score.
Billy Soriano (5’8″ Fr. PG, Providence (RI) Mount Pleasant HS) A speedy guard, he likes to play fast and uses his speed and quickness well to drive to the basket. Here, he wasn’t the playmaker we’ve seen him be before, but he scored a few baskets when he drove through the defense.
Vic Washington (6’3″ So. SF-PF, Brockton (MA) Champion Charter School) A thick undersized forward, he has a big body but moves well. He’s a plus athlete, which gives a hint of his potential if he gets his weight under control, and he ran the floor well and showed hints of ball skills to play away from the basket.
Corey Wright, Jr. (5’10” So. PG, Pawtucket (RI) Marianapolis Prep) The lefty point guard was here on Sunday only, but that was long enough to play well. Notably, he showed, as he has before, that he can go to his right and finish, while also showing a better touch shooting from long range than he has before.
