MANSFIELD, Mass. – After being held at Boston University for the entirety of its existence, the New England Elite 75 Frosh/Soph Edition moved south to the Mansfield Sportsplex this year. Well over 200 players competed in the event, with freshmen playing in the morning session and sophomores in the afternoon.
The freshmen competed well during their time. Unfortunately, although the sophomores had better talent overall (owed in part to being more of a known quantity than the freshmen), they didn’t play as well. In one game, a number of possessions between the two teams saw two and three players not even attempting to get back on defense. To say they were making a mockery of the game would be generous.
Here is a look at some of the talent that competed in the event.
Kobe Ancrum (6’1″ Fr. SG, Bridgeport (CT) Bassick HS) Athletic guard has some length and a body that’s not done developing yet. He finished well and looked better later in the event than early on.
Brian Assie (6’5″ Fr. SF-PF, Trumbull (CT) St. Joseph’s HS) The younger brother of Oscar, who is doing a post-graduate year, he has a good body for his age and was an active presence. While he didn’t stand out in a big way, he showed enough to warrant further looks as his high school career goes on.
Brandon Aughburns (6’7″ Fr. SF-PF, New Milford (CT) Canterbury School) A talented forward, he’s long and showed some good scoring ability. While his ball skills will need upgrading to be a wing, he hit from mid-range a few times including off the dribble, and also got in close for some field goals as well.
Djery Baptiste (6’10” Fr. PF-C, Wilbraham (MA) Wilbraham & Monson Academy) The native of Haiti hasn’t been in the country long, but he has no shortage of potential. Very long, he blocked a lot of shots, including a chase down on the fast break, and while he’s raw on offense he’s actually better there than one might expect. The best thing of all is that he competes, as he ran the floor, moved well laterally and appears to have enough of a motor and a feel for the game to be a solid post prospect.
Kahari Beaufort (6’2″ So. SG, East Hartford (CT) High) He showed here what he’s shown before: he’s an athletic scoring wing, and besides scoring the way a wing usually does he also got inside for a couple of stickbacks.
Patrick Benzan (5’11” So. PG, Wellesley (MA) Roxbury Latin School) A solid point guard, he did a nice job of finding guys at the offensive end, including from driving and dishing. One time when he got to the basket, he headed to the right side when he should have used the left side instead.
Greg Bridges (5’8″ Fr. PG, Boston (MA) New Mission School) A small but talented guard, he grabbed a good deal of attention. While he’s effective at driving and dishing, and showed the ability to go around a screen and hit a pull-up jumper, the best part of his game seems to be his ability use fakes. On the down side, one time he fell asleep on an inbounds pass and allowed an easy basket.
A.J. Brodeur (6’6″ Fr. PF, Southboro (MA) Algonquin Regional HS) While he mainly blended in here, he showed he can run the floor and is also fundamentally sound. He also has some length, and if he grows more he’ll be an even better prospect
Paschal Chukwu (7’1″ So. C, Stamford (CT) Trinity Catholic HS) A long post player, he wasn’t a huge factor despite his size. Part of that comes from being raw offensively and part of it comes from the fact that he needs to gain strength. One positive is that he appears to have the frame to carry more good weight.
Matt Cimino (6’9″ So. PF, Falmouth (ME) Worcester Academy) Lanky forward was very active and ran the floor well. He got his share of rebounds from being active and also blocked a few shots, and while he didn’t do much work inside at the offensive end he did knock down a three-pointer.
Trevor Dow (6’7″ So. PF, Needham (MA) High) A lanky post player with a thin upper body, he’s fundamentally sound and had a nice spring playing for his travel team. Here, he showed more of what he did previously, also knocking down a mid-range jumper. As his body matures, he has a chance to become a force inside.
Chancellor Ellis (6’4″ Fr. SG-SF, Pomfret (CT) Rectory School) Not a baby physically, he has a reasonably good perimeter game that was on display here. He hit his share of three-pointers, and although his body might suggest he be more of an undersized post since he’s not the most athletic player, he looks to have the skill package for the perimeter. One area for improvement is the decisions he makes with the ball, as some of them were questionable.
Randy Glenn (5’11” Fr. PG, Boston (MA) New Mission School) Lefty guard doesn’t appear to have quite the potential of his school teammate in the backcourt but held his own here. He hit a tough runner going to his left and also made a nice lead pass on one play.
Jonathan Joseph (5’9″ Fr. PG, Brockton (MA) Putnam Science Academy) Small but quick point guard was the kind of sparkplug that he often was for BABC this spring and summer. He found guys all day, especially when leading the break, and at times he was almost too unselfish as he passed up a couple of clear shots in close to pass the ball. While guards who look to pass in these events are few and far between, sometimes a guard has to take the shot.
Devin Marsh (6’7″ Fr. SF-PF, Simsbury (CT) The Masters School) A forward with some length, he doesn’t appear to have a clear position at the moment but isn’t lacking in potential. His stroke isn’t bad and he started making shots later in the stations, and he also made a chase-down block to show his hustle and got a stickback on another trip.
Malcolm Martin (6’4″ So. PF, Boston (MA) New Mission School) Although he has a big body and clearly needs to lose more weight (he’s already lost a good deal since the end of the last high school season), he moves it well inside. He can be a bull in the post and competes, and that helps him despite the lack of athleticism that hinders him inside.
Collin McManus (6’9″ So. PF-C, Bedford (NH) High) Post player has a good frame that gives him a chance inside, especially as his body matures. He wasn’t a bad presence defensively, but offensively he had his struggles, missing several close shots that he got.
Ikenna Ndugba (5’7″ Fr. PG, Boston (MA) Latin School) Small point guard was able to drive often, though he missed a tough shot on one occasion that might have been made easier if he were a little taller. He showed a little range on the jumper, and if he grows he’ll have more of a chance at the next level.
Markus Neale (6’1″ So. PG-SG, West Roxbury (MA) High) While he’s shown himself to be a capable scorer, the big thing on display with him here is his jumper. He showed continuing improvement with it out to three-point range, and as he continues to work on that he’ll be tougher to guard, especially as his body continues to mature.
Ryan Noel (6’7″ Fr. PF, West Roxbury (MA) Roxbury Latin School) While his body has a little ways to go, he scored some close field goals at the offensive end. As his body develops, he could get better and become a better presence inside.
Sultan Olusekum (5’10” Fr. PG, Belmont (MA) Hill School) Although he’s not overly quick, he was one of the better point guards among the freshmen because he consistently found teammates with passes for scoring opportunities. He rode that into the all-star game, where he continued the good passing. Still a baby physically, this was a good showing for him.
Jarred Reuter (6’8″ Fr. PF, Rochester (MA) Tabor Academy) Now at a new school and in a better situation as he’s very close to home, he’s clearly getting into better shape and needs to keep that up. He’s well-built and can be tough inside at both ends, and he’s ahead of most in his class physically right now. On the down side, his jump shot looked almost like a set shot, which may be in part due to him not quite being back in the shape he was in before his injury last year.
Jordan Scurry (6’2″ Fr. SG, Beaver Country Day School) A solid guard with a good frame, he hit his share of shots and was active at both ends of the floor.
Jack Simonds (6’4″ Fr. SG, Falmouth (ME) High) One of the best wings here, the lefty is well-built and shot the ball well from long range on the day en route to the all-star game. He also scored some close field goals when he got inside, and overall played very well.
Jacquil Taylor (6’8″ So. PF, Cambridge (MA) Beaver Country Day School) The long lefty post player continued to show progress when he wasn’t straying away from the basket. He ran the floor well and also showed a good ability to pass out of the post when he needed to.
Noah Vonleh (6’7″ So. SF-PF, Haverhill (MA) New Hampton Prep) Possessing a good body, he’s trying to be more of a wing but still does most of his best work near the basket. He got a stickback dunk on one play, made a nice long outlet pass later, blocked a jumper and ran to the other end for a dunk, and rebounded well.
Isaiah Webb (5’4″ Fr. PG, Windsor (CT) High) Small point guard is athletic and mainly needs to grow. He showed a little range on his jumper and also made a nice steal and pass for a layup on the same play.
Jared Wilson-Frame (6’3″ So. SG, Windsor (CT) High) This well-built wing was the best player on the floor in a later game and may not be done growing yet as he wears at least a size 16 shoe. He’s a capable scorer, using his body to help near the basket, and showed a touch out to three-point range.
Nelson Zayas, Jr. (5’8″ So. PG, Springfield (MA) Sabis Charter School) Small point guard had some good moments in an early game, showing his good dribble and ability to penetrate. In addition, he made a three-pointer at the buzzer of one quarter and made a nice runner in the lane.
Other players who caught our attention:
Bruce Brown (6’3″ Fr. SG, Dorchester (MA) High)
Liam Bruno (6’2″ So. SG, Newton (MA) North HS)
Roy Kane (6’4″ Fr. SF-PF, Norwalk (CT) High)
Quincy McKnight (6’3″ So. SG, Trumbull (CT) St. Joseph’s HS)
Cameron Morin (6’3″ Fr. SG, Douglas (MA) High)
Brian Mukasa (5’10” So. PG, Sharon (MA) High)
Eric Price (6’4″ So. SF, Brockton (MA) High)
Chan Williams-Berry (Fr. SG-SF, New Haven (CT) Wilbur Cross HS)
Zaire Wilson (6’1″ Fr. SG, Norwalk (CT) High)
Jake Wisniewski (6’3″ Fr. SG, Warren (MA) Quaboag Regional HS)
