Elite 75 – Class of 2012

New England Recruiting Report | Sunday, July 10th, 2011

Sixty plus division I college coaches were at Holyoke Community College on Sunday and their primary focus was the class of 2012.  Many of the rising seniors took advantage of the opportunity and helped their recruitment in the process. 

Top Prospects

Zach Auguste – He’s added noticeable strength and muscle mass to his physique while maintaining his mobility and athleticism.  Combine that with a consistently developing inside-out skill set and a much improved basketball I.Q. and it’s easy to see why Auguste had a handful of high-majors there to see him. 

Timajh Parker-Rivera – Fresh off his appearance at Reebok Breakout Camp, Parker-Rivera continued to send his stock upwards today.  His motor continues to run a couple of gears ahead of most while his skill set has gone to the next level, allowing him to be a shooting threat to the arc in pick and pop action. 

John Papale – Fresh off a big week in Indianapolis, Papale continued to produce in high volume before going down with a rolled ankle.  He stood out in 2 on 2 and 3 on 3 action, showing off precise footwork along with his trademark shooting stroke. 

Evan Cummins – What differentiates Cummins is his basketball I.Q. and passing ability for a frontcourt player and he had those skills clicking on all cylinders today.  He excels in dribble hand-off action, can facilitate for others, and is at his best in structure. 

Terry Tarpey – His competitive nature is second to none as Tarpey has been out looking for a good run every day of the live period despite having put his recruitment to bed earlier this spring.  He’s shooting the ball with more consistency from the perimeter and becoming an even more lethal offensive player as a result. 

Jean Yves Toupane – Lee Academy’s international star made his summer debut and left having accumulated a steady following.  A big wing with a scorer’s mindset, Toupane made shots to the arc and utilized his length to attack the basket with his dribble. 

Jesse Chuku – After a solid performance at Reebok Breakout Camp, Chuku continued to intrigue coaches today, showing off a body that has continued to bulk up since the spring along with a good motor to get out in transition and get his hands on a lot of balls on both ends of the floor. 

Stefon Williams – An athletic southpaw with an increasingly powerful body, Williams produced from start to the finish and made plays on both ends of the floor – scoring the ball, crashing the glass, getting out in transition, and blocking shots on the defensive end. 

Darren Payen – Another long and athletic lefty, Payen raised the level of his game to match the standards of the Elite 75 stage.  He showed a good motor inside the lane and was quick off his feet on both ends to assert himself as one of the top 2012 frontcourt prospects in attendance. 

Alex Furness – He has two big factors in his favor.  Firstly, he’s playing the best basketball of his career and proving himself against high levels of competition.  Secondly, the 2012 class isn’t a particularly strong one in the backcourt, meaning he could very well find himself a top priority before too long. 

Cedric Kuakumensah – In an environment where the majority of the action was based on length and athleticism in the open floor, Kuakumensah flourished by battling on the interior, throwing his body around, and rebounding in high volume. 

Biggest Stock Risers

Rohan Brown – He picked up his first division I offer last week and should have more on the way given the continued high level of his play.  He’s extended his skill set farther along the perimeter, is playing with dexterity and toughness around the rim, and making his presence felt on the glass and the defensive end. 

Victor Joshua – He utilized his size and length to consistently score over top of his defenders.  Best known for his dribble drive game, Joshua showed a smooth stroke on his pull-up as well as his long ball, while also playing the pick and roll proficiently. 

Ben Freeland – The incoming Suffield Academy big man was solid last week at Hoop Mountain, but took his game to a new level yesterday at Elite 75.  He showed good touch scoring with jump hooks on the block and was equally smooth stretching defense out to the three-point line. 

Ed Lawrence – There aren’t a lot of high academic seven-footers out there, but someone with Lawrence’s size and talent is a needle in the haystack for Ivy and Patriot League programs.  He arrived with one offer in hand but walked away with at least one more and several others likely on the way.   

Tevin Falzon – The Newton North alum is already benefitting from his decision to do a post-graduate year.  He’s in the best shape of his life and showing the same inside-out skill set that made him a notable prospect early in his career. 

Nick Lund – He’s big, strong, and left-handed and that’s enough to get you scholarship consideration.  His performance Sunday was enough to catapult his stock far deeper in that equation as he more than held his own with some of the premier posts in the 2012 class. 

Erik Sanders – Another of Suffield Academy’s incoming post-graduates, Sanders filled a void in the field as an athletic slasher who could also make shots from the perimeter.  He didn’t have a division I offer to his name as of Sunday morning but that tale is likely to change before too long. 

Eric Green – In a showcase style settling all it takes is one highlight play to draw the attention of college coaches, Green did more than that as his aerial assault had the gym buzzing while the efficient subtleties of his game only further impressed the college coaches. 

Zach Lewis – The Northwest Catholic guard has a versatile attack and he utilized every element on Sunday, making his open shots from behind the three-point line, showing a dependable pull-up game, and making plays with the ball in the open floor. 

Connor Mahoney – His catch and shoot abilities are well documented, but what could potentially take his stock to the next level are his physical developments.  He looks fully recovered from his torn ACL and was also boasting increased size and strength to be a legitimate face-up four option at the next level.

Others

• Shane McLaughlin was one of the top lead guards in the field, defending the ball aggressively and making plays in the open floor with his pass and dribble. 

• Tarik Smith was another of the best available points, attacking proficiently but doing so with good poise and sound decisions. 

• Jamie Holder has taken his game to new levels in the last six months, showing great speed and playing ability going north to south. 

• Kyle Reardon was one of the top catch and shoot options in the field and thrived coming off down-screens. 

• Kristian Medina is a proven scorer who was especially efficient attacking off the catch on Sunday. 

• Joe Bramanti seized the opportunity to show his individual offense while displaying his trademark lockdown on-the-ball defense as well. 

• Kachi Nzerem got loose for a couple of big finishes while continuing to be a good catch and shoot option from behind the arc. 

• Tafari Whittingham was atop the charts in the vertical leap testing and backed up once game play began with a series of highlight reel plays. 

• Maurice Taylor has come a long way in a limited amount of time and showed tools to continue that improvement in the coming years. 

• Andy Hurd is a sound point guard who played within himself and stood out with his ability to run a team even in a showcase style setting. 

For more information about that athletic testing done at the Elite 75 please visit www.AthleticStandard.com.