CHELSEA, Mass. – Friday began the three-day BABC/Stop & Shop Holiday Classic Shoot-Out. The 13th annual event tried to be a major event in its early days, bringing in several teams each year that had high-major prospects and/or national reputations. But after that failed to get big crowds of both fans and college coaches, the event kept things closer to home. This year’s event features just one team from outside the state of Massachusetts, and Windsor, CT is not far from Hartford. Chelsea High School remains the host.
Three games were on tap Friday, and as it turns out, the best one came first. Everett and Windsor went back and forth at times, although Everett led for much of the game. In the final seconds, Everett led by two, but Windsor got the ball to Tyrus Weaver (5’10 Jr. PG) for a three-pointer that fell to give them a 56-55 lead they would not relinquish as Everett could not get off a shot.
The second game was a blowout, as Durfee started strong and was up 22-10 after the first quarter en route to a 79-59 win. Mike Rivera (5’11” Sr. PG) led the way with 23 points in a solid all-around effort that saw him drive and dish, attack the hoop constantly, make a couple of long range shots and be the leader of his team.
The last game of the day saw Stoughton break the game open in the third quarter against Springfield Cathedral en route to a 60-43 win. Drexel-bound big man Dartaye Ruffin (6’9″ Sr. PF) led the way with 19 points, but it was Edwin Saladin (6’2″ Sr. SG-SF) who spearheaded the third quarter for the Black Knights. Saladin hit several three-pointers in a 14-point effort and also did well locking up Cathedral’s talented young shooter, Pat Gooden (6’1″ So. SG), who scored just eight points.
Notes
While Everett’s senior big men, Kyon Watkins (6’7″ Sr. PF-C) and Jerome Cohen (6’6″ Sr. PF), will get noticed right away by the casual observer, the player to watch on that team is Nerlens Noel (6’7″ Fr. PF-C). He’s a baby physically, as he’s long, athletic, can already block shots (he had six in this game) and will play some good minutes for this team.
Watkins is still the gentle giant, with his big body but quiet demeanor. While he moves better and can still rebound, his offensive skills on the low post are so limited that he can back a guy down or make a nice move but not score or draw a foul. Cohen, meanwhile, was handling the ball often as if Everett wants him to play some on the wing. Unfortunately, his body doesn’t look to be better than it was in the spring and his ball skills are lacking. He’s better off trying to own the boards inside, which he’s shown he can do.
The best prospect on the court in the first game was Windsor guard Steven Samuels (6’3″ Sr. PG-SG). He’s tough and versatile, ran the show as an initiator of the offense, and is a very capable on-the-ball defender who battles the whole game. His body is showing some physical maturity, but he’s far from finished in that respect, and he can certainly still improve his skill set. Most notably, at times he seems to go a little too much for acrobatic moves to the hoop.
Samuels’ teammate, Adrian Satchell (6’6″ Sr. SF-PF), runs the floor well and his body still isn’t there yet. But while talented, you hardly noticed he was on the floor for significant stretches. He had a quiet 19 points to lead the team, including a couple of clutch three-pointers, and if he plays more like he did in the latter part of the game, UMBC will have a nice addition next year as he signed there in November.
Although he struggled, the talented Gooden is just a sophomore and still showed a good stroke on a number of misses. His body is a little more mature than it was back in the spring, and there’s probably some adjusting to it at this point.
Ruffin’s offensive game has been slow to come along, but he’s always had the body. On Friday, he wasn’t the most aggressive with the ball, but he did a few things. He showed some footwork on the post, a mid-range touch, ran the floor and didn’t try to do too much.
Saladin helps make Stoughton go, and that was the case on Friday. He defended, hit a couple of jumpers that helped break the game open, and also made a nice long lead pass for a fast break basket.
