ASHBURNHAM, Mass. – The defending NEPSAC Class AA champions could very well stand in the winner’s circle again come next March. Cushing Academy won it all last March on a buzzer-beater, completing a comeback from being down by double digits with a few minutes left. This time around, if they win it all again, they might not need that kind of drama, although they certainly won’t be prohibitive favorites.
Cushing will probably have the best backcourt in Class AA, and it starts with recent Syracuse commit Kaleb Joseph (6’3″ Sr. PG, Nashua (NH)). Simply put, the long guard is just what a team like this needs: he’s still hungry, still working and very committed to leading this team. There’s no entitlement in him; in fact, before the workout, he wasn’t delegating the task of setting up the court to the freshmen, as he was leading the charge himself. This is a young man who wants another championship and wants to get better, and it was all in evidence as he showed a better jumper and his team kept on winning during game action.
Joseph’s sidekick is Jalen Adams (6’2″ Jr. SG, Boston (MA)), who returns for his second season at the school and was last year’s hero with the buzzer-beating shot in the championship game. Also a travel teammate of Joseph’s and an athletic guard, he can score with the best of them and can make it look easy at times, and he’ll get to the basket often. One time, he finished right over Joseph on a drive.
The third key perimeter player is Idris Taqqee (6’4″ Sr. SF, Snellville (GA)), who returns for his fourth season at the school. A plus athlete, the recent St. Bonaventure commit also plays on the football team, and on the hardwood he’s the consummate glue guy who does a lot of little things to help a team win.
While those three will carry this team on the perimeter, they have some role players who will help in spots. Mike Simonetta (6’1″ Sr. PG-SG, Toronto (Ont.)) showed some range on his jumper, and while not very athletic he can help at both guard spots, as can the likes of Jaime Carey (6’1″ Jr. PG-SG, Raynham (MA)) and Russell Olive (6’1″ Jr. PG-SG, Chelmsford (MA)), the latter of whom played well late in the workout with a stickback and driving layup. Austin Wood (6’2″ Sr. SG, Ashburnham (MA)) is a local boy who will play off the ball and looks like he can play well off the big boys, showing a touch from long range and moving without the ball. Brendan Miller (6’2″ Jr. SG-SF, North Andover (MA)) missed the workout due to an academic commitment, but head coach Barry Connors expects that he will contribute in a reserve role.
Also helping out will be some younger players whose role will naturally be limited this year. Jarrod Simmons (6’4″ Fr. SG-SF, Crescent (PA)) has a good frame and had his moments on Thursday. Jordan Heywood (6’1″ Fr. PG-SG, New York (NY)) is another three-sport athlete who also plays football and baseball, and he sat out Thursday’s workout with a concussion suffered on the gridiron. Kimani Lawrence (6’6″ Fr. SF, Providence (RI)) is a player of the future for this team, and he’ll surely have his moments this year as well. He’s been bothered by a bum ankle, and he left Thursday’s workout early after giving it a try.
The biggest personnel hit is the graduation of Andrew Chrabascz up front. In his place, Connors will largely use a committee approach to complement his perimeter stars, and he has some capable players to do that with. Connor Gilmore (6’7″ Sr. PF, Toronto (Ont.)) stood out the most among them on Thursday, especially late in the workout as he really heated up with his shooting. While his ball skills need work, he has a good body and showed he can score inside, ran the floor, grabbed some offensive boards and showed range out to the three-point line.
Gilmore will have help first from Aaron Todd (6’6″ Sr. PF, York (ME)), who has a good frame and mature body. There’s nothing offensively he does much better than anything else, as he scored on the post, from mid-range, on a stickback and showed he could drive a little, but none appear to be a forte for him.
Additional help there will come from Shawn Clarke (6’8″ Jr. PF, Potsdam (NY)), who is a three-sport star. Clarke is also a wide receiver on the football team and has had pro baseball scouts check him out as a pitcher. Thursday night was his first workout with the basketball team, and he impressed by running the floor and battling on the glass. He has a good motor, and that will certainly help since he doesn’t have to be a go-to guy.
The schedule doesn’t change markedly this year from past years. This time around, that would only be fitting given that it would a rematch of last season’s Class AA title game. The Penguins will play in the Hoop Mountain Prep Classic, St. Andrew’s Holiday Classic and National Prep School Invitational, and outside of the highly competitive Class AA games, noteworthy opponents include Northfield Mount Hermon and Putnam Science Academy.
Cushing had knocked on the door in the old Class B and now Class AA for several years, including when Tilton and St. Mark’s were clearly the best programs. Last season was finally the one where they broke through and won it all in dramatic fashion. This time around, they will be the hunted, and with their perimeter unit that makes sense. That’s also a reason why they could be champions again in March.
