MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The second half of the busy weekend of basketball took place at Wesleyan University, the main site of the Hall of Fame New England Invitational. There, teams largely from the northeast competed over two days in front of college coaches, including some from the Division I ranks.
Because of NCAA rules regarding the number of games a team may play in a sanctioned event, there was no true champion in the 17-under age group. The two teams left standing in the Platinum bracket were Connecticut Basketball Club and the New Jersey Pirates. A few teams bounced back from an early loss to play to the end in consolation brackets, such as another CBC team, Maine Athletic Club, NYC Jaguars, Rhode Island Hawks and Riverside Hawks.
Here’s a look at some players who stood out on Sunday.
Isaiah Bess (6’5″ Jr. SG-SF, Lagrange (ME) Penquis Valley HS) This athletic wing impressed last July and looks to be continuing, as he still has plenty of upside and seems to be only scratching the surface of what he can become. He has a good frame and fought for the ball inside at times, while offensively showing a touch from long range although he was a bit streaky on the day.
Paschal Chukwu (7’0″ Jr. C, Westport (CT) Fairfield Prep) The big man’s body is maturing and so is his game, although there are some areas for concern. At times you get the sense that the game could move too fast for him at the next level, but he’s a solid shot-blocker inside and the offense is showing little signs of progress in addition to running the floor for the occasional dunk.
Dustin Cole (5’10” Jr. PG, Standish (ME) Bonny Eagle HS) A small point guard with a slight frame, he makes his mark as much with his long range shooting as anything, although he battles and plays well within the pace his team tries to play. He went for 23 points in a late game on Sunday, and later had a nice shot from the top of the key with a man right on him.
Calvin Crawford (6’8″ Sr. SF, Montgomery (NY) Valley Central HS) A year ago, he was a very intriguing prospect at this event given his length and offensive skills. The length and good frame are both still there, but the skill package doesn’t appear to have changed much. Since he played in 16-under last year, he’s a young senior, so one could imagine prep school being in his future.
Gerrel Irvin (6’7″ Sr. SF-PF, Bay Shore (NY) High) A team still looking for a forward to add for next season might want to give him a look based on his play in a late game. Looking like more of a power forward, he has a good body and is a plus athlete for the position and played a solid all-around game, scoring 11 points and showing a touch from mid-range.
Kealen Ives (5’9″ Jr. PG, Providence (RI) Classical HS) A baby physically, he ran the point for his team but partly made his mark with his three-point shooting. He hit several from long range to key a victory for his team late on Sunday while getting others going as the floor general.
Grant Mackay (6’7″ Sr. PF, Princeton (NJ) Hun School) Fundamentally sound, he impressed with his skill set and feel for the game. His body can still mature more and he has a good frame, and offensively he’s not lacking athleticism and a couple of times did a nice job of facing the basket and making passes to backdoor cutters for layups.
Michael McDevitt (6’8″ Jr. PF-C, Cumberland (ME) Greely HS) A post player with a good frame and a body that can still mature, he didn’t get a lot of good offensive chances, so he’s something of an unknown at that end of the floor. He was a presence for his team inside and helped them make a run in a consolation bracket.
Ian Sistare (6’3″ Fr. SG, Northfield (MA) Mount Hermon) Still a baby physically, his shooting will get him attention as it’s the main thing he does and he does it well. Here he did so a few times from the corner in helping his team make a run on Sunday.
Jack Simonds (6’3″ So. SG, Falmouth (ME) High) A lefty wing with a good frame, he’s been on the radar for a while now and appears to be getting into form as primarily a shooter. He scored all nine of his points in one game on three-pointers off the catch, but he’s also shown he can do a little more.
Eric Stafford (6’5″ Jr. SF, Pitman (NJ) High) A nice wing prospect, he has a thin upper body and clearly needs to gain strength. If he does that, he has a chance given what appears to be a good skill package, although he also forced up a couple of bad shots on the day.
Dominique Uhl (6’8″ Jr. SF-PF, Lavalette (NJ) Point Pleasant Beach HS) One of the more intriguing prospects here, he has a good frame and a thin upper body right now but good size for some of the skills he showed. He showed some ball skills and a little touch from long range, and might be a combo forward down the road.
