BOSTON – The final day of the Boston Shootout got going early and proceeded apace with a few blowouts mixed in with a couple of great games. The format is different from the Shootouts of yesteryear, but a fine event in the city all the same, this year once again at Cathedral High School in the South End.
The game of the day was unquestionably the next-to-last game in the tenth grade division between BABC and the New England Playaz. BABC led at the half, but the Playaz came alive and opened up an 11-point lead a couple of times in the second. BABC would storm back and eventually tie it, but the Playaz were the tougher team, as they responded with the next six points to regain the lead and ultimately seal an 85-80 win.
Here are notes on some of the players we saw on Sunday.
Sage Ballard (6’3″ Fr. SF, Cambridge (MA) Rindge & Latin School) A wing with a good frame, he appears to have a little flair to his game, but also some skill. He hit a couple of three-pointers and one time drove and scored right over his man. He may be one of the next stars for a powerhouse program that has won two straight Massachusetts Division I titles.
James Bouknight (6’4″ Jr. SG-SF, New York (NY) La Salle Academy) The big key in the win over BABC, this athletic wing scored 26 points in that game, many coming in the second half. His body has a ways to go, but he showed good range out to the three-point line, including a couple of long twos, and finished with his left hand including with contact.
Dimon Carrigan (6’9″ Sr. PF-C, Cambridge (MA) Rindge & Latin School) A long rim protector, he helped his school team win two straight state titles and continues to grow. His offensive game has a long way to go, but he can score by stickback and even once made a steal and dunk, using long strides to beat others to the basket. His forte is his rim protection, though, as he will block and alter a number of shots. Next year, he will do a post-graduate year at Woodstock Academy in Connecticut.
Qualeem Charles (6’6″ Fr. PF, Attleboro (MA) High) A thick post player, not all of his weight is good weight, but he can overpower players right now who are not as physically advanced as he is.
Matt Cross (6’7″ Fr. SF-PF, Lynn (MA) St. Mary’s HS) That he’s even playing is a miracle considering he broke his leg in the Super Bowl in December playing for his high school team. Besides that, he played well, showing a few offensive abilities in a rout.
Mitch Doherty (6’7″ So. PF-C, Acton (MA) Worcester Academy) The cousin of Marlborough High School star Chris, this well-built post player ran the floor well and was active. While he showed nice passing ability, including from the post, he also seemed to hang on the perimeter a bit much. His game is a little rough around the edges, but there’s a lot to like right now.
Caden Dumas (6’6″ Jr. SF-PF, Holden (MA) Choate Rosemary Hall) He’s evolved into a solid glue guy whose best asset is his feel for the game. He has a good body and did a nice job of largely letting the game come to him, and he hit a couple of jumpers as far out as three-point range and got a stickback.
Chris Edgehill (Fr. SG, Franklin (MA) High) Early on in the opener of the day, his three-point shots were not dropping, but he was able to hang in there and make plays. Later, he hit a couple from long range and was more of a factor.
Tobias Ephron (Jr. SF-PF, Portland (ME) Cheverus HS) A forward with a good body, he’s a solid, unspectacular player with some good skills and who showed the ability to finish well here. He’s certainly not a baby physically, and not all that athletic, but can help a college team with his skills and how he competes.
Edwin Ezedonwmen (6’2″ Jr. SG, (ME) Hyde School) His body has a little to go, but he showed a nice shooting touch from long range, hitting several shots from deep and a couple from just inside the arc. His game off the bounce is tough to gauge, as he didn’t look to do that much here.
Brycen Goodine (6’2″ So. PG, Dartmouth (MA) St. Andrew’s School) A long point guard with a lot of upside, his body has a ways to go and he followed up a state title in Massachusetts last year by starting all year at St. Andrew’s. He handled the ball well and was able to finish, and hit from deep as well, so it’s not hard to see why some high-major offers are coming in. He had 23 points in the losing effort against the Playaz.
Dallion Johnson (6’2″ Fr. PG-SG, Andover (MA) Phillips Academy) Excellent student has a thin upper body that will fill out some over time. He scored 13 points in a romp, with the highlight being a short left-handed shot as he is right-handed.
Darion Jordan-Thomas (6’6″ So. PF, Boston (MA) Proctor Academy) Athletic post player battled constantly, running the floor and showing some post moves although his offensive game is far from a finished product. He had 20 points in the loss to the Playaz.
Bensley Joseph (Fr. PG, Arlington (MA) High) Left-handed point guard also played up with the tenth grade team and didn’t miss a beat. Not a baby physically, he made a number of nice passes, especially bounce passes, held his own against the press and also hit a couple of shots from deep later on, though that doesn’t appear to be his forte.
Cairo McCrory (6’4″ So. SF, West Hartford (CT) Northwest Catholic HS) At first, this lanky wing caught our attention with his athleticism and clear upside since his body has a good deal to go. As the Playaz’ big win went on, he grabbed attention by being more aggressive and in more plays, including a big alley oop pass he threw on one play.
Tareese Morse (Fr. PF, Springfield (MA) Central HS) Long and athletic, his body has a ways to go. He was in a lot of plays, later finishing the break a few times, and also made a nice pass on the go to a cutter.
Terion Moss (5’9″ Jr. PG, Portland (ME) High) A fun player to watch, he is as tough as they come in the backcourt. This well-built guard took a lot of contact, finishing with it a couple of times, and showed range out to the three-point line. The one glaring issue he showed is some indecisiveness against the press, putting himself in position to be trapped too often.
Kyle Murphy (6’4″ So. SF-PF, Weston (MA) High) He plays like an undersized stretch four more than a three, largely because while he runs the floor, he’s not all that athletic. While he showed some shooting range, of more interest is when he got chances near the basket, as he can finish but also missed from not using the backboard when it was an option for laying the ball in. Next year, he will transfer to Cushing Academy but not re-classify.
Bennett Pitcher (Fr. PF-C, Deerfield (MA) Academy) A good inside prospect, he has a great frame and isn’t a baby physically. He didn’t try to hang on the perimeter, instead being effective inside, where he has a physical edge on a lot of his counterparts right now.
Dan Porcic (6’4″ So. SG, Putnam (CT) Science Academy) While his game is built largely around his three-point stroke, he didn’t just hit shots off the catch en route to 24 points against BABC that included six three-pointers. He hit from mid-range off the bounce one time, then later used one dribble and then hit from deep.
Vic Rosario (6’0″ So. SG, Hamden (CT) High) In his team’s first game, he came off the bench and ignited a run with a couple of deep three-pointers, then finished a break while fouled. He then used his early deep shots to help get chances off the bounce, where he is more limited since his body has a ways to go and he’s not a great athlete. He competes, though, and looks to be good at maximizing what he has.
Angelo Santiago (6’3″ Fr. SF, Suffield (CT) Academy) Well-built left-handed wing is athletic and active, as he was in a lot of plays to help his team win. He didn’t have a big scoring game, but was in plenty of plays.
Khal Smith (Fr. PF-C, Cambridge (MA) Rindge & Latin School) Well-built post player is stronger than others his age right now, and he used that to overpower at times. He finished with contact, and since he already has a relatively mature body, he’ll need to improve on the skill package as others catch up to him physically.
Cole Swider (6’8″ Jr. SF, Portsmouth (RI) St. Andrew’s School) He always had a lot of promise, but he’s taken a good leap in the past year or so in addition to steadily growing to reach his current 6’8″ stature. His forte is shooting the ball, but he also finished the break well including while fouled, used his left (off) hand to finish and posted up smaller players a couple of times as well to get baskets. High-major prospect.
Hason Ward (So. PF-C, Springfield (MA) Central) A long post player with a thin upper body, he doesn’t know the game and needs to gain strength, two factors that limited his impact right now. If he can develop the skill package and a feel for the game, he has the body to have plenty of college suitors down the road.
