BOSTON – As they always do, Hoop Group came to Boston for one of its Elite Top 100 Camps on Saturday. Boston University was again the site for about 100 players to work out in front of some Division II and III coaches, and that’s about where a lot of the talent was. Hoop Group has now made these one-day events, holding two on a weekend at two different sites instead of one two-day event.
Here is a look at some of the players who stood out.
Malik Abu (6’5″ So. PF, Marblehead (MA) High) A plus athlete with a relatively mature body, he was active and in his share of plays. He’s not carrying all good weight, and may be done growing, but he had a good showing here.
Bobby Ahearn (6’5″ So. PF, Marshfield (MA) Marianapolis Prep) While he had some good moments here, is fundamentally sound and has a good feel for the game, his deficiencies were noticeable as well. Namely, he’s carrying some bad weight that he’ll need to shed, and he’s not very athletic to begin with. He also doesn’t have great ball skills, which won’t help if he doesn’t grow. The pluses are that he scored inside, knocked down a three-pointer as evidence he may be expanding his shooting range and was aggressive on defense.
Kaneeayl Davis (6’4″ Sr. SF, Philadelphia (PA) Germantown HS) He played inside in a later game, which means he played a little out of position. He has a mature body and some ball skills, although they looked a little shaky on a couple of plays, and made a tough left-handed layup on one play.
Curtis Howe (5’7″ Jr. PG, West Roxbury (MA) Cathedral HS) Though not very physically gifted, he’s fundamentally sound and capable of scoring. He scored several times on drives and showed, as he has before, that he has some range on his jumper.
Akosa Maduegbunam (6’3″ Jr. SG, Charlestown (MA) High) He’s always had the tools but not the consistency. If his play of late is any indication, he may be on his way to changing that as this was the latest example of him starting to get it together and show that he can play good basketball instead of just in spurts.
Will Roughan (6’8″ Sr. PF, Beverly (MA) Landmark School) There were few true post players at this event, and even fewer with the size to possibly play inside at the next level. He’s one of them, and while he has a thin upper body, he showed some fundamentals at the offensive end and added a stickback during one game.
Maurice Taylor (6’5″ Jr. SF, Cambridge (MA) Rindge & Latin School) Since he’s long and has a good body, he’s certainly not lacking physical gifts. But he doesn’t have a great motor and doesn’t make himself a factor on the court, and was no different here.
Victor Udoji (6’3″ So. SG, Dorchester (MA) Boston College HS) One of the better performers here, the lefty was very active and made things happen. He drove often, scoring on runners and finding teammates with passes, and making shots as far out as the three-point line. He’s still got a ways to go physically, so there’s some good upside.
Stanley Winn (5’9″ Jr. PG, East Boston (MA) High) In an early game, he was the best player on the floor as he was scoring and finding teammates on just about every possession. He did both while driving, made shots from mid-range and on one play made a long lead pass.
