2010 Stock Risers

New England Recruiting Report | Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

After the first half of the July live period we took an early look at those players who had helped their recruiting stock.  Now that the second half of the live period has come and gone, and college coaches have had a chance to catch their breath before showing who they are most interested in, we’re going to take a more detailed look at this summer’s stock risers. 

As we said last month, it’s important to realize that our definition of a stock riser is someone who moved their recruitment and/or national recognition to a level not previously at.  In other words, there are a bunch of players not on this list who played well in July, but everyone already knew how good they were. 

With that in mind, today is the first of three looks at stock risers, all of which will be followed by updated rankings, as we take hard looks at the classes of 2010, 2011, and 2012. 

The Big Winners in 2010

Billy Baron – We thought he was great in the first half of the month, but reports are that he was even better in the second half.  He’s a fearless guard who came into the month with a chip on his shoulder, determined to prove himself among the best around…he did a pretty good job of it!

Dartaye Ruffin – Ruffin is heading to New Hampton for a post-graduate year next year but is remaining firm in his commitment to Drexel.  So the real winners here are the Dragons and head coach Bruiser Flint, because Ruffin showed this summer he’s good enough to play at almost any level in the country. 

Melsahn Basabe – His stock rocketed upward to begin the month at the Hoop Group Elite Camp, got another boost the next day at the Elite 75 Showcase, and continued to progress upwards for the rest of July.  Now his biggest problem is sorting through all of his offers and trying to figure out exactly what he’s looking for, because he’s got plenty of options. 

Chris Fitzgerald – Fitzgerald was 104 for 109 from the field and 87 for 89 from behind the three-point line in the month of July…OK so that may be a bit of an exaggeration but it didn’t seem like the kid missed a shot and he’s reaped the rewards as he began the month as a player without a whole lot going on at the division I level and ended it with several different options. 

Steven Glowiak – Speaking of not missing a shot, Glowiak was in the zone for most of the month.  He first caught fire at the Elite 75 but kept it going in Springfield and then again in Orlando to end the month.  Offers from New Hampshire and Bryant have trumped the handful of NE-10 invitations, with other D1’s on the horizon. 

Anthony Ireland – If you’ve watched Ireland play for the last couple of years you know he has just continued to improve at each step along the way.  This month seemed to be the culmination of that process as he proved himself with and against some of the best players you’ll find in the country. 

Indiana Faithful – If at all possible he and Keegan Hyland should go to school together because they make each other look good.  Faithful knows how to get Hyland shots, and Hyland knows how to make them.  Faithful had a great start to the month at Hoop Mountain and continued to impress throughout the rest of the summer. 

Others Who Boosted Their Stock

Consistency Doesn’t Go Unnoticed – Josh Turner & Ike Azotam are two guys who seemed to be good almost every day they played last month.  That’s incredibly hard to do in July when the seemingly endless days of basketball take a toll on both the body and the mind.  Turner was magnificent at the Super 16 and just as good at the Joe Brown Memorial.  Azotam was an all-star at Hoop Group Elite & Elite 75 and had a lot to do with Metro Boston’s great run at nationals. 

Killed it at Camp – First impressions are always important and with the vast majority of guys starting the month at an exposure camp, some players saw a quick boost to their stock.  Naofall Folahan, Deshawn Murphy, Evan Kelly, and Ryan Kilcullen all showed well in their respective settings and were followed from coaches at various levels for the rest of the month because of it. 

10 for 11 – Some of the young rising seniors (class of 2010) chose to play at the u16 level (class of 2011) where they were age eligible.  Guys like Ishmael Kalilou, Tavon Allen, and Tyrus Weaver have started to put together a nice list of suitors for 2011 with the assumption that they do a year of prep school following their graduation.  Jakarri McCallop is the exception as he shined throughout the month and is being recruited primarily for 2010.   

Some Sleepers – Some players who may have been flying a bit under the radar used the month as an opportunity to intrigue college coaches.  Mark Elliss has earned the “upside” label due to his tremendous athleticism.  Alex Stoyle, Jacob Moore, and Matt Barboza have all worked themselves into the scholarship discussion while Dino Mallios already landed his.  Jasper Grassa and Greg Newton have also earned looks from higher levels after great months.