HANOVER, Mass. – The University Sports Complex was host to the New England Elite 75 Frosh/Soph Edition on Sunday. The event brought over 200 players going through skill stations and then competing in live games, with a number of evaluators on hand. All of the players competed together, as opposed to prior years where they were separated by class into two sessions.
The Class of 2017 has already established quite a reputation in New England and nationally. At this event, the class of 2018 showed favorably as well in their first big impression.
With that, here’s a look at a few who stood out on the afternoon.
Jonathan Cenescar (6’1″ Fr. SG, Cambridge (MA) Rindge & Latin School) Well-built guard is more mature physically than many his age, and he’s also very athletic. He had his moments on Sunday, as well as times when it’s clear he’ll have to keep improving his ball skills.
Jakigh Dottin (So. PG, Cambridge (MA) Rindge & Latin School) On a number of occasions, he could be found zipping passes to a teammate, and he also loves to pressure a ball handler. Those add up to a high motor and a competitive young man, and that helps him along with his ability to score on drives.
Philmon Gebrewhit (6’5″ So. SF-PF, Hyde Park (MA) New Mission School) A baby physically, he’s long and showed some promise, particularly during a couple of skill stations as he seemed to get better as they went along.
Nathan Habtom (6’3″ So. PG-SG, Cambridge (MA) Rindge & Latin School) Unselfish guards are hard to find at events like this, but he’s one of them. Long and with a good frame, he showed some tools that could make him a big point guard down the road.
David Mitchell (6’2″ Fr. SG, Boston (MA) Belmont Hill School) Left-handed guard has a good frame and a body with a ways to go, but he finished with contact and also impressed on a play where he made a nice cut to get a layup off an inbounds pass.
Tommy O’Neil (6’8″ Fr. PF, Danvers (MA) St. John’s Prep) Lanky lefty post player ran the floor and was in a lot of plays, showing that he has some upside as his body matures.
Chad Peterson (6’2″ Fr. SG, North Attleboro (MA) High) A very active guard, he has a good frame and was in a lot of plays at both ends of the floor. He also showed some good scoring tools, including a couple of shots from long range.
Jermaine Samuels (6’6″ So. SF, Franklin (MA) Rivers School) Very much a known quantity, he had perhaps the highlight of the day when he got the ball off a turnover and went coast-to-coast for a dunk with a defender nearby. He was great in transition, often using long strides to advance up the floor and by the defense, and hit a few jumpers in between his fast break chances.
Preston Santos (6’5″ Fr. SG-SF, Warwick (RI) Bishop Hendricken HS) Perhaps the most impressive prospect on the afternoon in terms of how he played, he’s a baby physically but doesn’t shy away from contact. Very athletic, he blocked a few shots and plays stronger than he looks.
Phylip Underwood (5’9″ Fr. PG, Hartford (CT) Public HS) A promising young floor leader, he’s a baby physically who showed well in some shooting stations and had his moments running the show during game play.
Jamari Venter (So. PG, Weston (MA) Rivers School) It’s not a surprise that he’s also a running back on the gridiron, as he’s built like one. He impressed by being quick and at times a pest on defense.
Isaiah Williams (5’7″ Fr. PG, East Hartford (CT) High) Though small, he was constantly slithering through the defense to get chances for himself and teammates. He was also at his best playing fast, and the highlight was a play where he made a reverse layup in transition by using the rim to protect against a defender trying to chase him down and block his layup.
Marcus Zegarowski (6’1″ So. PG, Hamilton (MA) Hamilton-Wenham Regional HS) A baby physically with a good frame, he impressed with his passing and at times defensively, although there were also possessions where he didn’t look very engaged at that end.
