D2 Commitment Catch-Up (Feb 2024)
During these past couple of busy months, a few local recruits announced their commitments to the Division II level on full scholarships for the next stage of their basketball careers…
In late January, point guard Zamareon “Zee” McCown of Winchendon’s Power 5-AA team announced his commitment to Assumption University, staying in Massachusetts to compete in the NE-10 Conference.
The decision came despite McCown also receiving a D2 offer from Franklin Pierce, as well as NAIA offers from Kentucky Christian and Georgetown College.
McCown has been on our radars for some time now, as he began competing in for Winchendon last year. He quickly stood out and ultimately earned Power 5-AA Player of the Year honors for his performance throughout the 2022-23 season, during which he averaged a double-double in points and assists, as well as 4 steals per game on the defensive end.
McCown’s success has continued through this year, averaging just shy of 20 points and over 8 assists per game. He has had some particularly notable scoring performances, including 35 and 32 against the Power 5-AA squads from Putnam Science and Busche Academy respectively.
It will be fun to follow his career throughout the next few years at Assumption University.
On the first of February, St. Johnsbury Academy 6’2” combo guard Harry Geng announced that he will remain home in Vermont to compete for the state’s only D2 representative: St. Michael’s College. A top-10 prospect out of Vermont, Geng earned All-State honors for his performance throughout last season, as well as All-Conference First Team honors in the Burlington Metro League.
Geng’s success continued through this past summer, earning standout honors at NERR’s Elite 75 College Showcase, showing high basketball IQ in transition by hitting teammates down the court and initiating the offense. He also used his endurance to his advantage to make tough plays and finish athletically on fast breaks.
Geng has had a tremendously successful season with SJA this year, as he is currently the leading scorer in all of VPA Division 1. However, the pure scoring is far from where his game ends, as he also continues to show great court vision and a strong inside finishing game. The team finished the regular season at 3rd in Division 1 of the VPA.
It will be exciting to watch Geng compete for his home state in the NE-10 as a St. Michael’s College Purple Knight.
Earlier this month, St. Andrew’s School 6’8” stretch forward Luke Michalski announced that he would be staying in the region to compete in the NE-10 for Assumption University.
A top-5 prospect out of Rhode Island, Michalski came to New England from New York, where he had earned NYSSWA Class-A All-State recognition while competing for Goshen Central High School.
After transferring to St. Andrew’s to do a post-grad year and compete at the NEPSAC Class-AA level, Michalski stood out right away, earning recognition for his prep basketball debut at the NEPSAC Showcase over the summer.
His success has continued throughout the regular season against some tough teams. As noted by our scouts, Michalski has shown his ability to stretch the floor, score it in the post, and finish with double figures in the point and rebound columns.
It will be interesting to track his progress over the years with the Greyhounds of Assumption.
Most recently, NYC-native Darrow School 6’3” guard Aydan Torres announced his plans to spend his next chapter in New England, as he takes his talents to Franklin Pierce University to compete in the NE-10 Conference.
Torres only recently jumped onto our radar, as he transferred to Darrow School this year for a post-grad year to compete at the NEPSAC Class-AA level.
As one of the top NEPSAC recruits in the state of New York, he has regularly tallied 20+ point totals against some of the region’s toughest competition, including 24 at the HoopHall Prep Showcase in a tough battle with Our Saviour Lutheran.
It will be exciting to track Torres as he continues his career in the NE-10 with Franklin Pierce.
Aydan Torres
Luke Michalski
Harry Geng