Hoop Group Summer Classic - Event Recap

New England Recruiting Report | Wednesday, July 16th, 2014

The second of three weeks of the July evaluation period kicked off on Wednesday as college coaches were allowed to return to the court as of 5pm.  

There was a notable New England contingent in the greater Philadelphia area for the Hoop Group’s annual Summer Classic.  

The field included the likes of Expressions Elite, Middlesex Magic, Connecticut Elite, High Rise Team Up, as well as a number of other programs featuring local New England talent including the NYC Jayhawks, House of Sports, LVBR, New York Falcons, and Team Price among others.  

Perhaps the biggest news of the day came from High Rise Team Up big man Steve Enoch who reportedly will not play for the rest of the summer after re-aggravating a thigh contusion he suffered last month.  

In news on the floor, the Middlesex Magic scored a pair of hard fought wins to advance to the quarterfinals, the second of which came against an NYC Jayhawks team that featured a variety of local products.  

While little brother Matt Donahue played hero in the opening round, drilling a trio of late game threes to fuel a come from behind win over LVBR, big brother was at his best in the nightcap.  

Jackson Donahue was the best player on the floor, finishing with 21 points while making a variety of big plays as he went back and forth with Jayhawks guard and former AAU teammate Kealen Ives.  Jeff Spellman made a number of big plays in the backcourt as well while A.J. Brodeur finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Expressions also went 2-0 on the day, winning convincingly in both contests behind continued strong play from Aaron Falzon.  Nisre Zouzoua had his latest strong showing as well, slashing his way to some impressive buckets and continuing to make a name for himself.  

Expressions and the Magic are now set to lock up in an all-New England quarterfinals match-up tomorrow at 1pm with the winner moving on to the final four set for later that night.

The New Hampshire based DC Blue Devils program scored a win over CBC in the 16-and-under bracket to advance to the quarterfinals.  Trevon Maughn and Caleb Green stood out from the get go, scoring 25 and 24 points respectively in an opening round win while Maughn had 23 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds in the second round win.  

Expressions also went 2-0 in the 10th grade division scoring wins over Central PA Elite and JB Hoops with Kimani Lawrence and Jermaine Samuels continuing to pace the up and coming young squad.  

The Hoop Group’s Summer Classic will wrap up tomorrow and then be followed by the Summer Jam Fest.