MILTON, Mass. – In recent years, Milton Academy has emerged in the world of NEPSAC basketball, becoming a consistent tournament contender under Lamar Reddicks. Last season, Reddicks’ fifth at the school, they reached the Class A championship but were out-classed against an excellent Phillips Exeter team. There’s no shame in that, although it was a stinging defeat and one that holdovers of this year’s team will surely have in mind to help drive them for a better result this time around.
Milton lost a few key players from last season, including Ike Ngwudo, who is now a freshman at Dartmouth. But they return some veterans and a couple of players who may break out as part of the support cast to their go-to guy. How they play will determine if this team can make another run toward a championship.
Another run to the title game will first revolve around Alec Brennan (6’10” Sr. PF-C, Weston (MA)), who recently committed to Princeton. After missing much of the spring with a nagging knee injury, Brennan returned late in June and played through July, and now looks very healthy and ready to lead this team. He has a good body and a wide range of skills, his post game looks mature and on Sunday he showed off more of his ability to face the basket and also hit teammates with passes in the flow of the offense. In addition, he’s a great kid, and after carrying that onto the court a little too much earlier in his career he has now developed more of a killer instinct on the floor. While he’ll anchor the post, he’ll probably face the basket at times as well and use his passing ability to help the team.
There will be plenty of options on the perimeter to support the big man. The team’s vocal leader looks to be Jack Karle (6’0″ Sr. SG, Milton (MA)), one of a few hometown kids on the team. Karle led the workout on Sunday and the well-built guard shot the ball better later in the workout than earlier. A plus athlete, he showed some good range on the jumper and drove a couple of times for layups and made a nice pass off a screen for a layup that showed a good feel for where his teammate and the defender were going.
Also sure to play off the ball is Nick Tupankanin (6’2″ So. SG, Dover (MA)), who showed off his shooting touch on Sunday. A plus athlete, he hit shots from well behind the arc and from mid-range, including an off-balance one at the elbow. If Reddicks wants to go with three true guards, he could play alongside Karle off the ball at times.
There are some other options off the ball, with one being Xavier Etheridge (5’11” SG, Dorchester (MA)), who has talent but lacks experience. Aaron Johnson (6’0″ So. SG, Milton (MA)) has the intangibles and tools to be a good defender but needs to develop offensively. Michael Silva (5’9″ Fr. SG, Kingston (MA)) is a starting cornerback on the football team and could find his way onto the court if Sunday is any indication. While he doesn’t have the best basketball skill set, he has a good body and there’s no doubt about his effort, as no one competed harder than he did on Sunday.
The top candidate for the point guard spot appears to be hometown kid Jonny Blaize (6’0″ So. PG, Milton (MA)), who is also a wide receiver on the football team. A baby physically, Blaize has above-average quickness and athleticism, and while he hit some jumpers on Sunday he looks more adept at driving to score. He also finished with contact and looks to have good fundamentals.
There will be plenty of competition at that spot, however. One possibility is Miles Awofala (6’0″ PG, San Francisco (CA)), who plays a little bigger and can post up defenders. James Fadule (5’9″ So. PG, Wellesley (MA)), a tough and physical guard, should also be in the mix, and Dominic Cozier (5’9″ Fr. PG, Milton (MA)) is a baby physically who competes on the court just like on the gridiron, where he starts at cornerback.
There are a few others who will play alongside Brennan up front. Jack Urquhart (6’2″ Sr. SF, Bridgewater (MA)), who is also a wide receiver and safety on the football team, worked out later in the day despite a minor leg injury sustained on the gridiron. He has a good frame and found a couple of ways to score while valiantly trying to guard Brennan at times. Ohiosumuan Ehimiaghe (6’3″ Sr. SF, Needham (MA)) has a good frame and is an above-average athlete, and projects as a role player.
Two others who will play more in the post are Ethan Webster-Zinn (6’4″ PF, Newton (MA)) and Charles Stenhouse (6’4″ Jr. PF, Dover (MA)). Webster-Zinn is heady but may be a tweener, while Stenhouse also plays football and sat out Sunday in part due to a minor knee injury.
Milton has a lot of options on the perimeter, which means there will be competition for minutes and roles. That can be a positive, since everyone will work to get better, and there are some pieces to complement Brennan as the clear go-to guy. More pieces need to emerge, and if someone emerges to settle the point guard spot that could go a long way towards contending again in Class A and possibly taking one last step.
Good detailed articles. Are you going to see Cheshire Academy? They are loaded this year and should be fun to watch. The have a 6’9 center and a 6’5 wing from Jersey, a 6’7 wing and 5’9 PG from Florida and the hotshot SG from Mass, Tyree Weston. Cheshire have several other good players and they are a team you may want to go see.