Be Seen - ASA Hoops

Thursday, August 13th, 2020

ASA Hoops is almost totally unique in the youth basketball space in New England. 

Now in their 23rd year of operation, they are a comprehensive youth basketball organization that offers camps, clinics, training, and AAU teams. They had over 4,500 participants enter their various programs in 2019 and were growing across the board heading into the new year. 

While they may be the largest camp operator in the region, they’re growth on the AAU side has been especially rapid in recent years, both in terms of quantity and quality. They pride themselves on developing players both inside and out offensively regardless of size, teaching man-to-man defense, and building teams from the ground up. 

This year’s u17 squad also marks their entry into the exposure space as they have a team full of true college prospects with more talent to follow in the other high school classes and especially strong middle school teams coming up the ranks. 

Jake Harrison, isn’t just the most recruited prospect, but also a player who embodies the positionless theme they try to instill. The Boston Latin School product is 6-foot-5 and very versatile with a skill-set that stretches inside-out, and an “old-school” type feel for the game. He’s coveted by a plethora of high D3 programs but has also generated interested from a couple of scholarship level schools as a young rising senior. 

Belmont Hill’s Max Hall was the most pleasant surprise on the roster. He is a high-academic prospect in the backcourt with a lot of game. The lefty has a soft touch on his jumper, can beat defenders off the bounce, and elude opposing big men at the rim. Put him in a college weight room, where he will be able to take his body to another level, and his game will only follow-suit

Boston Green Academy’s Donte White Barboza is an ideal compliment in the backcourt and also the most under-recruited prospect on the roster. He’s a physically strong guard who is competitive on both ends and especially productive on the defensive end. He shows flashes of playmaking ability off the bounce as well though and has a lot of upside still left to discover. 

Ryan Donahue, who teams with Harrison at Boston Latin, is another definite college player in the backcourt. He’s a high-motored guard and another capable playmaker who is quick with the ball but equally dangerous on the defensive end of the floor with terrific hands that generate numerous steals. 

KUA’s Neruda Perdomo is a strong and physical guard who makes open shots while Newton South's Sam Prudovsky and Dan Prudovsky are two more guards with aspirations to play at the next level. Mamonides' Jonathan Rears is another player with college potential.

Newton North’s Duncan Bubar leads the way in the frontcourt. He has good size at 6-foot-6, a very strong body, the ability to run the floor, and budding face-up skill to give him versatile potential on the offensive end. His running mate Jesse Spear, from Maimonides School, was a pleasant surprise up front as well with his combination of size and skill, including a very soft shooting touch & good IQ for the game. 

While those are the prospects that make up the foundation of ASA’s 2021 class, the team also features a couple of talented rising juniors with the tools to play up a level. 

Darius Peterson is a very intriguing prospect from St. Joseph’s Prep. He was one of the Elite 75 from last year’s Frosh/Soph showcases and seems to have grown since then. He shows lots of potential as a shooter, with no wasted motion in his stroke, and also converted plays around the rim with his left hand.  

Itai Alinsky is a versatile 6-foot-5 forward from Newton South High School who is originally from Israel and has only been in the U.S. for about a year. He handles the ball very well for his size, has a good left hand, and is already a mismatch problem with still lots of untapped upside. 

BC High’s Connor Strickland is another guy playing up who is bound for the college level one day. He’s wiry, strong with the ball, has a handle, and more than capable of holding his own. 

Collectively, this group has brought ASA’s AAU program to the next level as there are numerous prospects bound for the college levels with the program’s subsequent classes set-up to follow suit.