Hazelton Camp Wrap-Up

by A.J. Stokes | Thursday, August 16th, 2012

Mid-August in New England...time to go into ultimate relaxation-mode for the rest of the summer, right...Not this week up in Andover at Scott Hazelton Camp, where for the past four days, the gym at Greater Lawrence Tech has been a war zone in which top players from around New England have gone at it with ferocity.

Scott Hazelton Camp Notes: Looking back five years from now, the headline of the week will be the New England arrival of Dominican Phenom Luis Monteiro.  Sweet Lou is super smooth with tremendous potential, just a matter of when it becomes unleashed.

Over the course of the week, the combat in the paint was serious stuff as competing with and against one another were the likes of Carson DeRosiers, Zach Auguste, Goodluck Okonoboh, John Powell, Jacquil Taylor, Djery Baptiste, Jeremy Miller, Josh Sharma, and Matt Cimino.

At the forward spot, we saw a little bit of everything.  There was Noah Vonleh, making his return to New England after his MVP Performance earlier in the month at Adidas Nations out in Los Angeles.  Then there was Chris Baldwin, who on Monday unleashed a barrage of big-time, above-the-rim plays which reminded anyone who might have forgotten of his immense potential.  Next, Evan Smotryc came through and taught some classes with his savvy play from the arc on in, while David Madol served a tour and showcased the top-flight athleticism on the wing which makes his future look bright at Southern New Hampshire.  Another headline-grabber was Jermaine Samuels, the 13-year old stud who made an appearance on Monday which remained a topic of conversation throughout the week.  Maurice Taylor also stepped aboard and made a splash as he had a terrific day competing from the wing spot on Monday.  And lastly, stamping their names on the map were David Watkins and Andrew Simpson, a pair of strong, athletic combo forwards with barrels of room left to improve.

The Pilots charged with operating the aircrafts described above were a feisty and talented bunch which included Adrian Oliveira, Kaleb Joseph, Jalen Adams, Elijah Rogers, Patrick Benzan, and Saul Phiri.  These guys went back and forth at each other all week and did a great job of keeping the action on the floor moving at full-throttle.

Additional guys who made strong impressions as prospects at camp were Kabongo Ngalakulondi and Gabir Gabir of Manchester, NH, David Murrell and Nelson Zayas from Springfield, the Malden HS trio of playmaking guard Rodney Morton, and forwards Anthony Gilardi and Bryan Mitchell, and the St John's Prep' duo of Quentin Bullen and Ben Judson.