CATS’ NPC Debut Next Week

Kam Hickey | Thursday, March 6th, 2025

CATS Academy has been nothing short of stellar this year. The 26-5 record comes with extremely notable wins. They have taken down some superb mixes of talent throughout the season. Beating a tough Darrow squad then following that with wins against Newman School and Perkiomen is just flat out impressive. They should not be trifled with in March and should make a lot of noise. 

CATS comes in hot with a top-tier perimeter of their own. 6’3 PG Desmond Bellot (26’) is just a flat out producer at the guard spot and hurts defenses with his shooting, playmaking, and ability to pester the ball-handler. Bellot’s solid size and downhill ability should be key for CATS in March. Behind Bellot is sophomore standout Josiah Adamson, who has played big minutes all season. Adamson is a physical guard that excels at getting to the basket and guarding the ball.

Now for one of the better SG-SF duos in the country, Jaxson Terry (26’) and Jaylen Harrell (25’ Providence). 6’6 Terry is a super talented off-guard who is a legitimate all-around threat, who recently got injured going up for a dunk, and is likely out for the tournament.

6’6 Jaylen Harrell is the focal point of the squad, and is just a real headache for defenders and should provide a real impact for the Friars early. Harrell has flirted with near triple double averages throughout the season, and can light it up from all over the floor. CATS may not be as deep as some teams in the field, but they can match up with any team talent and size-wise. 

Intriguing enough CATS’ frontcourt is anchored by Leo Curtis (25’ Arizona St), and a great amount of size and depth around him. 

7’1 Curtis in the U18 Nordic Championships for Iceland: 22 mins 8 points, 56% from 2pt, 32% FTr, 1.9 stls+blks, and 12.3 Rebs (per 40). Curtis’ size, play finishing, rebounding , and improving touch should entice ASU fans next season. 

CATS then runs 4 more players in the frontcourt who all provide the grit and finishing that any successful big man group needs. 6’7 Jaylin Williams-Crawford (26’) is a very pivotal piece who gets a lot of minutes as a versatile defender on the wing that pressures the rim on offense. He has been great down low for CATS and his role should expand next year. 

The other 3 big fellas are: 6’7 Yeshua Kesse-Beda (26’),6’10 Julien Kabori, (25’), and 6’9 Jay Nelson Mboudjika (26’). Kesse-Beda has been a very good transfer for CATS whose been able to be another scoring threat when needed.

CATS is battle-tested against Division 1 size and skill and won’t be lacking in any department themselves. They are tough in the paint and at the point of attack defensively. This squad also has the plus positional size and scoring to hang with anyone in the tourney. 

The trio of Harrell, Terry, and Bellot holds up with most of the Northeast, not to mention big man Leo Curtis, Williams-Crawford and co. An easy dark-horse championship appearance candidate, it’s clear CATS has a real chance to make Boston proud during March.