Junior/Senior Showcase packs in talent and college coaches
September 19, 2009 New England Hoop News Staff
BasketBull, in conjunction with the Basketball Hall of Fame, held their Junior/Senior exposure showcase at Holyoke Community College last night. Almost 100 players and about 50 Division II and III college coaches packed the gym, located immediately outside of Springfield, Ma., to evaluate the talent on display. Some schools that were in attendance to evaluate the talent include: Stonehill College, University of New Haven, UMass Lowell, Assumption College, American International College, Amherst College, Brandeis University, Trinity College, Williams College, Wesleyan University, and many more.
The event began with an hour of skill work where all the players went through a series of stations, which focused on everything from plyometric conditioning, defensive work, and shooting on the move. The station work was overseen by current Division II and III college coaches from University of New Haven, Trinity College, Amherst College, Springfield College and other high school and AAU coaches. Following the hour of skill work, players where then broken into teams of 8 or 9 players who participated in 5 on 5 game play. Game play was actually pretty solid for a showcase event, as kids seemed to make the extra pass and play within their team framework, rather than coming down and taking the first shot available. All in all, it was a great night for Juniors and Seniors who are hoping to play at the next level.
Some players that stood out:
Kevin Huff (Career HS, 2011) - The 6'5 forward was very impressive, as he was constantly around the ball, and seemingly the rim! Huff is strong and athletic, plays above the rim, and goes hard. He wants to get to the rim everytime he touches the ball. Best of all, Huff has grades and is a worker! He has a very high ceiling, and we look forward to continuing to watch his development in the coming years.
Ishmail Kaliliou (Windsor HS, 2010) - Ish is a 6'6 athletic wing who really plays above the rim. He also showed the ability to hit a few outside shots throughout the night. His recruiting has picked up of late with Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac and other low Division I's showing interest.
Mitch Amelio (Wilbraham and Monson, 2010) - Amelio is a 6'3 bouncy wing who is highly skilled. The San Diego, California native caught the attention of numerous Division II and III schools yesterday as he hit shots from all over the floor. Amelio has a release that is a little low, but it's a quick trigger and he elevates. The other parts to his game which separates him from other shooters are his handle which is above average and toughness. Amelio will go at the rim, as well as stopping on a dime from 25 feet and in. Has scholarship ability.
Phil Spottswood (Wilbraham and Monson, 2010) - Another WMA product for Chris Sparks, with this one hailing from sunny Florida. Spottswood ran for a bit this summer with Expressions Elite, and proved he definitely belongs. He carries a little swagger and toughness to his game, can shoot from 3-range and handles well at the point guard spot. Could be a low Division I player, but would be a stud in the NESCAC.
Brandon Sherrod (Stratford HS, 2010) - Sherrod was recently profiled in our Player Spotlight feature about a week ago and true to his word, we can now list him at 6'6. The power forward has definitely grown, his body looks great, and we're also just noticing that he has a wing span of about 6'10. Sherrod was trailed by numerous Division II's last night, and is said to be generating interest from low Division I's as well. But, he is all about getting a solid education and Sherrod will make someone extremely proud. He is all about improving and getting better. Besides standing at 6'6 now, he also stepped out and connected on a couple of long-range shots last night!
Tevin Falzon (Newton North, 2011) - Falzon is an interesting player and story. NERR did a great story recently on his play with the country of Malta and their National Team. Falzon is still a bit of a project, but there is no doubt, he could be really good. He is certainly still growing as he is about 6'7, with a baby face, developing body, and huge feet. His game also seems to be progressing, as he is skilled around the hoop, but also stays away from physical contact at times. He has a good bag of tricks with regards to post moves around the hoop and I have a feeling that Falzon will be someone to watch over the next few years!
Nate Vernon (Suffield Academy, 2010) - Vernon can shoot and has size. On this alone, he'll draw his share of college suitors. According to sources, Vernon had the opportunity to go to Kenyon College last year, but chose another year of high school to see what else might develop. We're pretty sure that a year with Coach Depelteau will help his stock and open up many more doors.
Allen Harris (Suffield Academy, 2010) - The other half of Suffield Academy's wing tandem. Harris, who runs with Metro Boston, can flat out score. The 6'5 shooting guard/small forward was hitting from all over the court last night. He can also go inside and score on smaller guards. The II's were following his every move and we expect that's where he'll end up. But, the Division I's need to keep a close eye because you don't find too many players with his size and the ability to score like he can.
Robbie Burke (Hoosac Valley, 2010) - Burke is a player that burst onto the scene this past year as he was kind of floating under the radar for a bit. Burke is another skilled player with good size, standing about 6'5. He can shoot, handle and finish around the rim. He needs to work on scoring off the bounce and his quickness, but he can definitely go!
Ethan O'Day (E.O. Smith, 2011) - We're realizing that a good majority of the players we've covered are big guys, and O'Day might be the best of them. If he's not the best right now, he certainly could be fairly soon. The 6'8 lanky big continues to grow and more importantly continues to improve. Coach Johnson (Drive4Stardum) should be commended for his work with O'Day. O'Day has a body like Kevin McHale. He is so long and was finishes everything above the rim. It's pretty scary to think of what E.O. Smith's frontcourt could have been like had Olander stayed this year.
Min Lin (E.O. Smith, 2011) - Lin is Ethan O'Day's best friend, at least on the basketball court. Lin is a quick and scrappy guard who is quick end to end and does a very good job of running his team. The lead guard, although a bit undersized, can really raise his stock with a consistent outside shot.
Tyrus Weaver (Windsor HS, 2010) - Weaver is super quick and will break his defender down at almost any point in the game. The Windsor lead guard will take on a much more important role for Coach Smith's team this year and just when it seems that Windsor might be down, they re-load and pass on the reigns. Weaver needs to work on the outside J a bit, but he is good.
Brandyn Benson (Career HS, 2011) - Benson is fundamentally sound player and also an intelligent player. He stands about 6'0 and is best suited at the 2-spot, though he can also play the point guard position. He needs to improve a bit at getting in the lane and finishing around the rim, but he can really shoot the ball and defend. Benson and Huff (above) are just 2 peices of the very talented Career squad (and junior class). They will make some major noise this year.
Milan Drecun (Wilbraham and Monson, 2010) - Drecun is 6'5 but probably weighs only 150lbs. His size doesn't make a difference with his game though as he can really, really shoot. A comment was made that he missed only one shot last night, and although that is an exagerration, Drecun didn't miss much. In his 2nd year at WMA, his recruitng has picked up of late, with Sacred Heart interested. If someone is looking for a shooter, look no further.
Harrison Taggart (Mill River HS, 2011) - Taggart, a 6'4 junior, showed an impressive array of skills last night as he sees the floor very well, is crafty off the bounce and can shoot the ball. With some added quickness and athleticism, Taggart will have some good looks in 2011.
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