Commitment Catch-Up

New England Recruiting Report | Sunday, December 18th, 2016

Early decision applications have started to come back and that means there's been a rush of division III commitments in recent days. Here's a look at some of the most notable ones to come across the wire:

• Phillips Exeter Academy's Mitchell Kirsch is heading to Claremont McKenna in Calfornia where he'll join his older brother Max, who is currently a freshman at the prestigious liberal arts college. The younger Kirsch, who is also a captain at Exeter like his brother before him, is a highly skilled big guard with a strong body and diligent approach to the game. He's capable of playing multiple positions at the next level, a very good three-point shooter, and should be an immediate impact player at that level.
• The Middlesex Magic announced a trio of commitments from their program on Saturday beginning with Portsmouth Abbey's Andrew Fonts, who is accepting a recruited walk-on spot at Providence College. The 6-foot-guard is very crafty with a high basketball I.Q. and will now get the chance to stay close to home and suit up for Ed Cooley.
• Fellow Magic product Spencer Kendall, a 6-foot-5 forward from Lexington High School is heading to the NESCAC following his commitment to Hamilton College. Kendall had a very strong spring and summer, stringing together impressive showings at the Elite 75 Academic Experience, All-Tournament nods at the Super 16 Showcase and another strong outing at the Elite 75 College Showcase. Learning under longtime NESCAC coach Reggie Hobbs, now the head coach at Lexington, Kendall has developed into an intriguing prospect with his combination of size, athleticism, evolving skill and the consequent ability to play multiple positions.
• Nobles forward James Mortimer, who has played with the Magic's top team in each of the last two seasons, is also NESCAC bound with his commitment to Bates. A product of Noble & Greenough School, Mortimer first made a name for himself by virtue of his toughness and work ethic, but has dramatically enhanced his skill set and ability to score the ball away from the basket over the course of the last year.
• Bates also picked up a commitiment from Choate Rosemary Hall 6-foot-8 forward Sunny Piplani over the weekend. A stretch-four with a lot of upside, Piplani "loves the game and works at it" according to Choate head coach Drew Dawson and is also "a great teammate who understands the importance of playing your particular role to the best of your ability." He's another valuable addition for Bates head coach Jon Furbush.
• Beaver Country Day guard Nate Freeman is also off the board and headed to Union College, where he figures capable of making an immediate impact. A highly skilled guard who has been especially well coached in recent years under BCD's Juan Figueroa, Freeman is capable of playing on and off the ball and has the basketball I.Q. to match his advanced skill set and ability to shoot the basketball with range.
• Suffield Academy's Matt Redhead has finalized his commitment to Franklin & Marshall after being recruited throughout the summer and fall. A 6-foot-5 southpaw forward who has good touch both around the rim and facing the basket, not to mention some deceptive lift inside, Redhead is a versatile offensive threat and very solid all-around player who has been a consistent contributor to the Tiger's 5-0 start.
• Norwalk High School's 6-foot-8 center Peter Kotulsky committed to Oswego State earlier this fall. "Coach [Jason] Leone is getting a great recruit with Peter," Norwalk head coach Tom Keyes said. "He has the ability to cause havoc on both ends of the floor with his length and athleticism. He runs the floor extremel well and plays above the rim. He has worked hard on developing his post moves as well as a perimeter game."