More Massachusetts Talent on Hand in the 17-Under State Tournament
MARION, Mass. – The 17-under state AAU in Massachusetts is in the books, and it ended in quite a fashion.
After the semifinal rounds, the only four teams left were already guaranteed bids to the 17-under AAU national tournament at the end of July. A few had earned them prior to this event, and the end result would make no difference in that regard. In light of that, and the day being Mother’s Day, the championship game and the third place game were both not played. All eight teams that reached the quarterfinal round will participate in Orlando.
Expectations were high entering the tournament after last year’s 16-under state tournament gave reason for optimism. The class of 2008 looked very good, with a number of good prospects and many more who looked to have a chance to be a Division I prospect. Nothing was a given, but a year later, it would appear that a relatively small percentage in that category will pan out as such. Massachusetts is often full of Division II and III prospects, and the class of 2008 appears to have more good Division II prospects than low Division I prospects. There is still time for that to change.
Part of why the optimism isn’t as high at this point is also because this tournament didn’t have as many of the top prospects in the class as last year did in the 16-under. A few are now regularly playing for programs in nearby states, while others have changed to travel teams that do not participate in the state AAU.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the noteworthy prospects we saw in this weekend’s playoff rounds.
Class of 2008
Peterson Bernard (6’6″ PF, Boston (MA) Madison Park HS) He reached double digits a few times, largely on close field goals. While he showed a good post move or two, he still lacks footwork to consistently score inside, although on the plus side his free throw stroke is still good and he’ll get some stickbacks. At the defensive end, he has to realize he’s not a shot-blocker, and he rebounds well considering he doesn’t know how to box out. Mid-major prospect.
Brian Emerson (6’7″ PF, Arlington (MA) High) Now more mature physically, he continued to show a good game facing the basket and also knocked down several three-pointers. He’s fundamentally sound and solid, though he doesn’t dominate inside and wasn’t a huge presence on the glass this weekend.
Ta’Keme Gomes (6’1″ SG, Somerville (MA) High) His body has matured noticeably, and it seems he’s still adjusting to it as he didn’t look quite as explosive. One thing that didn’t change is his scoring ability, as he went for 20 points in one game with a number of close baskets and the occasional jumper. While he has range out to the three-point line, how well he can shoot it isn’t clear since he didn’t look to do it that much. He could get some low Division I looks.
Adrian Gonzalez (6’6″ SF, Lawrence (MA) Central Catholic HS) He’s matured physically over the last year and looks to have continued to improve his game offensively. While he’s still very much a threat from long range, he did some work closer to the basket, including limited success driving at times. Still, he scored in double digits each game, including 21 in the second round. He might have a chance at the low Division I level and is currently getting Division II looks.
James Marcellus (6’8″ PF, Braintree (MA) Archbishop Williams HS) There were times when this well-built forward dominated, getting every rebound and scoring at the offensive end. He’s not the most fluid with his post moves, although he looked better later in the weekend, but will draw fouls all day inside and makes free throws. The highlight was a 25-point effort in the semifinals. This mid-major prospect is a member of the class of 2007 and could play college ball this coming winter, but prep school is a possibility at Bridgton Academy.
Tim McKinney (6’3″ SG, Dorchester (MA) Boston College HS) A solid blender player, he’s not going to put up any big numbers but won’t hurt a team with mistakes. The lefty didn’t shoot it overly well this weekend, which he generally doesn’t, and he went for 19 points in his team’s quarterfinal loss. He has good size and there isn’t anything he can’t do, but there’s nothing he does exceedingly well and isn’t the most aggressive offensive player. Wherever he winds up at the college level, he’s most likely a complementary “program guy” type of player.
Stevie Mejia (5’8″ PG, Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy) Now with a more mature body, this Rhode Island commit looks even better. He’s the type of sparkplug point guard that makes a team go and can score the ball well, which he did often off the dribble this weekend as he went for 21, 14 and 18 points in three games we saw.
Ryan O’Connel (6’3″ SG, Danvers (MA) St. John’s Prep) One of the state’s top scorers this past season, he can still light it up from long range, and he did so to the tune of double-digit scoring in every game this weekend. Leave him open and you’ll pay the price, as a couple of teams found out when he went for 17 points with four three-pointers and 19 with five in another game. Mid-major prospect is an excellent student.
Wilfredo Pagan (PG, Lawrence (MA) Central Catholic HS) Hard-nosed point guard really comes to play and has a motor that doesn’t stop running. He’s slight and still has some maturing to do physically, but he’s fearless and will drive to create all day and is unselfish almost to a fault.
Matt Pressey (6’2″ SG, Waltham (MA) Cushing Academy) Versatile guard looks like his dad in that he’s cerebral and can handle and make plays for others. He’s active and doesn’t do anything exceedingly well, has a good body and is a plus athlete who won’t grab your attention with athleticism or big numbers but is a solid player. Mid-major prospect.
Danquah Rawlins (6’3″ SG, Cambridge (MA) Boston English HS) He didn’t score here like he did this past season, but he played bigger and was active on the boards and helped his team make a run to the title game. A key area for development will be working on his left (off) hand, as he rarely looks to go that way. According to sources, he’ll be at Lawrence Academy or Tabor Academy next year.
Anthony Weeks (6’2″ SG, Fitchburg (MA) Worcester Academy) One thing that looks clear after this weekend is that his future is at the off-guard spot, as he handled the point admirably but clearly didn’t seem at home. His jumper wasn’t going at first, but he shot better later on and also looked a little more comfortable with the ball in his hands as the tournament went along. Best of all, he’s lost an appreciable amount of weight and his body looks to be in great shape.
Isiah Wallace (6’3″ SG, Springfield (MA) Sabis Charter) This well-built guard has nice ball skills and can pass it well for a wing, and he had a couple of high-scoring games that included a 31-point outing. The lefty also showed the ability to finish right-handed and can shoot it, but his shot selection could get better as a number of his jumpers looked to be ones he settled for instead of coming in the flow of the offense. He’s a member of the class of 2007, but likely headed to prep school next year.
Class of 2009
Kyon Watkins (6’7″ PF, Everett (MA) High) He continues to show some flashes of potential this spring, though at the moment he looks like a project offensively and the game still seems too fast for him at times. He already has a good body and rebounds well for someone who doesn’t know how to box out, so some of the potential can be seen. He demonstrated better passing and occasional ball skills, while one nice move he made was a lefty jump hook.
Akeem Williams (5’11” SG, Brockton (MA) Avon HS) After shooting the lights out for most of last weekend in the 16-under, he played up this weekend and put up more big numbers, including 48 in his team’s quarterfinal loss. He still had the touch from long range, but showed more ball skills and more ability running a team and also scored more frequently off the dribble, which will only help since it will keep defenders honest about his jumper.
Rashad Wright (6’8″ PF, Springfield (MA) Cathedral HS) Here’s one player to keep an eye on, as he didn’t make a huge impact but is long and athletic. His body is already maturing, but there’s clearly more growth ahead. Although he went for 14 points in one game, he’s quite raw offensively and looks like he doesn’t know the game. Not helping is that he didn’t play this past season after transferring, but he’s getting his chance now.
Class of 2010
Carson Desrosiers (6’9″ Lawrence (MA) Central Catholic HS) The lanky post player had a limited role in his team’s games, but he’s one to keep an eye on as he plays in a good program. He has good size and we did see him knock down a three-pointer along the way.
