Good Start for Basketball X-perts Showcase
BOSTON – The Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, not far from Northeastern where Reggie first became a basketball star in the Boston area, was the scene for Saturday’s Basketball X-perts Showcase. The event brought together about 80 players, mostly from schools in the city of Boston with a mix of suburban kids as well. Following a college recruiting seminar informing the kids of what they must go through to compete in the college ranks, each team played two games.
For an event that was put together almost at the last minute, this turned out well. The player turnout was good, with mostly Division II and III prospects among the seniors. That’s not surprising considering the mass exodus of top players from the city to the prep school ranks in recent years, a trend that looks set to continue. The hope is that this will be a good jumping-off point for future events they will run; the staff at Basketball X-perts knows the event won’t be big overnight.
The biggest star of the day had to be Peterson Bernard (6’6″ Sr. PF, Madison Park HS). Many have waited for him to break out, and in this setting he flourished because he really got after it at both ends. He ran the floor, got rebounds and loose balls, and at times was so into it that he tried to do a little too much. But he was a man among boys out there and had a good day.
Robert Wesley (5’9″ Sr. PG, Cambridge Rindge & Latin HS) missed most of the spring and summer with a bad case of pneumonia, but he’s been back playing for a couple of weeks now and generally played well on Saturday. He was able to drive to the basket often, and would have had better results if teammates were in place more often to receive a pass when he drew defenders. When he got an open look, the jumper looked good, and he was fine defensively as he usually is. Wesley had a big run in the state tournament, as no one could stop him, and he seems ready to close out his high school career with a big season.
An impressive wing was Javon Williams (6’3″ Sr. SG, Cathedral HS), who’s athletic and made a lot of plays. He finished drives often and showed a touch from mid-range and beyond on his jumper.
Other players who caught our attention:
Jarell Byrd (6’3″ So. SG, Lynn Classical HS)
Richie Dakins (6’5″ Sr. SF, Boston Latin Academy)
David Daniels (6’2″ Sr. SG, Madison Park HS)
Shabazz Napier (5’10” Jr. PG, Charlestown High)
Richie Penna (6’3″ Sr. SG-SF, East Boston High)
Ryan Woumn (6’1″ So. PG-SG, Lynn English HS)
Orlando Zayas (6’5″ Jr. C, East Boston High)
