Young Talent Shines at First-Ever Event
BOSTON – The first-ever New England Elite 75 Showcase – Frosh/Soph Edition was held at Boston University on Saturday. A spin-off of last month’s New England Elite 75, the event certainly held promise with the idea, as the August event understandably tends to be dominated by juniors and seniors. But it also had a little more risk since the kids are less proven and there’s less to go on in trying to determine the best kids to invite to the event. Although kids are playing on organized travel teams earlier all the time, this is still more of a crapshoot than one that includes upperclassmen.
In light of that, New England Recruiting Report and Hoop Mountain, who put the event together, deserve a big tip of the hat. The event was well-run and the talent level was high, which means they did their homework and had a little luck as there’s always an element of that in something like this. A good crowd of spectators checked out the action and most were impressed with what they saw, as were, I suspect, many of those on hand to evaluate the talent.
The event’s time was just right – five hours of drills and games were not overkill and gave the kids a chance to get loose and do some skill development, then compete against one another. Overall, it’s clear that there was plenty of talent, but also a lot of players who are “potential” players if they keep working to get better. Here is a look at what we saw in that time.
Zach Auguste (6’5″ So. SF-PF, Marlborough (MA) High) A long and active athlete, he didn’t stand out because of one thing or another, but because he can do several things. He’s a basketball player with plenty of room for growth, as it’s clear his body isn’t there yet.
Darryl Best, Jr. (6’6″ So. PF, New Haven (CT) Career Regional HS) Like a lot of forwards, it was tough for him to stand out like the guards. But during the drills, he showed some ability and already has some physical maturity. It’s not all good weight, so he’ll have to improve there going forward.
Rohan Brown (6’6″ So. PF, Hartford (CT) East Catholic HS) Lanky athlete made his share of plays from being active. He didn’t put up big numbers, but was around the ball often and was a factor inside.
Domonique Bull (6’3″ Fr. SG, Worcester (MA) Cushing Academy) Well-built guard shined at times, driving to the basket and finishing strong, aided by his solid body. He’s a plus athlete, though not overly quick, and was just about unstoppable going to the basket, especially to his right. He handled the ball often, but right now point guard isn’t his forte.
Donald Celestin (6’2″ So. SG, Lawrence (MA) Greater Lawrence Tech) Lefty guard is a thin athlete and a key player on his team. He showed a good touch from mid-range, including a few shots off the dribble.
Joe Connelly (5’9″ Fr. PG, Brookline (MA) High) A baby physically, he showed a very nice touch from long range as he buried several shots from behind the arc. With that touch and his current size, growing physically will be important, although he could also develop into a point guard.
Drew Crudup (5’11” So. PG, New Haven (CT) Career Regional HS) Promising guard is very athletic and has a little physical maturity, which helps since he looks like a slasher. He finished well on drives, although he didn’t always go under control, which he’ll have to improve on to avoid offensive fouls as he plays against better defenders.
Evan Cummings (6’7″ So. PF-C, Westborough (MA) High) An undersized big man, he ran the floor some and showed a little touch from mid-range as well.
Aaron Davis (5’9″ So. PG, Marshfield (MA) High) A promising lead guard, he made a few nice passes in one game we saw, a couple of which teammates couldn’t cash in. A baby physically, he showed some good lateral quickness as well.
Anthony Jernigan (5’8″ So. PG, East Hartford (CT) High) Quick and aggressive point guard might have been the best player at this event. He set a tone early as he made a lot of things happen, and didn’t stop as the day went along. Though he was a little erratic at times, he made a lot of good drives and dishes, finished a few times and generally created well. He didn’t shoot much, but when he did he seemed to be a little off-balance even when open. All told, there’s a lot of promise in this young man whose body has a ways to go physically.
Jared Johnson (6’0″ So. PG-SG, Springfield (MA) Central HS) A talented guard, he didn’t star in the games here but did show hints of his talent. He has some physical maturity already and made a few nice passes on the move.
James Kennedy (6’6″ So. SF-PF, Dorchester (MA) Cushing Academy) One of the better players here, Kennedy looks better each time out. He boxed out well inside and thus had a good day on the boards, and he’s playing more assertively all the time. It shows in the results.
Ricardo Ledo (6’1″ So. SG, Warwick (RI) Bishop Hendricken HS) One of the more talented players, he’s a very active athlete with some good offensive ability. He showed some versatility, able to score on drives and in transition, while also handling the ball. He’s a baby physically and looks appreciably taller than he is, so there’s plenty of potential for growth there as well as in his game.
Nicholas Lund (6’7″ So. PF, Woburn (MA) Memorial HS) Lefty post player wasn’t a star inside, but showed some promise and was a factor.
Tyler McFarland (6’5″ So. PF, Rockport (ME) Camden Hills HS) A steady post player, he didn’t get many offensive opportunities but was one of the better inside players here. He got his share of rebounds and battled inside, and he was around the ball often.
Georges Niang (6’5″ So. PF, Tilton (NH) School) Wide-bodied post player is an undersized power forward who really battled inside. He ran the floor a couple of times, but made his mark with his inside play as he used his body to his advantage.
Scott O’Brien (6’0″ So. PG, New Canaan (CT) High) A baby physically, he had his moments on a day where he had the ball often. Although he showed some promise, he also struggled a bit while inside among bigger players and might be a step slow.
Adrian Oliveira (5’10” Fr. PG-SG, Cumberland (RI) High) He showed a nice touch shooting the ball, which he’ll have to use as a building block as he develops since the rest of his game is a little behind. Notably, he’s a baby physically and also traveled often when he tried to drive after catching a pass.
Andrew Shaw (6’5″ So. SF, Saco (ME) Thornton Academy) Although he didn’t have a bad showing and was actually selected to the sophomore all-star game, some questionable shot selection didn’t help him out. In one game, he put up several jumpers that were either contested or simply too early in a possession.
Rakim Smith-Lartey (5’6″ Fr. PG, Somerville (MA) High) After taking much of the last year off, he’s now playing just basketball and had a good showing here. He’s quick and acquitted himself reasonably well against Anthony Jernigan in one game, although it would have been nice to see him try to go by a defender a couple of times on a fast break where he didn’t do it. While he’s learning the responsibilities of running a team, he has a feel for what it entails and is working to keep improving.
Billy Soriano (5’8″ So. PG, Providence (RI) Mount Pleasant HS) His physical limitations, namely his small body and lack of strength, are easily seen when he drives inside to a crowd of trees. But he handles the ball so well and has such a knack for finding teammates when he’s not surrounded by big bodies that you can overlook that to a degree. Not known for his scoring, he did knock down a couple of jumpers as far out as three-point range, a promising sign.
Tyler Strange (5’9″ So. PG, Leominster (MA) Cushing Academy) A mature-bodied point guard, he looked to score a little more than usual and made some shots. He didn’t set the place on fire, but played well.
Kaleb Tarczewski (6’10” So. C, Claremont (NH) Stevens HS) Long post player has a thin upper body, which didn’t help him inside. But he showed plenty of promise, especially in some of the drills, making him one to keep an eye on as he develops more physically.
Jules Tavares (6’2″ So. SG, Wareham (MA) High) One of the best athletes at this event, he might have as high a ceiling as anyone here. He has a little physical maturity but is nowhere near fully developed, and his game is similar. There are moments when he looks well on his way, but then he also can get out of control at times, and it’s clear he doesn’t fully know the game yet. There’s a lot of potential for growth here.
Zachary Wells (6’4″ So. SG-SF, Westerly (RI) High) He didn’t stand out with any particular skills or physical gifts, but he was very active and did show a nose for the ball. There were a lot of plays where he was in the vicinity or got a hand on the ball at some point.
DeWayne Wynn (6’0″ Fr. SG, Hartford (CT) Capitol Prep) Because he has some length, he looks a little taller at first glance than he is. He’s likely not done growing yet as his body has a ways to go and he has a slight frame, but he’s athletic and showed some good potential.
Jimmy Zenevitch (6’6″ So. PF, Lawrence (MA) Central Catholic HS) An undersized post player, he has a good body that he uses to finish when close to the hoop. He’s also deceptively athletic, as he won’t blow you away with it but isn’t entirely lacking in that category, either.
