Hoop Mountain Spring Classic: 2012 Recap

By Christian Bradley | Friday, March 23rd, 2012

With dozens of Division 2 and 3 coaches on hand, some of the premier available talent left in New England showed off their skills Friday night at Mass Premier Courts in Foxoboro. New England Recruiting Report was present for the entire event, and the recap of this event will be broken into the 2012, 2013, and 2014 recaps. We’ll start off with the 2012 standouts:

Rob Hazard, North Providence (RI)-Hazard’s bounce and ability to finish at the rim is so impressive, which immediately made him stand out as one of best players at the whole event. He does need some more polish on his game in order to be a complete point guard at the next level, but he kept the turnovers to a minimum tonight, and also showed he can score from anywhere on the floor and keep his teammates involved.

Damian Lugay, Weymouth (MA)-Lugay was the best player at Hoop Group this past Saturday, and he was no different at Hoop Mountain this Friday. Lugay once again showed his bounce and ability to light up opponents from anywhere on the floor. He made big shots and fearlessly attacked the rim, but even when he missed shots he was quick to follow, or set up a teammate for an open hoop.

Cedric White, Wellesley (MA)-White is a crafty finisher who is very good at absorbing body contact and finishing at the rim. His first step was quick, he threw lightning-quick passes on a dime, and constantly forced opponents to worry about him because of his ability to get into the paint and pick apart a defense.

Michael Campbell, Massassoit CC (MA)-A tremendous athlete with superior upper body strength and perhaps the best bounce of any player in attendance. Campbell dominated every facet of the game when he wanted to, whether it was knocking down mid-range jumpers, putting down thunderous dunks, or setting up his teammates with beautiful passes.

Justin Nolan, Tuckahoe (NY)-Justin appeared to be comfortable playing anywhere on the floor, whether that be bringing the ball up the court, out on the wing, or down low with the big men. He has a good amount of length and can finish well inside, and as he continues to get stronger and develop that jumper he’s going to be a tough scorer.

Dennis Brownell, Central (RI)-The very first thing that stood out about Brownell as a player were his long arms and bouncy athleticism. For all that athleticism though, Dennis has quite a bit of skill to go along with it. He finishes well at the rim, even against much bigger players, and was one of the few kids tonight who really stood out with their defensive effort.

Steven Ajao, Central (RI)-Another very athletic young man, Ajao showed with finish after finish above the rim that he was one of the best players in the building tonight. He also rebounded well for his team and did a good job of getting his teammates involved with on-point passing, but undoubtedly his best quality is his finishing.

Ykaelo Araia, Bridgton Academy (ME)-The Ottowa-native scored in a variety of ways tonight and shows he can play on the wing and go to the rim off the dribble or run an offense if need be given his ball handling, good decision-making, and high basketball IQ.

James McDonnell, Bridgton Academy (ME)-McDonnell was one of the best big men in attendance tonight. On a showcase stage where ball handlers often shine more, McDonnell continued to prove time and time again that he would not be outworked down on the post or on the offensive glass. He also had several impressive dunks and showed he was the footwork to smoothly execute his post moves.

Danny Turkvan, Stamford (CT)-An extremely impressive athlete with a long but muscular frame, Turkvan is a low-risk, high-reward  player for college coaches because he has the athleticism to build himself into a menacing small forward or post player at the next level. As he works on his post moves and continues to smoothen his jump shot, his college stock will grow that much more.

Be sure to check back with New England Recruiting Report over the next couple days as we break down the 2013 and 2014 standouts from the Hoop Mountain Spring Classic at Mass Premier Courts.