Carpenter, Kolek, & Torrence Lead Respective States

Friday, August 17th, 2018

While some of New England's smaller states don't have the same amount of 2020 depth as Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, there's diamonds in the rough to be found inside each border.

In Vermont, Symir Torrence is coming off a big summer with the City Rocks. They were one of the best teams in the EYBL, advancing to the quarterfinals before falling to the eventual champions Team Takeover, and Torrence was one of their most consistent players on both ends of the floor. A big guard, who has evolved from more of an undersized wing earlier in his career, Torrence is a good passer and willing ball mover who has come on as a shooter. He's a capable playmaker but his value is because he knows how to play winning team basketball on both ends of the floor and that has made him a target from programs including Virginia, Butler, Vanderbilt, Marquette, and others.

In Rhode Island, Tyler Kolek is the clear cut top ranked prospect heading in to his first season at St. George's School. The former Cumberland guard was one of the top players in the RIIL last year and has added his first division I offers after a big summer with the Middlesex Magic. Kolek is known as a knockdown shooter, and rightfully so, but has shown definite progression with his passing, basketball IQ, and feel for the game. He's one of three 2020 names to know at St. George's as Samuel Adusei, an athletic combo-guard with a scoring mentality, and Jayden Dummett, a budding versatile four-man, are also currently represented in Rhode Island's top five. The RIIL is represented by Shea High School guard Erickson Bans and Juanita Sanchez forward Shakiru Odunewu. Both players have put up big numbers early in their high school career while Bans, in particular, has made early waves after scoring his 1,000th point in just his sophomore year.

Click here for Rhode Island 2020 rankings.

Maine also has a small prep school with a big basketball presence in the class of 2020. The Hyde School returns the top two ranked players in the state in Aidan Carpenter and Jalen Graham while also adding Manny Roman in the backcourt. Carpenter, a budding big guard, is the top ranked prospect to start. Like Torrence and Kolek, Carpenter also has an early passing instinct and natural feel for the game. Combine that with his perimeter size, fluidity, and playmaking potential and he's number one. Graham is an extremely high level athlete on the wing while Roman is a skilled and shifty guard who had a breakout performance at the Big Apple Showcase. Gould Academy has an incoming junior and high level athlete of their own in Jarron Flynn, who makes his debut in the rankings, while Sanford's Leyton Bickford is the early representative of the MPA.

Click here for the Maine 2020 rankings.