NEWTON, Mass. – A busy stretch of basketball in Massachusetts ended with two days of the New England Basketball Academy holding an exposure event at Mount Ida College. Junior high players competed on Saturday before high school players took over the gym on Sunday for a few hours. While a majority on Sunday were freshmen, there were some upperclassmen as well.
Here is a look at a few players who stood out on Sunday.
Celio Araujo (Fr. PG, Boston (MA) Genesis Academy) He drove fearlessly all day and showed a little speed with the ball as well. Looking like more of a scorer than a shooter offensively, he showed that he can go left and competed at both ends of the floor.
Steve Carangelo (6’3″ Jr. SG, Lynnfield (MA) Rivers School) Lefty wing has a mature body and looked here a lot like he often does. He had some good moments where you think he can be a nice wing, including a touch from long range, but there were other moments when you see that he’s limited athletically and sometimes isn’t as effective as he should be. In the fall, he will repeat his junior year as he transfers to the Rivers School.
Marcus Faison (6’5″ Sr. SF-PF, Cambridge (MA) Rindge & Latin School) More of an undersized post player, the lefty did a lot of work inside both rebounding and defending, getting a few stickbacks at the offensive end along the way. He took contact well and was a constant presence, and one notable knock is that he might be a little too left-handed.
Zachary Gatterean (Sr. SF-PF Dorchester (MA) East Boston HS) A plus athlete with some length, he knocked down a three-pointer but that doesn’t appear to be his forte by a long shot. Instead, he scored more with short jumpers and close finishes, including a tough one in traffic on the break, and he later posted up and hit a jump hook. His body language wasn’t great and he seemed a bit easily rattled by his opponent early on.
Justin Leip (Fr. PG, Ashland (MA) Rivers School) The smallest player on the floor was one of the most effective on the day, as he showed a high basketball I.Q. and competed the entire time. He shot the ball well from long range and passed well as the floor leader, and even hit a nice floater in the lane one time. The big thing will be for him to grow physically and adapt his body to it over time.
Matt Locke (Fr. SF-PF, Hopkinton (MA) Rivers School) An incoming freshman, he showed a shooting touch out to long range and looks to be pretty quick off his feet, which will help him work inside if he grows more. A concern from here is that at times his body language wasn’t good when a play didn’t go well for him.
William Mark (Sr. SF, Dorchester (MA) East Boston HS) Arguably the best prospect at this event, he’s athletic and has a good frame to go along with some scoring ability at the offensive end. He drove to his left to score a couple of times and generally showed a nice in-between game, while he also showed that he could knock down a couple of mid-range jumpers.
Mike Nelson (Fr. PG-SG, Attleboro (MA) Bishop Feehan HS) He made his mark shooting from long range on the day. When he went off the dribble, he didn’t have as much success, although he did make a couple of drive-and-dish plays.
Omar Orriols (Sr. SG-SF, Charlestown (MA) High) Although talented, he’s not the most athletic player and he has had a relatively undistinguished career, with this weekend being no different. He can score by driving or by shooting, though he does neither exceedingly well, and here he was one of the oldest players so to some degree his good play was expected. He will likely change schools in the fall due to his age.
