Hall of Fame New England Championship - Sunday

April 19, 2010 New England Hoop News Staff

Sunday, Wesleyan University saw most of the tournament championship games come through it's doors. And, it saw a tournament dominated from top to bottom by Connecticut teams, especially JR Hargreaves' Connecticut Basketball Club.

The 17u division went to CBC in a landslide victory over Connecticut Select, which many were expecting to be an emotional hard-fought battle because of the history of the programs and personnel. We were pleasantly surprised to see Andre Drummond at the tournament on Sunday, and the 6'9 top prospect class of 2013) did not disappoint, leading CBC in scoring throughout the day, including 27 in the championship game. He has improved greatly in the past year, as he becomes more of a dominant and developed player and less of a player oozing with potential. CBC opened up the championship battle with a 15-1 run and never looked back, winning 94-54. Brandon Sherrod and Vince Van Ness were also extremely impressive, giving CBC an really nice frontline. Sherrod had 14 pts and 9 rebounds in the championship and Van Ness had 14 as well. Deshawn Murphy, the lone bright spot for Select, finished with 18 points in the losing effort.

The silver championship saw two teams many anticipated making a deep run in the Gold. Expressions came away with a 78-57 victory over the Dwight Howard Warriors (FL). Expressions featured numerous guys that stood out at different points in the weekend, and the championship game saw a well-balanced effort led by Tyrus Weaver and Jules Tavares finishing with 12 a piece. Imos Silas contributed a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Meanwhile in the 16u division, ANU Generation got revenge against the RI Hawks, paying them back for last weekend's loss. Kuran Iverson showed just how special of a talent he is, scoring 25 points but also contributed 12 rebounds and numerous impressive assists. The final result: ANU 70-50 over the Hawks.

In the 15u division, CT Select took down Expressions in impressive fashion, winning 72-47. Select scored a big win in the semi-finals taking down a talented NJ Elite team, while Expressions knocked off a ramped up CBC team, featuring an all-freshman backcourt of Cornelius Tyson and Kahlil Dukes. If they stay together it will take some time for them to put together some chemistry, but they will be tough. Select was led in the championship game by Cade Broom and Andrew Issac , who both scored 18 points.

Other championships game results:

14u - Connecticut Basketball Club over New England Playaz

13u - Connecticut Basketball Club over South Shore Wolfpack

12u - Stamford Peace over The Machines (Ma.)

Other tournament notes:

Choate Prep is putting together a nice group of newcomers next year. Brandon Sherrod, Phil Gaetano and Deshawn Murphy will be doing post-graduate years while Jon Papale will be entering as a junior. This group looks like it should gel very well together on paper because they all excel at different positions and seem to be good kids who 'get it'.
We were definitely impressed with Jon Papale and Deshawn Murphy this weekend. Papale stands about 6'1 or 6'2 but is very crafty and does a good job of getting 'good' shots off. They played CBC tough before losing by about 15, but he was instrumental in keep the game within striking distance. Papale has great range and intelligence and could stand to become a bit more selfish - or assertive. Papale connected for 22 points vs. the Albany City Rocks. Murphy on the other hand plays different than Papale, but was equally effective. He is strong and athletic going to the hoop. And he has that toughness that makes players special. Make sense why Hyde was so good this year.
Another impressive player this weekend was Kris Dunn of New London. The 6'1 sophomore has a great court presence. Playing alongside Gaetano, Freddie Wilson and others with CBC, he will a key player off the bench. He showed flashes of being a superb defensive player because of quickness, athleticism, and long arms. He also has very good instincts on the offensive end - seeing the floor very well and get the ball to the right people at the right time.
Denzel Brito did a good job of running the point guard position this weekend and talked about possibly doing another year of prep school.
Ethan O'Day, playing with Drive4Stardum, continues to get better and many are saying he will be repeating his junior year, prepping at Northfield Mt. Hermon. O'Day will need to bulk about so that he can play on the block on both ends but his slenderness also helps him play above the rim, run the floor well and get to offensive rebounds.
Tylon Smith Jr. opened a lot of eyes this weekend putting together some big-time games leading CT Knights to victories over Expressions and Hunting Park before falling in sudden-death overtime (3rd overtime) to CT Select in the semi-finals. The junior lead guard was at his best vs. Expressions driving to the hoop and either finishing or getting fouled. Of his 25 points, 16 came from the line. Even more impressive was the 36 points he put in vs. the GOSH Warriors of NY.
Indiana Faithful was back playing with MBR (minus Keegan Hyland who is with the NE Playaz), but looked really good, finishing with 14 points in a losing effort to Titan Magic and 14 in a win over CT Select II. Hyland looks to be heading to St. Thomas More.

Jason Perrier received quite a bit of interest from college coaches this weekend as Adelphi, AIC, and Franklin Pierce all took in the action. 22 points vs. DH Warriors gave Elite a big win and won their pool for them.
Cam Shorey of MBR II showed why many are saying he is one of the state's best next year...finishing with 18 points in a win over ABC.
Trevor Bundy had a big game vs. Lynchburg Hoops, finishing with 21 points. The RI native got to the hoop pretty much at will.

If you have any comments to add to this article, please email us at comments@nehoopnews.com.

Hall of Fame New England Championship - Sunday

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