How They Fared Before July
The spring travel team season has come and gone. One thing that made this year decidedly different for me was that much more time was spent near the home area than in past years. The entire month of May featured events run at the Mansfield SportsPlex in Mansfield, Mass., and they had a decided base of New England, particularly Massachusetts, teams and players competing.
One especially good move during May was having the Massachusetts 16-under and 17-under state AAU tournaments held under the same roof and run together over two weekends. In past years, they have been held on separate weekends and at separate sites, but this worked much better. Hopefully, that will continue in future years.
After the busy month of July, two events run by the New England Recruiting Report will showcase the best talent in New England. The New England Elite 75 Showcase returns on August 14 from 4 to 10 pm at Boston University. Then on September 27, the top 75 freshmen and sophomores will play in the Elite 75 Frosh/Soph Edition.
This spring recap takes a look at players in several categories from around here. Note that this consists only of players seen, as not every player has been seen during this time, so if there’s a noticeable omission, it’s most likely that said player wasn’t seen. (For example, Wallingford (CT) Choate Rosemary Hall sophomore guard Luke Matarazzo had quite a spring based on reports, but I unfortunately did not see him once.) The players are listed in alphabetical order only.
Simply The Best
Rodney Beldo (5’11” So. PG, Scituate (MA) High) His talent was a known entering this spring, but no one can miss him now. All he did was lead his team to a 16-under state title, out-playing the more highly-touted Phil Pressey along the way, and he just kept scoring and winning games. He’s shown that he can score when needed and defer to teammates to make an offense go.
Darryl Cato-Bishop (6’3″ Jr. SG-SF, Dorchester (MA) Lawrence Academy) He may seem to be without a position, but let’s give him one: winner. All he does is win, and that includes showing up when the stakes are high. Just when you think he’s not a shooting guard, he nails one three-pointer after another and then becomes unstoppable going to the hoop. Just when you think he’s too bulky to guard a wing, he shuts down an opponent and also grabs several rebounds. He doesn’t dribble, pass or shoot exceedingly well, but he does each and has all the intangibles that make him a winner.
Gerard Coleman (6’3″ So. SG, West Roxbury (MA) Tilton School) Few in the northeast had a better spring than this lanky lefty, whose game still consists primarily of slashing to the basket. Though he’s still very left-handed and has only begun to show a jump shot, he’s very athletic and finishes about as well as anyone. Just imagine how good he’ll be once his body matures.
Erik Murphy (6’9″ Jr. PF-C, Wakefield (RI) St. Mark’s School) There were questions about just how good he is after he missed last summer with an injury, then committed to Florida. Some wondered if he’s really good enough to play for the two-time national champions. Let’s put those questions to rest right now. He won’t bowl you over with toughness or physical gifts, but he can flat-out play with solid fundamentals inside and a constantly improving game facing the basket. His body is also maturing now, so we’ll get to see more of what he can do before long.
Phil Pressey (5’9″ So. PG, Ashburnham (MA) Cushing Academy) He solidified his spot this spring as one of the top point guards nationally in the class of 2010, as he continued to make BABC go. He continues to be a better scorer and still makes passes just about no one else on the court (including the recipients, oftentimes) could see.
You Know What You’re Getting
Jamal Coombs-McDaniel (6’6″ Jr. SF, Dorchester (MA) Tilton School) Could he really be the better college player of the two early UConn commits? While he’s not the most athletic player and isn’t supremely skilled, he’s a max-effort player who contributes whether he’s scoring or not. He rebounds, defends and is a good teammate, and now he doesn’t have many times where he dominates the ball offensively like he used to.
Ben Crenca (6’9″ Jr. PF, Exeter (RI) Worcester Academy) With this wide-bodied post player, you get someone who loves contact and can force defenders to take a pounding inside. He lacks athleticism and isn’t the swiftest at running the floor, but he’ll pound opposing big men and rebound inside and knock down the occasional jumper from about 12 feet.
Greg Kelley (6’8″ So. PF, Newton (MA) North HS) He hasn’t even begun to fill out, but Kelley has a solid feel for the game and just keeps battling inside. We’ve seen him take a pounding several times this spring, but he kept competing, scoring inside and at times owning the glass.
Daniel O’Keefe (6’5″ Jr. SF, Lexington (MA) High) Effort is never a question with this wing, who’s a plus athlete and has a great feel for the game. He always comes to play and has a nose for the ball, and offensively he’s very skilled although there isn’t anything he does exceedingly well.
Good Improvement
Luke Apfeld (6’7″ Jr. SF-PF, Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy) There probably isn’t a player in New England whose motor can match up with that of this very athletic forward. Apfeld is always going full-speed ahead and there’s no question about his effort, and his skills are coming around. He was probably the best player on his AAU team this spring, which isn’t bad considering a Louisville commit is one of his teammates.
Ike Azotam (6’7″ Jr. SF-PF, Roxbury (MA) John D. O’Bryant HS) Not many post players have had as good a spring as he has. While he projects as a power forward, he’s athletic and skilled enough that playing small forward could happen with a lot of work. At the four spot, he showed solid post moves and ran the floor well, putting up nice scoring games and at times taking over games. Besides needing to continue that, he also needs to get to work in the classroom.
Tucker Halpern (6’8″ Jr. SF, Needham (MA) Noble & Greenough School) For a while, he got stuck in a rut of being just a spot-up shooter, and he freely admits it. This spring, he’s done well at finding other ways to contribute and looking more like the player he was two years ago, when he looked like he had the potential to be a solid face-up forward with a diverse offensive game.
Emmanuel Hutcherson (6’4″ So. SF, Milton (MA) High) His improvement makes him a model for how post players trying to become wings should expand their game. After playing as an undersized post player last year and in high school, he’s been steadily improving his game off the dribble and running the floor. He hasn’t started jacking up three-pointers like many post players wanting to be wings do, instead improving in the area where he can get the immediate results. In the meantime, he’s still a monster on the glass, giving reason to believe he can develop into a solid rebounding small forward one day.
Thomas Knight (6’8″ Jr. PF, Dixfield (ME) Dirigo HS) This big man has come a long way in a year, and now has a mature body. His post skills are solid and he’s showing an improved touch on mid-range jumpers and can knock down an occasional three-pointer, but he’s at his best inside where he scores and rebounds. His body isn’t all good weight, so some conditioning improvement will be necessary, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get high-major looks.
Nate Lubick (6’8″ So. SF-PF, Southborough (MA) St. Mark’s School) One might be tempted to ask how Lubick could make this list, considering there was plenty of buzz about him last year and he hasn’t put up the big scoring numbers he did then. The answer is simple: he’s more effective without the ball. He moves better without the ball, rebounds better and doesn’t have to score to be effective anymore. Erik Murphy is his team’s go-to guy, but Lubick is adapting well to the complementary role.
The Jury Is Still Out
Denzel Brito (6’1″ So. PG-SG, Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy) There are times, like the first day of the Reebok Headliner Camp, that he’s been stellar. He kept it going at the Breakout Camp and earned himself an invite to the Reebok All-American Camp. But there are also times when he doesn’t look very aggressive despite his athleticism and improving (but still inconsistent) jump shot. There’s plenty of potential there, and it’s a good sign that of late, more of the positive has been seen in his play.
Matt Brown (6’2″ So. SG, Northfield (MA) Mount Hermon) Most likely, he’s done growing, as his body is quite mature, so at this point it’s about skill development. At times, he looks like he can be a legitimate combo guard, but his decision-making and jumper both need to get better.
Kyle Casey (6’6″ Jr. SF, Chestnut Hill (MA) Brimmer & May School) When his motor is going, you won’t find a better competitor. At times like that, he rebounds, runs the floor and impacts the game as well as anyone in the state. But that motor isn’t always running, and there are also times on offense where he settles for jumpers instead of knocking them down in the flow of the offense, which makes him ineffective.
Mike Marra (6’4″ Jr. SG, Smithfield (RI) Northfield Mount Hermon) Now that he’s committed to Louisville, one naturally wonders if he’s good enough. The light bulb came on during the latter half of his high school season, and at times during the spring he was very good. But overall, his spring was fairly non-descript and he left us thinking he has more than what he showed. The potential is there: he can flat-out shoot and is more athletic than he might look.
Nyheem Sanders (6’2″ Jr. SG, Pawtucket (RI) St. Andrew’s School) There’s a direct correlation between how often he tries to drive to the basket to score and how well he plays. When he attacks the basket, he looks like he can be a nice scorer and can open up his jumper. When he isn’t doing that, he’s not the same player.
Jeff Tagger (6’0″ Jr. PG, Brockton (MA) Catholic Memorial HS) A capable floor leader, he’s still not mature physically and at times this spring looked more like a scorer than a floor leader. That’s not really a bad thing, especially since he changed teams along the way. The potential question mark is that he doesn’t look like the most aggressive guard. He looks more like one who initiates the offense as opposed to one who creates it.
Nadir Tharpe (5’11” Fr. PG, Worcester (MA) Brewster Academy) He’s had quite a reputation up to this point, and a year ago it was thought to be neck-and-neck between him and Phil Pressey for the top point guard spot in New England in their class. That’s now irrelevant since he’s re-classifying back a year, but if he stayed in 2010 it wouldn’t be close now. He hasn’t looked like a special player this spring, including a fairly non-descript showing in the state AAU against overall so-so competition.
Developing Under the Radar
Alan Harris (6’4″ Jr. SG, West Roxbury (MA) Catholic Memorial HS) Highlighted by some nice games in the state AAU, he quietly had a nice spring. The strong part of his game is his mid-range jumper, which he had on display often both off the dribble and off the catch. Adding to it is that he showed some good shot selection as well.
Keegan Hyland (6’3″ So. SG, South Portland (ME) High) He has a reputation as a shooter, but looks like he can be more than that. More athletic than he looks, his jumper guided the way in a couple of May events, while he also drove a few times for baskets as well.
Ryan Romich (6’5″ So. SG-SF, West Groton (MA) Groton-Dunstable HS) During the latter part of May, there weren’t many better wings than Romich. He’s a very versatile scorer, as he seems equally capable of scoring on drives, from mid-range and long range. As the spring went on, he got better all the time.
Leaving Something to be Desired
Mario Monroe (6’7″ Jr. PF, North Cambridge (MA) Catholic HS) There were times this spring where he seemed to be progressing, after he was a complete non-factor last year. But later in the spring, he reverted to prior form, being ineffective and with terrible body language. He’s not a Division I prospect.
Shabazz Napier (5’10” Jr. PG, Charlestown (MA) High) Though he shot the ball well in some games, he threw the benefits away in other ways. His decision-making left something to be desired, especially playing downright selfish basketball at times, and he also got cold about as much as he got hot. He’s talented, but has to remember that his job is to run a team.
Alex Oriakhi (6’9″ Jr. PF, Tilton (NH) School) It’s been said for a while now, but it bears repeating: he should be dominating. He’s very fundamentally sound and has a solid body, but time and time again he’s a non-factor inside save for a few plays. Most likely, it’s a case of being too nice a kid. His buddy, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, might be the better college player if nothing changes right now; if he ever acquired some of his buddy’s motor and toughness, he just might dominate.
Rashad Wright (6’9″ Jr. PF, Springfield (MA) Cathedral HS) He’s long and athletic, so there should be plenty of buzz about his potential. But until recently, he’s had no motor whatsoever and was a non-factor. Sure, many others haven’t developed their skills yet, so he’s no different there, but his length alone should make him a factor inside. His lack of a motor is the reason.
Future Stars
Michael Carter-Williams (6’2″ Fr. SG, Hamilton (MA) St. Andrew’s School) An excellent showing in the state AAU, highlighted by a 34-point outing against BABC, got the buzz going about him. Now he’s off to a prep school for the next three years, which means more people will find out about him.
Andre Drummond (6’9″ Fr. PF-C, Hartford (CT) Capitol Prep) Long and athletic, he can dominate games just by blocking shots inside. Before long, that probably won’t be the only way he does that.
Pat Gordon (SG, Springfield (MA) Cathedral HS) A rising freshman, he can be a lights-out shooter from long range and has shown the ability to let that open up other offensive opportunities. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he starts right away at one of the best schools in western Massachusetts.
Marcus Grant (6’2″ Fr. PG-SG, Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy) A versatile guard, he’s capable of playing all three perimeter positions if a team goes small. Also a good football player, he’s very fundamentally sound and makes good decisions with the ball, and has a solid mid-range touch.
Alex Murphy (6’8″ Fr. SF-PF, Wakefield (RI) St. Mark’s School) The next in line after big brother Erik, his game seems to be developing in the opposite direction of his brother. His perimeter game already looks promising, while the post game is left wanting right now. But given his brother’s development and that he has four years to go, one can expect that he’ll develop an inside game. He’s also likely not done growing yet.
