CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – It’s a new year and a new look for the Brimmer & May School. Last season’s team made it to the semifinals of NEPSAC Class B before bowing out, certainly not a bad run for a team in its first year there and that two years earlier was in Class D. If this season’s team is to make a similar run, they will have to do it differently.
Gone from last season’s team is Kyle Casey, now a member of the Harvard Crimson. While he will be missed because of his talent as well as charisma, the biggest reason they miss him might be the fact that they don’t have a player like him even at a lesser talent level. Greg Kristof’s team is full of guards and wings, and that means more running is in store for this team.
No one will benefit more from that than a newcomer to the team, Chris Sherwood (6’4″ Jr. SF, Sharon (MA)). A terrific athlete, Sherwood was one of the better players in the state during the spring and summer, and even an injury along the way couldn’t derail that. He’s a consistent jump shot away from seeing his recruitment go even higher, and on Thursday there were signs of progress in that department as he shot well in drills and made a nice shot going to his left off the dribble. His body is getting more mature and he’s not losing any athleticism adjusting to it.
It might seem like he’s been on the team forever, but Derek Retos (5’9″ Sr. SG, Attleboro (MA)) has only been there since the eighth grade. Known for his jump shot all along, he hit several from deep on Thursday, a couple of times with a defender on him, continuing where he left off in the spring and summer as he was once again shooting lights out after a slump during some of the school season. He also used a nice hesitation to get an opening into which he drove and scored, and made a nice pass on the go another time.
How’s this for a head-scratcher: the senior who is already well over 1,000 career points doesn’t have a single college scholarship offer to this point. Yes, he’s an under-sized shooting guard. Yes, he’s not very athletic. Yes, he’s not an all-world defender in part because of his size. But surely someone even in Division II or III must have a place for a shot-maker like him, especially since you’re not going to find a better kid as well. He has interest from schools in just about every conference that has a member school in New England, but the offers are elusive.
Eric Alleyne (6’0″ Sr. PG, Newton (MA)) was under the weather on Thursday, which helps explain why he had his moments but overall didn’t have his best day. His best asset is that he loves contact and will constantly initiate it when he drives to the basket, as the lefty will draw his fair share of fouls and can finish with contact. He had some good moments shooting the ball in drills, then was just okay once game action began, but once he’s healthy he will be better. He could potentially play at the lowest level of Division I and should get plenty of Division II interest.
The X-factor for this team is likely Troy Robinson (6’5″ Sr. SF-PF, Boston (MA)), who returns for his second year. Well-built with a mature body, Robinson is lacking consistency and not talent. He has tools like being able to handle the ball, making shots and getting to the basket, the last of which he showed nicely on one play where he used a good ball fake to lead to a driving layup. On the other hand, his dribble is shaky, he tends to settle for some shots, and can play careless basketball at times, illustrated once on Thursday where he made a careless pass that was stolen and led to a breakaway layup. Perhaps the best summary is that he doesn’t have an identity as a player; there isn’t one thing he can hang his hat on as he does several things a little better than average but nothing much better than that. That might change now that more will be needed from him this year.
Another newcomer who will get minutes right away is Jared Fay (6’3″ Jr. SG, Lynn (MA)). Fay comes over from Lynn Classical High School and will repeat his junior year. On Thursday showed his ability to catch and shoot, along with deceptive athleticism. He figures to at first be a glue guy on this team.
His younger brother, Jake Fay (6’2″ Fr. SG, Lynn (MA)) has good upside and will work his way into the lineup this year, although bigger minutes will come later. He has some length and can shoot just like his brother, and his baby face shows that he’s far from being done growing physically.
Another X-factor for this team could be Oliver Nazon (6’4″ Jr. SG-SF). Long and a baby physically, he’s perhaps the best example of an upside player on this team. He showed some ball skills on a few plays and finished a nice give and go one time, but it’s clear he’s not going to be one of the top two or three contributors. With the relative lack of size, he may even play a little out of position.
This year’s team has a different look, but they can’t be counted in Class B, where there isn’t a clear favorite. The three seniors are all playing with their college future on the line, which will be one more motivator, although that can also work the other way as players in those circumstances can become selfish. The bet here is that it will be a positive motivator, especially since all three seniors have experienced winning in their career at the school and none of them are selfish by nature. If the newcomers inject the talent they appear ready to, they might surprise a few people along the way.
