MANSFIELD, Mass. – This weekend marked the busiest of three weekends with Reebok Headliner Tryout Camps. 13 such camps will be held in all, and seven were held this weekend after three were held two weeks earlier. Three more remain next weekend.
The camp in Mansfield, held at the Mansfield Sportsplex, brought a largely New England presence. The event’s best talent was found in the ranks of underclassmen, a change from last year when rising seniors carried the torch. That’s good news for the future of the event if you buy into the theory that many underclassmen will come back to this next year.
In addition to morning drills and afternoon games, players competed in free throw shooting and three-point contests. The same player won both, as Derek Retos’ shooting was on display in more than just the games en route to winning both contests.
With that, we take a look at some of the players here this weekend.
Mike Accaoui (5’9″ Sr. PG-SG, Barrington (RI) St. Andrew’s School) Continuing to improve, he played a lot of point guard this weekend and generally acquitted himself well. He was pass-first and handled the ball reasonably well.
Patrick Ackerman (6’10” So. C, Worcester (MA) Academy) It wasn’t a bad couple of days for the big man, although he didn’t stand out. He ran the floor a couple of times for baskets and also looked better at playing through some adversity than he’s been before.
Zach Auguste (6’7″ So. SF-PF, Marlborough (MA) High) Although he’s been playing on a bum ankle, he showed no ill effects and continues to grow, having grown about five inches in the past year. He ran the floor well and also knocked down a three-pointer, continuing to show that he potentially has a lot of tools but none that he can hang his hat on just yet. Mental toughness is still a concern, as a few times he didn’t seem to play through non-calls when he got hacked.
Ike Azotam (6’7″ Sr. PF, Roxbury (MA) John D. O’Bryant HS) This weekend, he was under the radar but had a solid showing. He had stretches where he might have been the best player on the floor, and besides being very active he ran the floor well. He’s not at the level he was a year ago, but he’s getting there, and he’s also making big strides academically to where he’ll likely qualify to play in college this fall. As of now, it looks like a prep year at Marianapolis Prep is in his future.
Marco Banegas (6’0″ So. PG, Roxbury (MA) John D. O’Bryant HS) After missing some time earlier in the spring with a broken finger, he’s getting close to 100 percent and certainly looks like it. He was very active on defense and got his share of breakaway baskets, some coming from his own defensive efforts, and he generally finished well when he got close to the basket.
Anthony Barry (6’2″ So. SG-SF, Milford (MA) High) Although he lacks skills, he impressed often during the weekend because he battled the entire time. He played bigger and got his share of rebounds and loose balls, with some stickbacks along the way, and managed to finish with contact. Shooting the ball is a struggle for him, but he’s athletic and has intangibles, so if he ever made a jump in the skill department he would instantly be a prospect.
Darryl Best, Jr. (6’6″ So. PF, New Haven (CT) Career Regional HS) An undersized post player, he has some scoring ability but lacks the physical gifts to really make the most of them. At times he shows signs of developing a mid-range game, but his bread and butter is inside, and there he makes a lot of post moves seemingly in slow motion. If he could improve his lateral mobility, some of which might come from shedding some of the bad weight he has, he would instantly get a boost.
Khem Birch (6’9″ Fr. C, South Kent (CT) School) If one looks at players here to find the best prospect, as opposed to current player, at the camp, this long and wiry big man is at the top of the list. A baby physically, he owned the boards often despite not boxing out well at all, showed improved offensive ability that included a short corner baseline jumper, and he blocked his share of shots. He doesn’t know the game yet, but he still shined here.
Theodore Boyomo (6’9″ Jr. PF-C, Kent (CT) School) Well-built post player has a solid upper body and flew under the radar a bit this weekend. Although he didn’t star, he looked solid, hitting a turnaround jump shot and scoring a few more times inside along with knocking down a three-point shot.
Denzel Brito (6’2″ Jr. SG, Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy) He wasn’t quite as good as last year, when he was the best player here on the first day, but he was the first player in the gym on Sunday and played well overall. His body is maturing while he maintains his athleticism, and he did well to knock down some jumpers while making several good passes and also finishing while getting fouled.
Daniel Brooks (6’3″ Jr. SG, West Roxbury (MA) Catholic Memorial) Although his play here was a bit non-descript, it’s clear that he’s maturing physically. He looks more athletic, and although his upper body is still thin, he’s growing into a good frame.
Matt Brown (6’2″ Jr. SG, Northfield (MA) Mount Hermon) It’s been a good spring for this well-built athlete, who has clearly found his niche playing more off the ball and letting the game come to him. Here, he was very active and found ways to contribute, and showed his strength on one play where he finished despite the defender reaching in and fouling him. He was better Saturday than Sunday, but all in all it was a good weekend for him.
Dennis Clifford (6’11” Jr. C, Bridgewater (MA) Bridgewater-Raynham HS) While he’s certainly progressed over the past year, just how much that was the case was in question until this weekend. He played well on Saturday, but opened some eyes on Sunday when he more than held his own against Khem Birch, although he is older. Still developing physically, he showed improved offense, including some good moves to his left and finishing while getting fouled, and he was a presence inside defensively. Next year, he will attend Milton Academy for the first of two years.
Dimitry Coronel (6’4″ So. SF, East Boston (MA) High) After he didn’t finish well early, he picked it up and was better later on Saturday and on Sunday. Not a baby physically, his body isn’t there yet, and he made his mark mainly in transition once he was starting to finish plays.
Ousmane Drame (6’7″ Jr. PF-C, Roxbury (MA) New Mission HS) An intriguing talent, he’s long and a baby physically and has only played the game for a year. He shows hints of skills, but none that he consistently hangs his hat on right now, as he’ll score a basket inside with a nice move, knock down a short jumper, and later look limited on the offensive end. Defensively, he’ll block and alter shots just from using his length, and he has a feel for doing that already although he can certainly improve there.
Tevin Falzon (6’6″ So. SF, Newton (MA) North HS) He opened a few eyes here, as he clearly has some potential while also having some obvious areas for improvement. Physically, he has to get stronger, and the game seems too fast for him at times in terms of how he processes it. The latter is something that can improve with more experience and a better feel for the game.
Chris Fitzgerald (6’7″ Jr. PF, Northfield (MA) Mount Hermon) He had some good moments early on, but got a little lost in the shuffle later. What we liked is that he was active and made some plays as a result. His body isn’t there yet, so he may get a physical boost down the line as well.
Marcus Grant (6’2″ So. SG, Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy) While he’s still clearly a solid glue guy-type who will do anything he’s asked, he really shined this weekend. Handling the ball often at the point for his team, he played well and showed continued improvement from long range. He’ll always be happy to guard the opponent’s best scorer, and he held up well against a couple of good wings this weekend.
Hector Harold (6’7″ Jr. SF, Pasadena (CA) Northfield Mount Hermon) The best individual effort of the day belonged to this versatile wing, who had a huge game on Saturday and scored in a variety of ways. Early on, there were a few times he didn’t play through losing the ball or getting hit with no foul called, but he got on a roll later with three-pointers, transition baskets, post scores and stop-and-pop jumpers. For good measure, he showed more toughness later as well. He’s not a great athlete, but an intriguing prospect getting interest from good academic schools.
Allen Harris (6’5″ Sr. SG-SF, West Roxbury (MA) Catholic Memorial HS) One of the better players on Saturday, he was in attack mode all day as he was constantly near the basket finishing. He shined in several drills and got his share of transition baskets come game time, scoring more on drives than he usually does as he’s known for his mid-range game.
Hakeem Harris (6’1″ Jr. PG, Bergenfield (NJ) Blair Academy) A mature-bodied point guard, he had a reasonably good showing on Sunday but has played better. He knocked down a few three-pointers but seemed to settle for those shots too much, and although he got in the lane he didn’t look too crafty at finding ways to finish or get it to a teammate in traffic. He held up well defensively and rebounded well from the point guard spot.
Anthony Ireland (5’10” Sr. PG, Waterbury (CT) Crosby HS) Effort is never a question with this well-built guard, who hangs his hat on being tough and a max-effort player. More of a glue guy-type than anything, he did show some good offense on Sunday, knocking down a couple of three-point shots while showing his toughness constantly.
Jake Layman (6’5″ Fr. PF, Wrentham (MA) King Philip HS) A sleeper at this event, he quietly played well as an undersized power forward. He was active and got a number of rebounds as a result, and looks fundamentally sound with above-average ball skills for a post player. He has a chance if he grows more physically and keeps developing the ball skills.
Ricardo Ledo (6’4″ So. SG-SF, Warwick (RI) Bishop Hendricken HS) Clearly in the discussion for best prospect at the camp, this weekend was a big one for him. He’s grown a couple of inches in the last few months and still isn’t done growing, and he showed here that he has a lot of tools and thus a world of potential. He scored off the dribble and showed a nice three-point shot, and with his athleticism there’s plenty of upside.
Dino Mallios (5’11” Jr. PG, Winthrop (MA) High) It’s easy for a kid like him to get lost in the shuffle at an event like this, but he still showed what he has to offer. Though not blessed with physical gifts, he finds a way to be effective, as his basketball I.Q. makes up for a lot of that lack of physical gifts and he makes a lot of hustle plays that simply help a team win.
Shabazz Napier (6’0″ So. PG, Charlestown (MA) Lawrence Academy) He concluded a good month of May with a good couple of days here, although he got challenged in one matchup against a more physically mature point guard in Hakeem Harris. The best thing about him is that he’s using his quickness to make life miserable for defenders instead of settling for three-pointers as he’s often done, and he’s making teammates better. In short, he’s looking like a solid point guard.
Tyler Olander (6’8″ Jr. PF, Storrs (CT) E.O. Smith HS) The lefty has long been one who’s shown spurts of potential, but this weekend was perhaps the best he has played and he looks a lot closer to unlocking some of it. The big difference is that he was more aggressive, as he’s often active and has some inside-outside skills although he’s mainly a post player. He faced up well and even scored a couple of baskets on the go, including one time where he drove in and dunked. Next year, he will re-classify and attend Worcester Academy.
Derek Retos (5’10” Jr. PG-SG, Attleboro (MA) Brimmer & May School) One of the best sights of this spring has been seeing his jump shot come back to life after he had not been shooting it well for a time. Here, he continued showing the great range he has been known for, and ever since late in the school season he has shot it well. He also had a big game Sunday afternoon at both ends of the floor and even showed a nice stop-and-pop jumper.
Ryan Romich (6’5″ Jr. SF, West Groton (MA) Groton-Dunstable HS) He certainly didn’t star at this event, as there were plenty of better players, but he showed some good things. After seeing him with some regularity, he looks like a player that adapts his play to his teammates well, as he scored at times inside here but also took the ball coast to coast off a rebound on one notable play. Though not blessed with great athleticism, he seems to be developing into a fine complementary player.
Chris Sherwood (6’3″ So. SF, Canton (MA) High) We’ve seen how athletic he is on several occasions and it’s no secret, but this weekend was probably his best showing yet. It wasn’t even that his three-point shots went on Sunday, as his jumper has long been a weak spot; it was that he made a lot of plays from using his athleticism and appears to have all the confidence in the world. He’s using his athletic advantage to go by guys to score and make plays defensively.
Tyler Strange (5’10” So. PG, Ashburnham (MA) Cushing Academy) Well-built guard was more of a scorer on offense this weekend, a little different from his usual facilitator role. At the defensive end, he was very aggressive and put plenty of pressure on opposing ball handlers.
Jules Tavares (6’2″ So. SG, Wareham (MA) High) It wasn’t the best of times for this athletic guard, who was playing on a bum ankle from a few days earlier. He had difficulty scoring, with his jumper not going and not really being able to get close to the basket often. Though a solid prospect, this wasn’t his best weekend; we’ll surely see better ones from him later.
Koang Thok (6’2″ Jr. SG, Portland (ME) High) An active guard, he opened some eyes on Saturday with some three-point shooting, then later was around the ball often. He’s a plus athlete, but had some trouble finishing on occasions he got in the lane.
Akeem Williams (5’10” Jr. PG-SG, Brockton (MA) Winchendon School) Although he didn’t play as well as he did here last year, improvement is easy to see in that he’s a little different player. He’s now more of a distributor, which has come with experience from playing the point for his school this year, and he still made his share of jumpers that included one with a man right in his face. The down side is that not all of his weight looks to be god weight and he’s not overly quick. Still, with the improvement he’s shown already, there’s reason to believe he’s not done getting better.
