As we reach the busy recruiting month of July, it’s time to take a look at some quick hitters. Some of this is playing catch-up, but better late than never.
Also, a word on my upcoming schedule. I’ll have something on Wednesday night’s action at Hoop Mountain Super Week II, then I’ll be in Philadelphia for the last two days of the Reebok Breakout Challenge and in Springfield, Mass. for the first day of the Hall of Fame National Invitational. Later next week, I’ll have something from checking out some evening sessions of Hoop Mountain’s Academic All-America Camp.
Now, on with the quick hitters.
- On June 15, Bay State Magic hosted a college night along with a couple of other programs at Brandeis College. The event attracted a good number of Division II and III coaches to check out some good talent. Among the players who stood out were Carlos Bermudez (5’5″ Jr. PG, Roxbury (MA) Cathedral HS), a diminutive but fearless point guard who drove right at the big men and scored, while also taking contact all night; Shyheim Davis (Jr. SG, Boston (MA) Needham HS), who attacked the hoop often to score, finished with the left hand and showed a little range on the jumper; Sayvon Houston (6’8″ Jr. PF, Brockton (MA) High), who has a good body, got in the action for stickbacks and showed enough tools offensively to be an intriguing prospect; Kyle Lawyer (6’2″ Jr. SG, Hyde Park (MA) Cathedral HS), an athletic wing who finished the break well, drove to score and still has some physical maturity to come; and Trevon Moore (6’0″ Jr. PG-SG, East Boston (MA) High), an athletic guard who showed good end-to-end speed and finished well on the break.
- Also noteworthy from that night: K.J. Baptiste (6’4″ So. SF, Wareham (MA) Wilbraham & Monson Academy); Daniel Curtis (Jr. PF, Milton (MA) Boston College HS); Sevon Edwards-Gold (Jr. SF, Brockton (MA) Southeastern HS); Brendan Fowler (Jr. PF, North Attleboro (MA) Bishop Feehan HS); Nelson Gonzalez (5’10” Jr. PG, Roslindale (MA) Shenandoah Valley Academy); Curtis Howe (5’9″ Jr. PG, Roxbury (MA) Cathedral HS); Dakym Murray (6’5″ Jr. PF, Mattapan (MA) Madison Park HS); Dan Powers (Jr. SG, Westwood (MA) Catholic Memorial HS).
- In the last month, a couple of prep schools in NEPSAC Class AA ranks have seen a coaching change, and in each case an assistant has taken over. Ed Reilly stepped away from running the show at Worcester Academy and will now stay on as athletic director, with the program now in Jamie Sullivan’s hands. More recently, Brimmer & May saw Greg Kristof move on in part to spend more time with his business, and Tom Nelson now takes over. The landscape in Class AA is even more highly competitive than the old Class B used to be, and that was illustrated this past season. Sullivan and Nelson will go right to work now that they are running the show.
- Hoop Mountain’s Super Week I is always a warm-up for the Super Week II a week later, and this year was perhaps a little less so due to the latter event not being certified by the NCAA. Still, Super Week I had some good talent in the mix, like the always-hard-working Anthony Barry (6’3″ Jr. SG, Milford (MA) Brooks School), a big man prospect in Ben Freeland (6’10” Jr. C, Santa Rosas (CA) Suffield Academy), athletic guard Mike Mallory (6’0″ Jr. SG, Waterbury (CT) Holy Cross HS), another underrated athletic guard in Matt Mobley (6’1″ Jr. SG, Worcester (MA) St. Peter Marian HS), and a solid glue guy in Kyle Reardon (6’4″ Jr. SF, Salem (MA) Rivers School).
