New England Elite 75 Recap
BOSTON – The third annual New England Elite 75 was held on Thursday at Boston University. Now the first of two such events, as there will be one for freshmen and sophomores in late September, this event showcased top players in the region regardless of class. As has been the case in prior years, there were a few players who opened some eyes and a few established stars who re-affirmed their reputations.
One player who did a little of both is Ike Azotam (6’7″ Sr. SF-PF, Roxbury (MA) John D. O’Bryant HS). Azotam had an excellent spring and continued to play well in July, and he was one of the best players on the day at BU. He ran the floor all day and was very active, scoring in close and even showing a turnaround jumper from mid-range.
A player who opened some eyes is Will Bayliss (5’11” Sr. PG, Manchester (NH) Central HS). He had some impressive moments running the show, using good moves and a feel for his defender to make up for a relative lack of quickness.
One of the hottest players since late May has been Denzel Brito (Jr. PG-SG, Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy). Here, the very athletic guard showed more of his burgeoning combo guard game, as he’s getting better playing the point while still able to score. He loves the three-pointer from the top of the key and knocked down a couple of those off the dribble.
Put Matt Brown (6’2″ Jr. PG-SG, Northfield (MA) Mount Hermon) on a team and no matter who he has around him, he will contribute. He did that here, scoring well and showing some improvement on his jumper, where he has some range but still needs more consistency.
Effort is never a question for Ben Crenca (6’9″ Sr. PF, Exeter (RI) Worcester Academy), and that was true here. The recent Vermont commit played well and is always working inside, where he’s not afraid to throw his weight around to be effective scoring or rebounding.
Carson Desrosiers (6’10” Jr. PF, Lawrence (MA) Central Catholic HS) has seen his stock rise in recent months. The big man showed here what he has before, which is a good skill set but also a lack of strength that he’ll have to work on as he develops.
A prospect to watch is Andre Drummond (6’9″ So. PF-C, Hartford (CT) Capitol Prep). He’s long and athletic and has a ways to go physically, though he has a good lower body right now. He was shaken up in an early game and wasn’t a big factor, but he had his moments.
Egi Gjikondi (6’8″ So. PF, Malden (MA) High) impressed in some of our viewing in July. He didn’t look overly impressive here, at times looking in slow motion in some of the post drills when using his left hand, but he plays hard and has a chance to be a nice player since he puts the work in.
If Peter Kaasila (6’9″ Sr. PF, Southborough (MA) St. Mark’s School) gets the ball inside, you’re not stopping him. He’s so big and strong, especially in his lower body, that he can overwhelm many opponents. To boot, he’s even better at getting good position inside, and he did that on several occasions here. While not the most mobile big man, he knows what he is and doesn’t try to do too much.
The rise of Thomas Knight (6’8″ Sr. PF, Dixfield (ME) Dirigo HS) continued in July, and he looked good here although he’s played better. He’ll need to continue improving his conditioning, but the fundamentals are in good shape.
Jordan Laguerre (6’0″ Jr. SG, Manchester (NH) Trinity HS) didn’t shine quite like he did at Super Week II last month, but he had some good moments here. The lefty guard has a good stroke from long range and is athletic.
Greg Langston (6’2″ Jr. SG, Trumbull (CT) St. Joseph’s HS) is well-built with a mature body and versatile. Here, he was active and made plays at both ends of the floor, showing some ball skills and a nose for the ball.
Firmly in the “opened some eyes” category is Danny Lawhorn (5’10” Jr. PG, Hartford (CT) Public HS). The small point guard made several excellent passes and showed a solid feel for the game. He’s quick, but after watching him for a short time it’s clear that his quickness isn’t what stands out about his game.
Javon McCrea (6’6″ Jr. PF, Lexington (MA) High) was an effective inside player despite a lack of size and a low release on his turnaround shot. He’ll have to improve the low release since he’ll get that shot blocked by more athletic post players as well as those who try to play defense, but he gets a lot done inside as he scored and rebounded here.
Erik Murphy (6’10” Sr. PF, Wakefield (RI) St. Mark’s School) didn’t play his best ball and wasn’t overly aggressive. But he did show continuing physical improvement and was aggressive on some finishes and generally looks to be all the way back from the injury that kept him out of action last summer.
Quietly, Mike Rivera (6’0″ Sr. PG, Durfee (MA) High) shined much like he did at this event last year. All day, he was able to penetrate and make things happen, sometimes scoring and sometimes finding a teammate.
Ryan Romich (6’5″ Jr. SF, West Groton (MA) Groton-Dunstable HS) did what we expected here: he scored. As he’s done before, he didn’t do it any one way more than another, showing his versatility in scoring.
Clancy Rugg (6’7″ Sr. PF, Burlington (VT) High) has the look of a nice role player one day. He’s a workhorse inside who’s constantly moving and makes himself a factor.
Steven Samuels (6’2″ Sr. SG, Windsor (CT) High) doesn’t stand out, but he’s solid. He’s still a baby physically, but he’s very athletic and versatile and can help a team in several ways.
Every time out, Evan Smotrcyz (6’9″ Jr. SF-PF, Reading (MA) New Hampton Prep) looks better. He’s much better when he lets the game come to him, and he’s been doing just that. Doing so allows his skills to shine, and here he knocked down some nice mid-range shots and handled the ball while never looking out of his element.
Twins Cory and Kyle Stockmal (6’3″ Sr. PG-SG, Watertown (MA) High) both had a good showing. Both play very well within the team concept and have solid guard skills, with Cory having a nice day shooting the ball. They didn’t play on the same team today like they usually do, but that didn’t seem to bother them.
He didn’t shine here like at other events, but Akeem Williams (5’11” Sr. PG-SG, Brockton (MA) Avon HS) continues to get better and one can’t help but notice it. His body is getting better and he’s not as reliant on his jumper as before; in fact, of late he’s probably scored more off the dribble and on drives than on long range jumpers.
The overall improvement in Jordan Williams (6’9″ Sr. PF, Torrington (CT) High), much of which is fairly recent, was certainly evident. His body is much better and he’s more mobile inside. While he didn’t dominate here, he did play assertively and ran the floor better than he has before.
We’ve seen Rashad Wright (6’9″ Jr. PF-C, Springfield (MA) South Kent School) and have been decidedly unimpressed most of the time. He’s long and athletic, but hasn’t shown much of a motor. But a couple of months ago he showed some positive signs on that, and did so again here. He scored on several stickbacks and looked much more alive on the court.
