Commitment Catch-Up

NewEnglandRecruitingReport.com | Friday, May 1st, 2009

Palozej to Endicott

Stafford (CT) High School’s Heyden Palozej was one of the first players to commit to play next year for newly appointed Endicott head coach Phil Rowe.  Palozej averaged just under 20 points per game for Stafford this year and was named to the Hartford Courant honorable mention list for their Fab. 15 team.  Palozej is a tough scoring guard who puts immediate pressure on the opposing defense.  He began to stand out to college coaches last spring as he starred with the Connecticut Gold AAU team. 

Kenyon Lands Local Pair

Kenyon College, in Ohio, has come to New England to land a pair of commitments from the prep school ranks.  The first is John Beaulieu, a shooting guard originally from Swampscott, Massachusetts who just completed a post-graduate season at the Taft School.  Beaulieu is a very fundamentally sound and efficient player who shoots the ball very well from the perimeter and also has a good understanding of how to attack close-outs.  Also headed to Kenyon is John Planer, a 6’2” senior wing from Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire.  Similar to Beaulieu, Planer is another very good shooter who also sees the floor well and plays strong with the ball on the perimeter. 

Springfield Gets a Pair of Point Guards

Springfield College has landed a pair of local point guards who should both contend for playing time.  Kyle Vigneault from Suffield Academy and Matt Pascuzzo from Sheehan High School, both in Connecticut, are set to join the Pride team next year.  The guards are similar in that they’re both slightly undersized, but very good with the ball.  Vigneault is a little bit more of a floor general, content to run the team and get the ball to his scorers, while Pascuzzo is on the more aggressive side, looking to make plays with his dribble penetration. 

Nichols Picks up a Good One

Nichols College has added a player who should be ready to make an immediate impact next year in Sheehan (Wallingford, CT) High School’s Justin Kuntz.  Kuntz is a combo-guard who played primary off the ball this year while playing with two good point-guards in Pascuzzo and Phil Gaetano.  But look for him to spend time at both guard spots next year at Nichols as he has the skills to both be a playmaker with the ball in his hands or a scorer on the wing.  Kuntz was one of the most improved players in the SCC this year. 

Workman to Amherst

We’ve finally been able to confirm what many have known for weeks, Deerfield Academy’s Will Workman is headed to Amherst next year.  The 6’4” swingman was one of the stars of the Western New England Conference this year as he led Deerfield by averaging 22 points per game.  Workman is a clever and crafty player who can catch fire from behind the three-point line and also use his dribble to work his way into the paint where he can use his size to shoot over smaller defenders. 

Fleming Earns Scholarship

St. Thomas More post-graduate swingman Todd Fleming is returning to his home state of New Jersey to continue his basketball career at division II Felician College.  Prior to arriving at STM this year, Fleming starred at Bloomfield Tech in New Jersey.  Fleming is an athletic player who makes plays going to the rim offensively, is capable of locking down defensively, and offers plenty of intangibles with his toughness and hard-working approach to the game. 

Mivshek Takes Preffered Walk-on Spot at University of Portland

Cody Mivshek has accepted a preferred walk-on spot at the University of Portland.  Mivshek is a very good perimeter shooter with great range on his jumper.  He’s also a physically tough player who plays much bigger than he is on the glass.  He spent the majority of the year in the starting line-up for class A Exeter and proved himself to be a scholarship level talent.  The Colorado native was always said to be hoping to return to the west coast. 

Wheelock Adds Two

Wheelock College and head coach John Preziosa have added two players for next season in Daniel Higgins and Adam Russo.  Higgins is a 6’0” combo-guard who was a four year starter at Austin Prep and the team captain as a senior.  He was part of two Catholic Central League championships during his four year career and was also named to the 2008-2009 All-Academic Team and a gold medalist at the 2008 Summer Bay State Games.  Russo was also a team captain at Arlington and played his AAU basketball for the Boston Warriors.  Higgins and Russo will be joining a much improved Wheelock program that reached the conference semi-finals this past season, finishing the regular season at 10-16, after going just 1-23 during their inaugural campaign a year ago. 

St. Andrew’s Big Man to Regis College

St. Andrew’s Ndubisi Ezeigwe is headed to Regis College next year to play for head coach Nate Hager.  Ezeigwe is a 6’5” power forward who has all the ability to step right in and make an immediate impact for the Pride.  A more than capable low post scorer, Ezeigwe will give Hager a player who is capable of creating his own shot with his back to the basket.  The Brockton, Massachusetts native played for Mike Hart at St. Andrew’s School during the season while running with Metro Boston on the AAU circuit. 

Wentworth Adding Trio

Wentworth Institute of Technology continues to land talented recruits.  Set to join the Leopards program next year are Sam Herrick, Sean Bertanza, and Corey Therriault.  Herrick is a 6’10” transfer from the University of New Hampshire who sat out this year and will have two years of eligibility remaining.  If the big man is motivated he could be a dominating force in the Commonwealth Coast Conference.  Bertanza is a 6’2” guard who recently completed a post-graduate year at Trinity Pawling.  Bertanza, who graduated from Seymour High School in Connecticut last year, is a big time shot maker behind the three-point line.  Therriault is a 6’3” wing from Edward Little High School in Maine and was a semi-finalist for Maine’s Mr. Basketball award. 

Western Connecticut Lands Britol Eastern Star

Cody Bayne, a 6’5” frontcourt player from Bristol Eastern High School, will stay fairly close to home and continue his career at Western Connecticut State University.  Bayne averaged 21 points per game this year, led his team to one of their best seasons in recent memory at 14-8, and was named to the Class L All-State team in the CIAC.  At Western Connecticut, he’ll play for Bob Campbell who has held the reigns of the program for the last 24 seasons and never had a team finish below .500.