Team Boston Elite Invitational Recap
BOSTON – The Team Boston Elite Invitational was held this weekend at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury. Not many team tournaments are held at this time of the spring, as events like the NBA Players Top 100 and individual college camps were also scheduled this weekend.
Tournament director Claude Pritchard has improved the event’s talent base each year, getting mostly teams from around the Boston area but also getting several from outside of New England. Among those from out of town, he got teams from Albany and Westchester County in New York, as well as Philadelphia and Delaware. Pritchard also has some connections in Canada that he’s used for many events, and he did just that here as the JAMBA All-Stars brought teams that competed in two age divisions.
Luke Apfeld (6’7″ Jr. SF-PF, Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy) Throughout the spring, he’s established himself as someone with whom you know what you’re getting. In his case, it’s a very athletic forward with a great motor and improving skills. He needs to keep up the skill development, but he’s getting better and had 24 points in a Sunday game. Mid-major prospect.
Ike Azotam (6’7″ Jr. SF-PF, Roxbury (MA) John D. O’Bryant HS) Though he didn’t play as well as he did earlier in the spring, he did show the same combination of inside and outside scoring ability. He might not be athletic enough to play small forward, but has the skill and can score effectively inside and doesn’t try to do too much. Mid-major prospect has some work to do in the classroom.
Rodney Beldo (5’11” So. PG, Scituate (MA) High) Not many in this area have had a better spring than this smooth point guard. He’s quick and scored constantly from drives to the basket, absorbing contact at times but avoiding it more often. He can knock down shots from long range, but he was so good at getting to the basket there was no need. His efforts included a 35-point outing on Sunday.
Rob Berish (6’4″ Jr. SG-SF, Mendham (NJ) High) Athletic wing has the look of a scorer and plays well with his team. He had a nice night on Saturday, going for 19 points, but on Sunday he struggled with just eight in one game and wasn’t much of a factor.
Keith Brown (6’1″ Jr. PG-SG, Marlborough (MA) High) A very athletic guard, he plays more like a wing than a point guard, though his size is that of a point. He’s quick and able to dunk, and he scored often in transition this weekend, and while he can knock down a long range jumper it is not his forte.
Matt Brown (6’2″ So. SG, Northfield (MA) Mount Hermon) Well-built guard can handle better than your average shooting guard, but is better playing off the ball. His jump shot was a bit up and down, as he generally scored more on closer shots, including an 18-point outing in one game.
Dominique Bull (6’3″ Fr. SG, Ashburnham (MA) Cushing Academy) In his team’s first game, he shot the ball very well from long range, scoring 21 points. He’s athletic and has a better body than a year ago, a good sign of progress.
Chris Cantino (6’7″ Sr. SF-PF, Philadelphia (PA) Northeast Prep) Athletic forward has a good motor and can really run the floor in transition. He has some ball skills, which suggest he can play the small forward spot one day, and his body hasn’t matured to this point. In his team’s final game, he went for 21 points. Mid-major/mid-major plus prospect.
Jerome Cohen (6’6″ Jr. PF, Everett (MA) High) He was only with his team for Saturday, but he played well in that game in scoring 16 points and having another good game on the glass. He used his big body inside and scored a couple of driving field goals, showing he can be effective starting away from the basket.
Prentis Douglas (6’3″ So. SG-SF, Braintree (MA) High) Although he’s played more for show than effect, and that didn’t entirely change here, he’s certainly shown signs of improvement in that respect. Meanwhile, he looks better each time out, and although he didn’t have huge scoring games here, he was again a key to a winning team.
Jay Freeman (6’0″ Jr. PG, Dorchester (MA) St. Mark’s School) The lefty point guard was Mr. Clutch for his team this weekend as he made a couple of big baskets late in games. One of them was a three-pointer to cap a comeback win, and he had a key layup late in another game. He didn’t put up huge scoring numbers, but came up big for his team.
Emmanuel Hutcherson (6’4″ So. SF-PF, Milton (MA) High) As is usually the case, he was active and relentless on the boards, especially at the offensive end. He scored often on stickbacks and other shots close to the basket, continuing to show an improved game away from the basket at the offensive end.
James Kennedy (6’5″ Fr. SF-PF, Dorchester (MA) Cushing Academy) Over the weekend, one thing kept coming back to mind in watching this well-built forward: he plays very soft. He got pushed off the block by smaller players a couple of times and didn’t go up strong a few times when he sealed inside and got a good look at the basket with a post move. He also didn’t move to help from the weak side one defense a few times, thus allowing easy layups once an opponent got by a perimeter defender.
Willie Lyons (6’1″ Jr. SG, Newton (MA) South HS) A talented guard who can score, he’s struggled at times to find his footing with his new team. While he can score on drives and has at times gotten hot from long range, this weekend he simply struggled to finish, often in traffic.
Andrew McCarthy (6’7″ Jr. SF-PF, Sudbury (MA) Northfield Mount Hermon) He’s continued to get better as the spring has gone along, slowly looking more and more like the player he was before his injury. He’s more active and continues to get his share of offensive rebounds.
Mario Monroe (6’7″ Jr. PF, North Cambridge (MA) Catholic HS) Just when we thought he was making some progress, he reverts back to his prior form. What he showed this weekend was general softness, a tendency to lose the ball and terrible body language that are indicative of a player that doesn’t belong.
Shabazz Napier (5’10” Jr. PG, Charlestown (MA) High) Although he reached double digits consistently this weekend, including a 23-point outing on Sunday, he still struggled to run the team. His decisions with the ball left something to be desired and he seemed to call his own number too often, especially considering the talent he has around him.
Rod Odom (6’8″ So. SF, New York (NY) Middlesex School) An active athlete, he’s a live body with some good tools. He’s capable of scoring inside and out, and on a few occasions he beat opponents down the floor for easy layups. His body has a ways to go physically, and he’s hardly a finished product skill-wise, but one has to like what they see with him right now.
Tyler Olander (6’6″ So. PF, Storrs (CT) E.O. Smith HS) The lefty looked good this weekend playing up on the 17-under squad. He’s a plus athlete who can run the floor and was a factor in transition a few times, while also holding his own on the boards.
Frank Robinson (6’3″ So. SG-SF, Providence (RI) Mount Pleasant HS) Lanky wing was impressive in a couple of outings this weekend. He’s athletic and shot the ball well, both from mid-range and long range, going for 32 points against the team that ultimately won the 16-under. His body has a ways to go, so there’s plenty of upside since he shows good skills right now.
Sean Rossi (5’10” Jr. PG, Sparta (NJ) High) Though he has a slight frame, he’s physically mature and showed a nice stroke from long range in a Saturday night game, scoring 14 points with four three-pointers while running the team. On Sunday, he went scoreless against a better team.
Chris Sherwood (6’3″ Fr. SG-SF, Canton (MA) High) Lanky athlete clearly has a good deal of upside, but right now he doesn’t realize what his physical gifts afford him. Too often, he’ll settle for jump shots, especially from long range where he’s very shaky, instead of using his athleticism to go by defenders and get better shots.
Aaron Williams (6’4″ Sr. PG-SG, East Boston (MA) Laurinburg Prep) A talented guard with athleticism and the ability to play either backcourt spot, he didn’t play his best ball here. Whatever the reason, he tried to play more for show than effect, taking more difficult shots than he normally does and making very few of them, limiting his effectiveness. Mid-major prospect.
Ryan Woumn (6’2″ So. PG-SG, Lynn (MA) English HS) A pass-first guard, he didn’t look to score much but handled the ball well. In fact, given his reputation and that we’ve seen him play well before, it was a little surprising to see him not try to score more. Physically, he’s not mature yet, but he’s athletic and looks like he can play both guard spots.
Other players who caught our attention:
Joe O’Shea (6’4″ So. SG, Burlington (VT) High)
Raheem Singleton (5’11” Sr. PG, Roxbury (MA) Laurinburg Prep)
Jeff Tagger (6’0″ Jr. PG, Brockton (MA) Catholic Memorial HS)
Ashton Watkins (6’5″ So. SF, Providence (RI) Classical HS)
