NORTHFIELD, Mass. – Northfield Mount Hermon has a combination of academics and basketball that might be the best in the country. An excellent school that has sent a number of players to Division I, including some elite academic schools, the team will once again draw plenty of Ivy and Patriot League coaches through the course of the season, while eight alumni will be on Ivy League rosters this college season.
While this year’s team looks no different from last year, there is more talent this time around, and the personnel looks like a better mix than last year. There is good depth at all positions and a lot of interchangeable parts, which means the starting lineup could look different from one night to the next based on the matchup.
The big name will be newcomer Aaron Cosby (6’2″ Jr. PG-SG, Louisville (KY)). Quick but not a jet, there’s no doubting his ability to score. He showed on Wednesday that he can find any gap in the defense and get through it to score, while also showing the ability to hit from long range. He’s clearly not a point guard right now, although he’s trying to make the switch, and it’s not hard to figure that he was “the man” on his previous high school team and now has to adjust to new surroundings on the court.
Recent Harvard commit Matt Brown (6’2″ Sr. SG, Barrington (RI)) didn’t work out on Wednesday as he was taking a breather after football practice. A running back on the football team, Brown really found himself this spring and summer as he had several good months playing off the ball after spending most of last season at the point.
Another player who seems to have figured out his identity as a player is Joe Sharkey (6’3″ Jr. PG, Needham (MA)). For a while, it wasn’t clear what he is, but now he’s embraced being a point guard who can operate a little in an up-tempo setting but seems more at home when the game is slowed down. On a couple of occasions, he dove for loose balls going out of bounds, even while playing with a face mask as a precautionary measure after breaking his nose twice. He spent a lot of the summer working out with Chris Herren. Josh Elbaum (6’4″ Sr. PG-SG, Long Island (NY)) isn’t a great athlete but can finish when he gets near the basket, and looks to have come along more since July. He will figure into the mix at both guard spots.
There are plenty of options on the wing, with a couple of them also able to play another position. Hector Harold (6’7″ Sr. SF, Pasadena (CA)) was playing with a bad shoulder, and while he got abused inside at times his jumper started falling later in the workout. He’s not a great athlete and not the toughest player, but his ability to shoot at his size has earned him some looks around the high-major level. Laurent Rivard (6’5″ Sr. SG-SF, Montreal (Quebec)) figures to see an expanded role this season. He shot the ball well on Wednesday and is deceptively athletic, and his body looks more mature as well. Tommy Carpenter (6’7″ So. SF, Greensboro (NC)) was one of the best players on the floor on Wednesday, showing a nice feel for the game and three-point range on his jumper. He showed a nice up-and-under move and used fakes well to get shots, and his body isn’t there yet. Chris Fitzgerald (6’8″ Sr. SF-PF, Swansea (MA)) has a mature body and a good touch from long range, and while he won’t stand out, he finds ways to contribute.
Majok Majok (6’8″ Sr. PF, Sydney (Australia)) is the best post player on the team. A very capable scorer inside with a good body, he has a good motor and is very mobile, will run the floor and finish and can’t be ignored when he steps away from the basket. Where he has room for improvement is that he too often settles for the jumpers he takes, occasionally travels on a post move, and as has been the case before, he showed on Wednesday a tendency to dribble too much and ultimately turn the ball over on the low block. Clancy Rugg (6’7″ Sr. SF-PF, Burlington (VT)) is doing a post-graduate year at the school and will get some minutes. He has a slight frame and can easily get lost amidst the other talent on this team, but he’s a solid blender and will contribute offensively and on the glass when he’s on the floor. Though he is better at the power forward spot, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he saw spot duty on the wing.
A pair of brothers from Dorset, England, Vince Van Nes (6’11” Jr. C) and Lucas Van Nes (6’9″ So. PF), give this team more size. Neither was a big factor on this day, although both had their moments and the left-handed Vince did knock down a nice long two-point shot along the way. Matt Goode (7’0″ Sr. C, Los Angeles (CA)) didn’t make Wednesday’s workout as he was tending to school work, but is a holdover from last season’s team. Evan Cummins (6’8″ So. SF-PF, Westborough (MA)) sat out this workout with a minor injury, but head coach John Carroll said he has shown a marked improvement from the summer, when he showed some promise.
Northfield Mount Hermon got off to a fast start last season, winning their first six games and 13 of their first 14. Along the way, they went to Blair Academy and swept two games there, including a convincing win over the host school, and won a number of the games by double figures. But the season didn’t end well, as they lost their last four games, including a quarterfinal NEPSAC Tournament game that was a microcosm of the season. With no glaring weakness like last season’s team had, the ending might be a little different this time around.
