BasketBull Championships - Saturday Recap

by Luc Smith | Saturday, July 12th, 2014

After a full day of action at the Mass Mutual Center, here at the prospects that stood ouat the BasketBull Summer Championships on Saturday:

Donovan Mitchell-The City: The athletic guard from Brewster Academy had coaches from Florida State, Indiana, Boston College, St. John’s, and Providence lined up to watch him play. Mitchell showcased his jump shot, amazing lift, and ability to take it strong to the rim and finish with contact.

Mustapha Heron- New Heights- Some fans may not have recognized Heron without his braides, but college coaches certainly had no problem seeing the talent of this Pitt commit. Heron is a workhorse for his New Heights team, scoring 22 in their 1st game of the day Saturday. His size, strength, and ability to do it at both ends of the court surely make Jamie Dixon very happy to have Heron joining the Panthers in the future.

Bruce Brown- BABC South: The athletic guard had one of the top plays of the day Saturday, dunking over a 6’11” center. Brown is as explosive as anyone and plays through contact while getting to the rim. Combine that with his ability to hit the three ball and it’s not surprising that he put up 28 points on Saturday.

A.J. Brodeur- Middlesex Magic: Brodeur was very consistent again this weekend. Brodeur is an athletic big who can jump with the best of them. Include one of the highlight dunks of the tournament and there is no wonder coaches like this prospect. Boston College Head coach Jim Christian offered him after his games Saturday.

Emmitt Holt- City Rocks EYBL: The 6’8” forward with a 7-foot wingspan recently decided to do a post-graduate year at Vermont Academy. His stock rose significantly this weekend after having a 19 point 8 rebound game. His Vermont Academy coach, Alex Popp, told NERR that he is “very excited to have Holt coming,” adding that he played extremely well at the Ty Lawson/Victor Oladipo All-American Camp. After this weekend Holt should be looking for his offer list to expand.

Elijah Burns- City Rocks EYBL: Burns already has offers from Notre Dame and Seton Hall. The Seton Hall staff, including head coach Kevin Willard and the Notre Dame staff, was front and center watching Burns. The big 6’8” forward displayed his athletic ability and showed his skills in the paint and on the perimeter. It would not be surprising if Burns offer list expands at the conclusion of the live period.

Dupree McBrayer – New Heights: The smooth lefty had college coaches observing his game. He impressed with a smooth stroke and the ability to penetrate the lane. McBrayer is definitely a prospect to keep an eye on this live period with the amount of talent and ability he has. With New Heights being one of the best programs in the nation, he should get coaches’ attention.

Jackson Donahue- Middlesex Magic: Every time he’s on the court, Donahue competes. He isn’t afraid of anyone, offensively or defensively. Donahue is just a pure shooter who consistently hits multiple threes in games both off the dribble and spotting up.

Jeff Spellman-Middlesex Magic: Has great leaping ability that allows him to get above the rim and finish, but also great shooting ability. College coaches were intrigued by this Beaver Country day school product.

Elijah Pemberton- CT Attack: Pemberton may have been the surprise of the Basketbull Summer Championship. He has tight handles and a beautiful spin move, attacked the lane. Pemberton, who recently reclassified to the class of 2016 to attend the Masters School, should start getting interest while he resumes playing with his usual AAU program, the Long Island Lightning of the Nike EYBL.

Mamadou Diarra- NYC Jayhawks: The big man who has been impressive all spring continued to display his skills during this live period. Diarra has impressive jumping ability and played well with interested coaches observing.  Monmouth and Manhattan became the latest to offer Diarra on Saturday.  

Hamidou Diallo- NYC Jayhawks: Diallo, a 2017 player, already displays tremendous athleticism, shooting ability, ball handling, and IQ that makes coaches intrigued to see his growth in the coming years.

Ty Jerome- New Heights 2016: May not be the quickest kid on the court, but his intelligence and slick play make him a tough guard for defenders. Jerome has the ability to pull-up off the dribble and he makes shots at the rim and long range.

Anthony Gaines- Albany City Rocks 2016: An extremely athletic guard was great in the open court, catching and finishing alley-oops. He also showed capability to post and score in the paint.

Andrew Platek- Albany City Rocks2016: A sharp shooting guard was valuable spacing the floor with his ability to hit the open 3.

Eric DAguanno- Mass Rivals 2016: Had one of the smoothest strokes on the weekend. D’Aguanno is a deadly shooter both off the catch and off the dribble.

Mark Gasperini Mass Rivals 2016- the 6’9” center dribbles like a guard and has the ability to hit NBA distance 3s. Throw in some great plays in transition and there is no doubt why Gasperini why this prospect drew the attention of college coaches this weekend.

Saul Phiri- Mass Rivals: Phiri did it all today, filling up the stat sheet with threes and nice drives to the basket. Phiri has great body control when attacking the rim and finishing with contact. With such a dominant performance, with many Division 1 coaches watching, Phiri could and should be getting some interest soon.

Tyonne Malone Mass Rivals: Malone displayed great poise figuring out when to get his teammates the ball and when to use his athleticism. Malone shows his talents in the open court with his great craftiness, but in the half court he has shown the ability to get to the lane and use his athleticism to finish. Malone, who is known mostly for his driving, showed a nice jumper this weekend.

Jacee Martin- CBC: The freshmen held his own this weekend at the point guard position. Martin’s on ball defense was spectacular. He turned over the opposing point guard numerous times and finished the play with a layup. Martin is a player to watch in the coming years.