WORCESTER, Mass. – The month of July got going with the New England Elite 75 on Monday afternoon at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Annually an event with some of the best talent in New England, the event was a much better showcase this year than last. Whereas last year many of the kids played like they were trying to amass highlight reels, this time around the kids played like they respected the event, and the end result was better basketball. That also made player evaluation easier.
With that in mind, we take a look at some of the talent that competed on Monday.
A.J. Brodeur (6’7″ So. PF, Southboro (MA) Northfield Mount Hermon) He might have been the best post player on the day, as he really defended during the drills with opponents rarely scoring on him, then showed his array of offensive tools from a mid-range jumper to a jump hook. His body still has some development ahead and he looked good on the glass, so there’s a bright future ahead for him.
Bruce Brown (6’3″ So. SG, Dorchester (MA) Vermont Academy) Known more as a slasher, this athletic guard showed a little more of a shooting touch than normal. His body still has a ways to go, and as that develops he should become an even better scorer.
Jesse Bunting (6’8″ Jr. PF, Plymouth (MA) Tabor Academy) It’s easy for him to be missed on his loaded travel team, but he could be ready to break out before long. A plus athlete for the power forward spot, he has a good body and will take contact, and there’s no question about his effort.
Aaron Calixte (5’11” Sr. PG, Stoughton (MA) Lee Academy) His body still has a ways to go, but he impressed here with his aggressiveness at both ends and some three-point shooting. He’s always had the potential to be a pest defensively, and he showed it here for stretches.
Nick Cambio (6’6″ Sr. PF, Tewksbury (MA) Central Catholic HS) He flew under the radar and has all spring, but the big thing he did here was rebound. He was active on the glass at both ends, and while he didn’t do much offensively he isn’t usually called upon to be a big scorer.
Bonzie Colson, Jr. (6′5” Sr. SF-PF, New Bedford (MA) St. Andrew’s School) The more you watch him play, the more you get impressed by his feel for the game, wide skill set and the fact that his body can still develop more. He’s consistently improved his conditioning as a high school player, and while he doesn’t do any one thing exceedingly well he does a lot of things to help a team win.
Daquon Ervin (5’11” Jr. PG, Brooklyn (NY) Northfield Mount Hermon) His body still has a ways to go, but he’s come a long way since he first arrived on campus last fall. He grew to help his team to a prep national championship, and on Monday he continued to get better.
Levy Gillespie, Jr. (6’3″ Sr. PG-SG, Meriden (CT) Capital Prep Magnet School) If you’re looking for physical gifts, you won’t find them here as he’s not jet-quick or a great athlete, and he’s not overwhelmingly strong. What you will find is a player who can flat-out play, as he showed once again that he knows how to be effective. He was ball-tough, showed a little range on the jump shot and found a way to get chances for baskets and to make plays.
Juwan Gooding (6’0″ Jr. PG, Milton (MA) High) One thing is consistent with this left-handed guard: he finds a way to get to the basket. That’s a good tool to have, but other things need to come along as well for him to reach his potential. While he knocked down a couple of jumpers as far out as three-point range, he also looked a bit disinterested at times while defending off the ball and also went up a little softly a couple of times near the hoop.
Tyrique Jones (6’8″ So. SF-PF, Bloomfield (CT) High) An athletic forward, he has a good frame and some physical maturity that will immediately grab your attention. The game has to follow, and he showed some semblance of that here, but as one might expect he’s more potential than product at this early stage.
Duby Maduegbunam (6’4″ Sr. SG, Boston (MA) Kimball Union Academy) Now all the way back from the knee injury of a year ago, he showed no ill effects here and was very aggressive driving to the basket. The results weren’t always there on the drive, but he did shoot the ball well on the day including a fade-away from mid-range one time.
Collin McManus (6’10” Jr. PF-C, Bedford (NH) Northfield Mount Hermon) An intriguing big man, he had his moments here and continues to progress. His body still has some development to come and he wasn’t passive inside during game play, all signs that he’ll be worth continuing to watch.
Tyler Nelson (6’0″ Sr. PG-SG, Haverhill (MA) Central Catholic HS) While known for his shooting, he showed more than that here as he was able to drive and finish a couple of times. He’s not very athletic and badly needs to gain strength, but he’s played on winners and his shooting will get him chances at the next level.
Nick Pasquale (6’9″ Sr. PF-C, Shrewsbury (MA) High) Lefty post player has a good frame and has flown well under the radar to this point. He was among a number of post players who caught our attention while not starring on the day, but with his body and how he was able to hang with some of the big men here he’ll be worth a look later this month.
Marcel Pettway (6’5″ Jr. PF, Providence (RI) Wilbraham & Monson Academy) An undersized power forward with a big body, he looks more athletic than before. He had some good moments here, and being more athletic will help as it looks more and more like he’ll either be too undersized for the power forward spot for Division I and not quite athletic and/or skilled enough for the small forward spot, though he could do fine inside in Division II.
Saul Phiri (6’3″ So. SG, Haverhill (MA) High) A talented young offensive player, his body has a ways to go right now but that will take care of itself in time. He showed a good touch shooting the ball, and as his body matures he can be a better scorer off the bounce.
Jarred Reuter (6’8″ Jr. PF, Rochester (MA) Brewster Academy) Not surprisingly, he shined early in the positional drills as he used his body and good post moves to score, and was persistent at times. He got his share of stickbacks later and is simply a load to handle inside, and he hasn’t stopped developing.
Colin Richey (6’1″ Sr. PG, Upton (MA) Choate Rosemary Hall) Over his career, he has had a tendency to blend in at events like this rather than star, and this time was no different. He’s continued to show how he can run a team with good talent around him and how fundamentally sound he is, and when he gets stronger he’ll be an even better finisher than he already is.
Mike Rodriguez (5’8″ Sr. PG, Boston (MA) Redemption Christian Academy) One thing that has remained the same over his high school career is that he is what he is: a very quick point guard who can find others. He showed he still has that quick burst here, and he’s content letting others on his team score.
Asante Sandiford (6’4″ Sr. SG-SF, Boston (MA) City On a Hill School) A talented wing, his body isn’t there yet, but he’s not afraid to draw contact while trying to finish. One play that stood out was when he got near the basket and finished a tough shot with a lot of contact on the play.
David Watkins (6’6″ Jr. SF-PF, West Roxbury (MA) Catholic Memorial HS) There’s a lot of potential in this young man, who is also a good student. His body has a ways to go, and his game does as well although he showed teasers of what he could be capable of. Right now his game is that of a power forward, but he has the body and hints of the tools to one day be a small forward.
Tyree Weston (6’1″ Jr. SG, New Bedford (MA) High) Events like this are famous for a lack of defense, but he hustled back in transition defense to make a play one time and followed that up on the very next possession by hitting one of his three-pointers on the day. His body still has some developing to do, but he looked promising overall at this event.
Miles Wright (6’4″ Sr. SG-SF, Mattapan (MA) Tabor Academy) A wing with a good body, he looks like more of a scorer and showed that by finishing a few times, but also knocked down a shot from long range. The knock on the jumper is that it looked a lot like a set shot, so some work may be in order there.
