April Wasnt Live, But it Was Still Important

NewEnglandRecruitingReport.com | Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

The biggest misconception floating around the travel circuit so far this year is, “April wasn’t live, so it wasn’t important.”

In reality nothing could be farther from the truth.

Sure, division I coaches were no longer allowed to be at the events that they used to pack into during three weekends in April.

But they were still paying attention…trust us.

Like most recruiting services, we were swamped with calls from college coaches over the last month, especially on the Monday following an event, as they wanted to know who played well, who didn’t play well, and everything in between.

And while these coaches may not have been sitting in the gym, many of them were scouring the internet finding every possible word written about the more prestigious tournaments.

So no, college coaches may not have been watching in person, but one way or another just about all of them know what happened by now.

With that in mind we wanted to take a look at some of the guys who helped to boost their recruiting stock in the class of 2010.

But before we do let’s first talk about the top five rising seniors in New England…because it’s hard for your stock to get much higher when you’re already considered a sure thing high-major.

Nate Lubick had a terrific month as he not only solidified himself atop the list in New England but also went a long way towards creating a national name for himself by leading the Playaz to the championship at the Spring Fling and the finals of D.C. Assault’s Take Your Best Shot Tournament. By the time Providence rolled around we heard national media members mentioning Lubick as a potential McDonald’s All-American candidate.

With Gerard Coleman being the sole returning core member of last year’s record setting BABC team, they might have surprised some people by advancing to the quarterfinals of the prestigious Boo Willliams Tournament. Coleman showed he’ll have no problem sliding into the “go-to” spot as he was reported to consistently score the ball in high volume, especially on Sunday.

Third ranked Carson Desrosiers didn’t make the trip to Pittsburgh but helped his Mass Rivals team to the Providence Jam Fest final, but in all reality his teammate and fifth ranked Evan Smotrycz was more individually dominant that weekend. Upside remains the name of the game for Desrosiers as you simply won’t find many seven-footers in the country who are as skilled as he is on the perimeter, never mind his knack for blocking shots around the rim.

Fourth ranked Jason Morris ran with the New York Gauchos and so we didn’t personally see him. While some reports had him struggling just a little bit at the Real Deal on the Hill in Arkansas, he was earning rave reviews by the time he reached the King James Classic in Ohio as he appears to be putting his injury filled junior season behind him.

As we said no one in New England’s class of 2010 was more individually impressive in Providence than Smotrycz. Not only did he prove himself to be worthy of his commitment to Michigan, but he also showed he is ready to put up big numbers against the nation’s best right now. There was never more proof than in the final when he scored 22 against the nation’s top ranked sophomore Michael Gilchrist.

Stock Risers

Matt Brown: Consistent and efficient are the two best words to describe Brown’s performances in Pittsburgh and Providence and that’s exactly what coaches want to see from him. The point guard experiment seems to be over and that is allowing him to do what he does best: score the ball from the wing and lock up defensively.

Jordan Laguerre: The two most popular questions we got after Saturday night in Providence: “Who was #20?” and “Is the kid from New Hampshire going to move up the rankings?” Answers…Jordan Laguerre and yes, way up. He may not be a pure point guard but with the way he shoots it and creates off the dribble, it might not matter too much.

Ron Giplaye: ESPN says Jared Sullinger is the best junior in the country. Well Ron Giplaye gave him 20 and 20 (as in points and rebounds) at the Boo Williams Tournament. It shows what the burly big man is capable of when he concentrates on dominating the paint and not proving his ability from the perimeter.

Majok Majok: The Connecticut Basketball Club had a nice run of their own in Providence, advancing to the quarterfinals before running into a loaded Boo Williams team. Majok was the catalyst for that run as he took advantage of a bulked up frame to dominate the paint on both ends of the floor.

Marco Banegas: A new name emerged on the trail this month and that was Marco Banegas who ran the point for BABC. Unfortunately he suffered an injury that could keep him out of action through the rest of the summer, but according to reports he could be repeating next year at Marianapolis Prep where his stock will surely continue to rise.

2010 Rankings Have Been Slightly Adjusted to Reflect the Play of these Five Players During the Month of April