AMHERST, Mass. – Sunday was playoff day at the Hall of Fame Spring Classic in western Massachusetts. The event was spread out in a few different areas, with Amherst College being the preferred destination since the 17-under playoff rounds were being played there.
The 17-under Gold championship was a thriller that came right down to the buzzer. It was tight for much of the first half, before the Long Island Lightning grabbed the momentum to take a 37-30 halftime lead over the Connecticut Basketball Club. The Lightning would extend the lead into double digits before a furious rally by CBC, who eventually took the lead before a few killer turnovers late. With the game still tied at 74, the Lightning got a runner from Kareem Canty (6’0” Jr. PG, Brooklyn (NY) Bishop Loughlin HS) just before the buzzer to take home a 76-74 win, handing CBC just its second loss of the spring. Canty finished with 19 points to lead the Lightning, while Andre Drummond (6’10” So. PF-C, Middletown (CT) St. Thomas More) led CBC with a game-high 25 points.
Now, a look at some of the players we saw on Sunday.
Tavon Allen (6’7” Sr. SF, New Haven (CT) Hillhouse HS) Continuing a good spring, he continued to show his great ability to make long jumpers with his left hand and a variety of shots with his right hand. On one play, he caught the ball and made a right-handed baseline jump hook, and later a right-handed jumper going off the dribble, in addition to his assortment of runners and three-point shots. He went for 25 points in the quarterfinal win and 21 more in the semifinal. Next year, he will be at Worcester Academy.
Mike Anderson (6’5” Sr. SF, Hartford (CT) Taag Academy) Athletic wing can score and shoot, evidenced by his touch from long range in a couple of games. But the numbers he put up were just decent and he looks capable of doing better, especially since he has good size as well. Low-major prospect.
Lester Anim (6’3” Sr. SG, West Haverstraw (NY) North Rockland HS) We saw him go for 22 points in a win for his team, knocking down four three-pointers and scoring on a nice baseline drive for another field goal. He’s a plus athlete and his body has a little bit to go before it’s fully mature, so there’s certainly some upside. It wouldn’t be shocking if a low-level Division I program took a flyer on him.
John Brown (6’6” Sr. SF-PF, Cleveland (OH) Ginn Academy) He certainly passes the look test, as he has good size, a good body and is a plus athlete. He also had a couple of big scoring games on Sunday, going for 32 in one and 23 in another. He also rebounded well, including at the offensive end, and knocked down at least one three-pointer although that’s clearly not his forte. But he also isn’t the most fluid, has a shaky dribble and questionable hands, and isn’t exceedingly good at any one thing. He said he will play college ball next year instead of prep school, and is currently getting Division III interest, but looks like he might be good enough for a program a little higher to take a chance on him.
Kareem Canty (6’0” Jr. PG, Brooklyn (NY) Bishop Loughlin HS) It seems he’s developing a knack for making buzzer-beaters, as he did that during the school year as well as in the title game here. His body’s not there yet and he’s not a true point guard, but he drove well and scored often with some quickness, scoring often on runners, and he did show a little range on his jump shot along the way.
Mike Deffley (6’0” Jr. SG, South Windsor (CT) Kingswood Oxford HS) There was a stretch in the second half of his team’s semifinal loss where it seemed like he didn’t miss. In going for 32 points in the game, he hit six three-pointers, many of which came in the second half as he got hot and carried his team for a time. He also showed a touch from mid-range off the dribble and isn’t a bad athlete.
Andre Drummond (6’10” So. PF-C, Middletown (CT) St. Thomas More) Although he’s not at the level he was at last summer, he’s getting better each week and moving closer to that level. He rebounded and led the break, blocked some shots, scored inside, and generally looked more athletic than he has in the last few months. He dominated the championship game for a stretch, including one play where he stole the ball, took it in for a layup and got fouled. On the down side, on several occasions he got the ball inside and either traveled to start his post move or dribbled into a position where he had to either pass or put up a tough, off-balance shot, and he usually opted for the latter. Still, there’s not much to complain about as there has been steady progress.
Pat Forsythe (6’0” Jr. C, Brunswick (OH) High) Lefty post player isn’t going to jump out at you but looks to be on the prospect side of the project/prospect line. He has a more developed lower body than upper body, with decent fundamentals that could improve with more work. His basketball I.Q. is not stellar, but he was generally effective and isn’t entirely lacking in offensive ability.
Phil Gaetano (5’11” Sr. PG, Wallingford (CT) Sheehan HS) Simply put, he finds teammates in all kinds of spots on the court and gets them the ball. The consummate pass-first floor leader isn’t blessed with a lot of physical gifts, but he has a solid basketball I.Q. and will look to score enough to keep a defense honest. Next year, he will do a post-graduate year at Choate Rosemary Hall.
Derrick Gordon (6’4” Jr. SG, Elizabeth (NJ) St. Patrick’s HS) Well-built guard won’t wow you, but he’s effective and helped his team to the title. More of a scorer than a shooter, he scored 19 in the semifinal win without a three-pointer and added 13 in the final. He’s not the most physically gifted and doesn’t put up huge numbers, but he’s effective and he wins.
Brendan Griffin (6’7” Jr. PF, Suffern (NY) Don Bosco HS) Thick post player moves reasonably well but didn’t get up and down the floor at a good pace, largely because he’s carrying some bad weight. He’s not lacking scoring ability, as he got a few post field goals and a short jumper, so if he can shed some of the bad weight he may be a scholarship-level prospect.
Cyrus James (6’8” Jr. PF, East Hartford (CT) Cheney Tech) A long post player with a little bit of physical maturity, he was a role player on his team inside. Though he went for 10 points, offense wasn’t what they looked for from him, and he appears to be very much a “potential” player right now.
Riley Kirsch (6’5” Jr. SF-PF, Madison (CT) Hand HS) Active lefty was around the ball often but struggled to make shots. He looks more like an undersized 4-3 combo forward, as he didn’t shoot well and isn’t the most athletic player. His body isn’t there yet and he got some rebounds from being active, so there is some value and he could pan out as a scholarship-level player.
Ricardo Ledo (6’6” So. SG-SF, Providence (RI) St. Andrew’s School) One of the best players around this spring, he started off well in his team’s quarterfinal loss as he was competing and finishing early. He knocked down a couple of three-point shots and looked like he has often this spring, before he and his team were basically shut down in the second half.
Tylon Smith, Jr. (6’2” Jr. SG, Manchester (CT) Kingswood Oxford HS) A guard with a mature body, the one word that comes to mind is scorer. He drove to the basket all day, and at times couldn’t be stopped, although he’s not the quickest guard. He went for 21 points in the quarterfinals and had a dozen in his team’s semifinal loss.
Freddie Wilson (6’2” Jr. SG, New Haven (CT) Hillhouse HS) It wasn’t hard to tell he was playing his first competitive basketball in a few weeks, as our first look at him wasn’t a good one although he has a solid reputation. His jump shots weren’t going and at times he looked selfish, opting to take tough shots instead of finding an open teammate on the break. It wasn’t all bad, as he helped lead a late rally in the title game, but all in all it wasn’t the best first impression.
