#E75 College Showcase Central 2024 Recap - The Guards pt. 1

Wednesday, June 26th, 2024

The guard spot was filled with aspiring college basketball players who flooded the Kneller Center to perform in front of 75+ coaches. Due to the influx of guards, we found it most fitting to break this one into multiple parts. To kick things off, let's take a look at the guys who boosted their stock and put the gym on notice.

Top Perfomers

Ryan Ward, Cushing - Ward left a strong impression at the Elite 75 and carried that momentum over to the NEPSAC showcase in the following days. Ward is a guard with size that contributes in many different facets. He gets on opposing players nerves when guarding them as he locks in defensviely and crowds lanes. On the offensive end, he directs traffic, leads the offense and can knock it down consistently from behind-the-arc.

Chris Bianco, St. Andrew's - Bianco is one of the grittiest guards in New England. He leaves it all out on the floor, takes a beating to get his team into winning situations and plays with a never-ending motor. At the point guard spot he runs the offense, facilitating for others and thrives as a slasher using his quick burst and body control to get downhill.

Aidan Losiewicz, Newman - Losiewicz carried his momentum from the grassroots season into the Elite 75, standing out once again. He brings impressive bounce to finish with force above the rim, and is a lethal shooter from all three levels. He can make the defense pay if they give him space behind-the-arc, or get to his spots in the mid-range. Losiewicz also played very well at the NEPSAC showcase in the days after.

Abdiel Zapata, Bridgton - Incoming Bridgton postgrad Abdiel Zapata left a good impression at last year's Elite 75, and came back to play in front of the crowd of college coaches. Zapata has a strong body which he uses to navigate to the basket and crash the offensive glass, and forces turnovers in the lane as well. He is a true three-level scorer that thrives going downhill.

Jack Christopher, Shrewsbury - Christopher came in as a true sleeper and caught our eye in a major way. The Shrewsbury guard has sneaky pop towards the rim and can convert amongst taller players. He makes hard-nosed winning plays taking charges and sacrificing his body, and knocks down stepback three's. High Academic's are taking note.

Jamel Walker, Doherty Memorial -  Making the short drive over to Clark, the Worcester native made a strong impression on coaches at the showcase and continues to elevate his stock. Walker is a lightning quick guard that gets downhill with speed/force to finish at the rim. He can light it up from all three levels, but his motor and overall will to keep his team in games stand out. Schools around New England who are not familiar with Walker should make an effort to be.

Owen Eaton, Rice Memorial - The Vermont guard prospect gets downhill at-will with good body control on flying drives, and can finish with either hand. He is quick out on breaks and can get well over the rim for dunks. Eaton does a good job of creating for others with his shifty dribble and is a three-point shooting threat with college range.

Caden Sullivan, Franklin - Sullivan's stock has taken off after leading Franklin HS to the MIAA state championship as their lead guard. Sullivan is a high IQ player that brings his all to the game. He gets downhill to finish amongst taller players and does so relentlessly. He can knock down the three ball with consistency and should get High-Academic looks heading into a big senior year.

Chais Harriette, CRLS - Harriette earned our praise in ZGXL media coverage by us this spring, and brought his smooth guard skills to the showcase. He is a twitchy guard with a deep bag of hesitations and crossovers to create space for shots. He gets downhill with a quick first step to score around the basket or spray the ball to cutting teammates.

Kevin Clarke, Pomfret - Clarke played very well at the Elite 75, building on a strong start to the grassroots season. The guard has pop towards the rim and a solid blend of power/speed to get through traffic in the paint. He threw down a powerful dunk and made some steals to keep his team in it using his strong upper body to push guys off their spots.

Isaiah Keefner, Monument Mountain - Keefner put on a tremendous display in his second game set in what was a dominant performance. Although he's on the shorter end, his impact was massive. Keefner gave oposing guards a tough time, forcing steals and pushing the pace in transition. He hit some three's and finished amongst the trees in the paint, getting into the body of taller players.

Stockrisers

Justice Uhunmwuagho, TBD - Uhunmwuagho is a top under-the-radar guard out of the Boston area, and impressed at the showcase. He has a physically devloped body, to power through the defense and impressive bounce towards the rim. On the defensive end he gets down and dirty to force turnovers and plays with a good motor. 

Emmanuel Cheung, Vermont - The Vermont Academy product is starting to see his stock rise after playing a reserve role in their NEPSAC-AAA title season this past year. Cheung is a strong southpaw with a low center of gravity that is hard to kock off his spots. He gets into boxouts with strength and pulls in boards.

Sincere Monroe, Windsor Locks - Monroe is a sleeper out of Windsor Locks CT as the crafty guard stood out at the showcase. He has a quick dribble which he uses to attack the paint and keep defenders off-balace, or stop on a dime for stepback three pointers. His ability to dive into the paint and create for his teammates is also impressive.

Marcus Lozius, Billerica Memorial -  The Billerica-based guard has spent hours working on his game and it's definitely paying off. Lozius has quick burst to blow past opposing defenders and finish at the basket, while also bringing a smooth shooting stroke from downtown.

Evan Eaton, Rice Memorial -  Evan is a strong complementary threat with his brother Owen in the VPA. He attacks the paint as a fearless finisher, has good lateral moves utilizing his tight handle and reads the floor as a passer.

Patrick Madden, Hopedale -  Madden has had a strong spring in the ZGXL. The point guard uses his body to shield the ball from collapsing defenders, converts shots around the basket and spaces the floor as a three-point shooting threat.

Zach Romich, Groton-Dunstable -  Romich was an early entrant into the College Showcase last season and put on a clinic in his first game set this year. The Groton-Dunstable guard plays with good pace, knowing when to accelerate past defenders, knocks down the three ball and can really get it going overall when he locks in.

Anthony McKeown, Hall -  McKeown has good twitch at the guard spot to go left or right on drives to the basket. With his quick crossover, he can get into pull-ups and keep the defense on their toes. Our scouts took note of his tight handle and passing vision as well.

Ben Miller, Hamden Hall -  The Hamden Hall product is one of the more underrated shotmakers in all of New England. It doesn't matter where he is on the floor, when Miller sets his feet he has a good chance to knock down shots. Once he gets hot, things can really get going and he can make defenses pay from behind the three-point line.

Connor Crist, Southington -  Crist made a name for himself at the Elite 75, catching college coaches and our scouts attention. The guard gets into and knocks down pull-ups efficiently from the mid-range, extending out to the three as well. He plays tough on-ball defense and has a smooth floater package.

Jaryn Aguiar, South Kent -  The South Kent guard left a good impression amongst our scouts with his ability to stop and go, and keep defenders on their heels. He knocked down some big shots from outside, converted floaters and made some nice drives to the basket.

Sasha Mermelstein, Kent -  Mermelstein hits step-back and catch and shoot threes, as well as mid-range pullups off the bounce. He protects ball well on drives and can use both hands on dribble penetration moves in the paint.

Thomas Kaine, Bridgeport Prep -  The Bridgeport Prep guard is a versatile defender that can guard multiple positions using his physicality/length. He does a good job of penetrating the defense to create for others, or get going downhill. His very long wingspan allows him to rise up and hit contested pull-up shots with defenders in his space.

Jayden Johnson, Leominster -  The Leominster high product has had a strong grassroots season caught our scouts eye at the Elite 75. He is a fluid finisher at the cup, and hustles to get steals. He brings good quickness with the ball in the half court and throws smart passes for assists.

Lucas Pivovar, Kolbe Cathedral -  Pivovar was impressive as an under-the-radar guard out of Connecticut. He gets into the paint with quickness to finish around the basket, and has nice touch on floater attempts.

Stay tuned as we go through more of the guards and what they did well in our secoond part of the showcase recap tomorrow!