2019 All-Academic Camp - Final Thoughts

Tuesday, July 9th, 2019

The All Academic Camp is a priority recruiting event for high academic schools across the country.  With more than 100 NCAA Division II & III coaches coming through the door over the course of the week at Brandeis University, the All Academic Camp once again accomplished its annual goal of putting high-level student-athletes in front of high-academic college coaches.  Nearly 400 campers were seen by college staffs, and the varying backgrounds that each camper comes from is truly one of the reasons why this camp is so unique.

The NCAA's change in the recruiting calendar did not affect the top of the field last week.  Casey Simmons, Tyler Kolek, Will Dorion and Matt Knowling impressed and set the tone for how hard one must play to reach that level of interest.  

Players coming off strong performances at either the Elite 75 or NEPSAC Showcases also validated their rise include Jack Staiti, Jay Dieterle, Matt Lettko, Bryant Ciccio, Liam Murphy, Trace Gotham, Dylan Ward & Stephen Ward. Kyle Layman, Ben Kaczmarek, Spencer Aronson, Parker McLaren, Jordan Richard, Liam O'Connell, Colby Martins, Brett Hutchison, Jack Poirier & Darryl Brooks are all additional prospects that college coaches have deep scouting reports on, but continue to add new wrinkles to their game that make it worth while for coaches to evaluate them.

Two pairs of brothers, Jayden Dummett & Carter Dummett, and Carter Meshanic & Hunter Meshanic, sustained their strong play from the NEPSAC Showcases.  Chase & Chaz Jackson, two younger guards from New Jersey, made the drive north to add another sibling pairing to the field.  Niko Rocak picked up where his brother, Toni, left  off in past years with his hustle & effort inside.

New players always emerge as priorities for college coaches during camp.  Tyler Mulvey's ascent showed no signs of stopping, as he was deadly from beyond the arc.  Trevor Noble, Chuck Clemons, and David Basich were several lead guards to really stand out to coaches.  Eli Feay, James Ellenstein, Melvin Kolenovic, Parker Stone, and the Middlesex School duo of Eamon O'Malley and Tyler Gelormini took advantage of the opportunities in front of them.  Jackson McKersie is a young big who has a bright future, while Aidan Godfrey is poised for a big senior season at Cheshire HS.

The AAC also allows us a chance to view incoming prep products.  Billy Whalen (Williston) and Coby Gold (Cushing) were two major stock-risers this weekend, with Bryson Andrews (Bridgton) standing out with his consistent approach.  Andrew Hartel (Kimball Union) stands out as the hardest playing big man in the field, and the trio of Cam Stiepock, Evan Gutowski & Ryan Biberon should be ready to contribute to St. Andrew's from day one.  Pierce Prendergast (Loomis), Graham Robinson (St. Paul's), and Michael OKeefe (Milton) are repeating their junior years at they respective schools, while Will Batchelder (Governor's Academy) will be a repeat sophomore.

Many prospects flock to the AAC for the opportunity to be seen by high academic coaches.  I-95 must have been busy on Friday, as the New York/New Jersey contingent really impressed (more so than in previous years).  The Jackson twins from NJ, Amory Slott, Nolan Casey, Alex Russo, Max Egner & Brandon Goldberg represented the NYC area well.  Nolan Boffman & Jacob Pofsky were two impact players that made the trip from California.  Shooters Benjamin Folk (TX) & Ariel Gershman (MD) and point guard Nicolas Boyd (OR) racked up some frequent flier miles for this trip, as well!

As we close the books on another AAC, we wish good luck to all participating student-athletes in their college choices, as all will have plenty of high academic options to choose from.