BABC Wins Two at Hall of Fame New England Championships

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Wesleyan University was home to the Hall of Fame New England Championships this weekend. The playoff rounds in the high school divisions took place on Sunday, when we got a look at the talent on hand. In the younger age groups, a familiar team came out on top.

The 15-under final was a back-and-forth game for a while, with Expressions Elite having the lead early before BABC grabbed the momentum later in the half and had a 24-21 edge at the break. Expressions Elite stayed close for some of the second half, but BABC was able to put them away with a late run, winning 67-49 in a game that was a little closer than the final score indicates. Damion Smith (6’1″ Fr. SG, West Roxbury (MA) High) led BABC with 11 points, while Tyree Robinson (6’5″ Fr. SF-PF, Fall River (MA) Putnam Science Academy) and Jonathan Joseph (5’9″ Fr. PG, Brockton (MA) Southeastern Regional Voc. Tech) each added 10.

The 16-under final was no contest after the early going. BABC ran out to a 15-5 lead on Mass Rivals, before a 6-0 run made it a ballgame. BABC then finished the half on a 29-6 run and cruised in the second half to a 60-25 romp. Wayne Selden (6’3″ Fr. SG, Roxbury (MA) Tilton School) led the winners with 19 points.

New Heights won the 17-under final in a romp over Connecticut Select, giving them their second tournament title in three weeks.

Now, a look at some of the players we saw on Sunday.

Devon Anderson (6’6″ Jr. SF-PF, New York (NY) Stevenson HS) Athletic forward has a thin upper body and played better than his numbers suggest. While he didn’t put up big scoring numbers, his ball skills, transition opportunities and stickbacks here are all good things for playing a forward spot.

Oscar Assie (6’5″ Sr. SF-PF, Trumbull (CT) St. Joseph’s HS) Active forward has a good body and was a fine complementary player in helping his team reach the title game. He won’t bowl you over with athleticism or skills, but he’s not lacking either, and he had 17 points in one game. Next year, he will prep at an as-yet undetermined school.

Zach Auguste (6’9″ Jr. SF-PF, Marlboro (MA) New Hampton School) He’s starting to fill out more and has retained his athleticism, although he could still stand to be a little tougher. In particular, he wasn’t ball-tough a few times and lost it too easily. High-major minus prospect.

Jaylen Brantley (5’9″ So. PG, Springfield (MA) Wilbraham & Monson Academy) He didn’t get many driving chances, but he still ran the team as efficiently as he usually does and made the most of the chances he got to shoot it from long range. Included was a 16-point outing with four three-pointers in his team’s semifinal win.

Alec Brennan (6’8″ Fr. PF, Weston (MA) Milton Academy) At first, he’ll grab your attention with his length and upside, as his body has a ways to go. But he was also a non-factor at both ends of the floor, so at this point he’s very much a “potential” player.

Rohan Brown (6’5″ Sr. SF-PF, Hartford (CT) East Catholic) Improving forward has a mature body and scored in double digits a couple of times in helping his team reach the title game. His ball skills could still improve more for the wing, but he ran the floor all day and continues to finish well, and he was the recipient of a couple of long passes from a teammate. Next year, he will prep at Choate Rosemary Hall.

Rene Castro (6’1″ So. SG, Milton (MA) Beaver Country Day School) What was most impressive about him here is that he got a good read on his opponent in the title game and used it to his advantage. Not only was he constantly scoring off the bounce and finishing the break, but he got in his opponent’s head with a little physical play and by constantly attacking to draw fouls.

Andrew Chrabascz (6’6″ So. SF-PF, Portsmouth (RI) Cushing Academy) There aren’t many who play within the team concept the way he does, but this time around he had some good numbers. He led his team with 19 points in the semifinal game, and he scored in several ways, including one time where he got the ball on the elbow and found a gap that he sliced right through for a layup.

Drew Crudup (6’1″ Sr. SG, New Haven (CT) Hillhouse HS) Very athletic guard has a good body and can finish near the basket, and he tried to dunk when the opportunity was there. He gets some good lift on his jumper, although he’s more of a scorer than a shooter. Next year, he will prep at Lee Academy.

Kahlil Dukes (5’11” So. PG, Hartford (CT) Capital Prep) A good scoring guard, he had a couple of big games with his jumper going. He scored 19 in one game with three three-pointers, and had 27 later with six shots going in from behind the arc.

Kris Hargraves (6’1″ Jr. PG-SG, Teaneck (NJ) High) Scoring guard has a good frame and looked like more of a scorer than a playmaker. He scored 13 points in one game and added 17 in a losing effort, scoring at times in transition and going to the basket.

Kuran Iverson (6’8″ So. SF-PF, Hartford (CT) Northwest Catholic HS) For all his talent, he can be a little on the “feast or famine” side, and fortunately, it was the good side that showed up here. He was mainly a driver, getting to the basket and also finding open teammates on the move, instead of settling for three-pointers as he too often does. He made a couple of long passes and also had a play where he posted up and got an interior assist, to go with scoring 15 in an early game and 25 in his team’s semifinal win.

Kaleb Joseph (6’2″ So. PG, Nashua (NH) Cushing Academy) While his body is showing some development and he may not be done growing yet, his play here showed that he needs some work on the defensive end. Offensively, he was fine, making some long lead passes and continuing to show improvement shooting the ball. At the defensive end, all too often he had at least a hand on his man and he fouled a little too often.

Zach Lewis (6’1″ So. PG, Hartford (CT) Northwest Catholic HS) Still a baby physically, he was a facilitator here after being more of a scorer in the past. He created often, at times driving and dishing successfully, although he didn’t look overly quick and needs to gain strength.

Akosa Maduegbunam (6’3″ Jr. SG, Charlestown (MA) High) His play has become more consistent of late, largely because his effort has been better. Here, he started slowly in a Sunday game, as his jumpers were not going early. But after a couple of close baskets, the jumper went a couple of times later en route to 13 points.

Tyler McFarland (6’6″ Sr. SF-PF, Rockport (ME) Camden Hills HS) An unspectacular forward, he has a mature body and has the look of a solid glue guy-type. He can play some of both forward spots, and while he won’t bowl you over with strength or athleticism, he’s a good contributor with a good skill level. A post-graduate year at Cushing Academy beckons for him.

Jeremy Miller (6’9″ Fr. PF-C, Milton (MA) High) His length will certainly grab one’s attention, and understandably so, especially if you see him block shots or get stickbacks, as he’s done at times. But he also doesn’t box out well and doesn’t always play with a competitive motor inside, and that will limit how much of his potential he reaches.

Ike Ngwudo (6’5″ So. SF, Milton (MA) Academy) Hard-working player is trying to transition from being a combo forward to a wing, and you can see there’s some growing pains right now. His body is developing and he can rebound, but his ball skills and use of fakes have a ways to go at the moment. With his work ethic, there’s reason to believe he can make the transition, just not instantly.

Zuri Pavlin (6’5″ Jr. SF, New York (NY) The Calhoun School) Lefty wing has a decent frame and a body that still has some maturing to come. A complementary player, his skill package looked good at times, and he showed he can finish while getting fouled.

Ben Pollack (6’6″ Jr. PF, Farmington (CT) High) Undersized power forward has a mature body and does his work inside. He was effective on the glass and wasn’t a big offensive force, and while his hands are okay he didn’t handle every pass or rebound cleanly.

John Powell (6’7″ So. PF, Ashland (MA) Brimmer & May) Long left-handed forward appears to be improving his ball skills more and may be in the process of transitioning to the wing. He drove and got fouled, even finishing while that happened, a good sign because he hasn’t always finished well.

Tyree Robinson (6’5″ Fr. SF-PF, Fall River (MA) Putnam Science Academy) Very intense forward has the size of a wing but generally assumes a post position for his team, where he has been effective. He’s athletic enough to one day play on the wing, and right now he uses that to his advantage against less athletic post players when matched up against them. Right now, he doesn’t have a clear position at the next level, but it’s still early.

Wayne Selden (6’3″ Fr. SG, Roxbury (MA) Tilton School) Athletic guard is off to a good start this spring, and continued it here. He’s shifty when driving and appears to be shooting better, but the most important thing is that he’s been competing with more of a killer instinct. That hasn’t always been there, and when it hasn’t his undeniable talents don’t shine through like they have lately.

Terry Tarpey (6’5″ Jr. SF-PF, Fairfield (CT) Prep) Don’t let his thin upper body fool you: he has a motor that’s always going and makes a lot of plays, and plays a little bigger than his size. He blocked shots and ran the floor often, scoring in transition en route to two 18-point outings, and effort is never a concern. The only issue is that he doesn’t have a clear position between the two forward spots.

Johnnie Vassar (5’9″ Fr. PG, Chicago (IL) Lawrence Academy) Lefty floor leader did a nice job running the show for the 15-under champions. He was able to drive and dish effectively and also made a nice long lead pass on one play, and while he didn’t score much he did knock down a shot from deep to keep the defense honest.

Noah Vonleh (6’6″ So. SF-PF, Haverhill (MA) High) We finally got another look at him, as it had been a while, and the result is mixed. The motor didn’t seem to be there like before, although he has some length and a reasonably developed lower body, but he also has a slight frame. He showed a nice ability to score inside, but offensively there wasn’t much else and he looked like a tweener. Having seen him look like a prospect before, he’ll be worth seeing again.

Austin Woods (6’7″ So. PF, Milford (CT) Foran HS) Solid post player is active and fundamentally sound inside, and also ran the floor well. He gets good position inside and has moves to score, while also being able to hit from mid-range while facing the basket.