Be Seen – Mass Commanders 2021

Wednesday, September 9th, 2020

The Mass Commanders are a MetroWest based grassroots program under the direction of Rudy Crichlow Jr. and Markus Potyranski that strives to better their players chances to continue on to the next level. 

Last week, when the Be Seen Tour visited their practice, we witnessed first-hand several players that are already college prospects and others that are knocking on the door. 

We’ll begin in the class of 2021 before shifting to 2022 and 2023 tomorrow. 

Alex Momo, Wachusett – The best player in the gym, Momo is a physically imposing guard with an equally compelling story. The southpaw is powerful from head to toe, able to absorb contact in attack mode, and a good athlete. He scores the ball at all three levels and also showed off an ability to create for others with his passing ability when we watched. He was equally aggressive defensively and making his presence felt in all aspects of the game. Now that he’s getting things right off the court and in the classroom, he is going to be a prospect who is just starting to write his story.  

Karim Belhouchet, Newton North – Probably the most skilled guard in the gym, Belhouchet is a big-time shot-maker who has a natural release on his stroke, was coming off screens to knock down threes, making pull-ups without much separation from his defender, and strong with the ball across the board. He’s also built up his body as he’s clearly spent time in the weight room. 

Taejin Silva, Virgnia Sports Academy – A local product headed south for a prep-year, Silva was one of the more well-rounded and versatile prospects in the group. He was at his best attacking north to south with the ball in the open court but was a scoring threat in the half-court as well, a multi-positional defender, and physically talent with solid size, athleticism, and strength. 

Orlando Thompson, Prospect Hill Academy – Thompson is a well-built and athletic guard who has a strong body and the athleticism to play above the rim. He’s also a two-way player who is most valuable in attack mode and making strides with his jumper but also one of the more engaged defenders we saw. 

Jake Gomez, Weymouth – The program’s swiss-army knife, Gomez is a long-armed player that can plug a variety of holes. He’s still growing into his body so he’s becoming more fluid and athletic, but already able to defend multiple positions, find ways to score, and impact the game without needing much offensive volume. 

Reis Hanna, Medfield – The type of guy who may not grab your attention at first glance but can make you pay for sleeping on him, Hanna holds the record for Medfield with nine threes in a single game. He’s deceptively long and unselfish, but can heat up in a hurry. 

Daniel Grasso, St. Joseph’s Prep – What he may lack in size he compensates for with a versatile skill-set. He shoots it with deep range, has a tight handle, gets low to the ground to get paint touches, and plays with an inner-confidence and even some charisma that makes him especially dangerous. 

Teddy Ariel, Medfield – He’s an undersized big here who plays bigger than his size inside to be physical, rebound, and defend. Offensively, he’s gradually starting to extend his game away from the paint and is now a scoring threat from the mid-range in. 

Ben Chittick, Dover-Sherborn – Not unlike Hanna, Chittick doesn’t necessarily have prototypical shooting mechanics, but he’s a guy who can get hot with his jumper. He’s reportedly started to build up his body in the last few months but also showed some intriguing passing ability in the pick-and-roll. 

Joe Connolly, Natick – Well-built and mobile with good size at 6-foot-4, Connolly is a well-rounded athlete. He plays very hard, will battle on the glass, can defend multiple positions at this level, and made a tough pull-up to show his expanding offensive game. 

Anton Ciccarelli, Natick – An interesting long-term prospect, Ciccarelli moves like a player and may be just scratching the surface. He’s got to keep filling out and discovering his game, but he already defends, shows offensive flashes and some clear long-term potential.