WOLFEBORO, N.H. – As has been the case the last few years, Brewster Academy boasts a team that on paper should contend in Class A of NEPSAC. Two years ago, they broke through and won the Class A title, and they once again have a team with plenty of talent and some depth, which an open gym on Monday confirmed.
The player who shined the most is Naadir Tharpe (6’0″ Jr. PG, Worcester (MA)), who will be the team’s floor leader. Fresh off a good spring and an even better latter half of July once he got over a bum ankle, Tharpe has always been able to run a team and distribute. But what will make him much tougher to guard is being able to score, and on Monday he shot the lights out – a fitting cliché since there was a power outage in the gym that wasn’t fixed until about halfway through the workout. He hit shots off the dribble, and looked to shoot about as much as he looked to pass. It looks like the time he spent in the gym after July was over is about to pay off, at least if he keeps hitting when the games begin.
The jewel of the team from a talent standpoint is Will Barton (6’6″ Sr. SG-SF, Baltimore (MD)), a confident and engaging young man whom coach Jason Smith says has been the “real deal” since arriving on campus. The Memphis commit is long, very thin and athletic, and has terrific body control, which he showed on a few occasions. He goes fearlessly to the hoop, using long strides that belie the quickness he has, and while he can shoot, he does have a slight fade on his jumper.
Tharpe’s travel teammate, Austin Carroll (6’3″ Sr. SG, Bedford (MA)), didn’t play his best ball on Monday but will certainly figure into the team’s plans. He’s known for his jump shot, but he can simply play the game and will occasionally do something you don’t expect him to do based on his physical talents. A good example was late in the workout, when he used a good pump fake to open a driving lane for a basket.
Ashton Khan (6’1″ Sr. PG, Scarborough (Ontario)) will likely be the main backup point guard. One of four Canadian imports on the team, he has a mature body and shot the ball well in the flow of the offense from long range. Late in the workout, he made a nice play dribbling into the paint and floating a left-handed shot from a few feet away that went in. Also in the mix will be Adam Perry (6’1″ Sr. PG, Apex (NC)), whose highlight was a nice baseline runner over a big man, and Isiah Pringle (5’9″ Sr. PG, Laurelton (NY)), who has a nice resume off the court as he holds a few leadership positions on campus.
The frontcourt is where a lot of the riches are, starting with recent Iowa State commit Melvin Ejim (6’6″ Sr. SF, Brampton (Ontario)). A very athletic wing with a good body, he made a number of good alley-oop finishes even when he wasn’t at the best spot to do so, and was constantly in attack mode. Early on, he shot the ball well from long range, but went cold later on. He’s in his second year at the school and seems poised to close out his high school career with a big season.
Syracuse commit C.J. Fair (6’8″ Sr. SF, Baltimore (MD)) didn’t play his best ball on Monday, but he’s a very capable player and did get going late in the workout. The lefty has a slight frame but a fairly mature body, is athletic and can shoot from long range, which he did very well in the final pickup game of the day.
Kyle Tazoli (6’6″ Sr. SF, Winter Park (FL)) is another who got off to a fast start before fading later in the workout. Smith says he has been better than expected, and he certainly has some potential as he has a good body and is a plus athlete with a nice feel for the game. He also showed some defensive ability on the ball.
The sleeper contributor may be Jared Fahmy (6’7″ So. SF, Bedford (NH)), who had a nice day shooting the ball from long range. His upper body isn’t there yet, but he has a good frame and shot well when he got a good look. On a team loaded with good talent, he can find a spot contributing as a complementary player.
The team’s two main post players are both from north of the border, and both are good ones. Maurice Walker (6’10” Sr. PF-C, Toronto (Ontario)) has a big body but moves very well and had an excellent workout. He can be a load to handle inside, as he has good post scoring ability and got his share of stickbacks and used his left (off) hand a few times on post moves. He also showed a mid-range touch on a couple of jumpers, and if he improves his conditioning his ceiling only goes up.
Richard Peters (6’10” So. PF-C, Pickering (Ontario)) is the big “potential” player on the team. Already committed to Oklahoma, Peters played in the Jordan Brand Classic International Game in April and was one of the best players in it. The lefty is a plus athlete with deceptive length and a body that’s not fully mature yet. While he can take a defender off the dribble, it’s not his forte and he was much better scoring near the basket on Monday, as he couldn’t buy a basket when shooting from outside. He will certainly contribute to this season’s team, but his best basketball will be played later on.
Brewster will be tested this year as usual, especially within Class A. They play several teams only on the road and no one only at home as of now as the schedule is being finalized. But this is a confident group with talent that includes an improving floor leader and lots of options at the wing positions to go with their post players. As has been the case in recent years, this team should be right in the thick of the Class A race come the month of March.
