HoopRootz Freshmen Focus: #NEHF Guard Standouts

HoopRootz | Monday, April 27th, 2015

The Northeast Hoops Festival went down last weekend and we had the chance to take in a bunch of games in the Freshmen Division. Below are some guards who impressed in the games which we saw…

David Mitchell - Mass Rivals - Long-rangey southpaw guard had a breakout game for the Rivals in their win over the Playaz Freshmen in a Sunday Showcase Game; going for 26 points on the big-stage to open up eyes across the board. We've been raving about this kid for years now and it's exciting to see him doing his thing on the next stage.

AJ Reeves - Mass Rivals - The top-ranked freshman in New England showed why on Sunday as the swing-man went to work craftily scoring the ball from multiple-levels. Had him for a dozen points and a dozen boards in the Rivals' win against the Playaz.

Trahe Qualls - Mass Rivals - Explosively athletic wing-guard from Brockton with tons of raw-ability makes plays on both sides of the ball and has loads of long-term potential as he is in the beginning phases of his development.

Ghared Boyce - Mass Rivals - Spread the floor for the Rivals freshmen by knocking down shots from long range and attacking close outs with the slip-dribble to get into the lane for a pull-up. Back-court skills continue to develop as he looked good handling and facilitating against pressure.

Alex Rivera - Mass Rivals - Showed a nice mid-range game off the bounce and a knack for finishing at the basket off the drive for the Rivals Freshmen.

Muhammed Traore - Metro Boston - Shifty guard with game was a breakout back-court performer at the NEHF as he went to work scoring the ball in variety of ways and distributing off the bounce,

The Johnson Twins, Calvin Johnson Jr. and Jaylen Johnson had an impressive weekend in the back-court for the Boston Spartans on their run to the championship game. Lot of all-around ability and a bright future for the twins.

Anthony Kelley - PSA Cardinals - After coming up the ranks as a scoring guard, the talented Commonwealth Academy back-court product is making the transition to being a true-point guard and he looked good at the NEHF using his ability to facilitate and run the show while calling his own number and attacking the rack with the dribble when the opportunity arises.

Luis Reynoso - New England Playaz - Class of 2019 guard is a matchup nightmare as he'll dive down to the post and go work against smaller defender or reel out into the spread and go to work off the dribble against bigger opponents. Played a strong floor-game and scored in double-figure in both of the Playaz Showcase Contests on Sunday.

Ethan Wright - New England Playaz - Seasoned guard showcased a mature back-court game at the NEHF as he was the stabilizing-force and most-consistent player for the Playaz on the weekend; averaging double-digits over two-games and competing at a high-level on both ends of the floor.

Noah Fernandes - New England Playaz - COming off a magical high-school season in which he led Old Rochester High School to the Massachusetts Division 3 State Championship, the poised point guard impressed at the NEHF as he showed the ability to make shots, control the tempo of the game, and lock-up opposing guards.

Dominic Jones - Metro Boston - Long-athletic slashing guard put up big numbers scoring the ball at the basket off the drive and in-transition while showing a smooth mid-range pull-up game off the bounce.

Cole Britting - SNH Saints - Pick and roll point guard handles the ball with poise against pressure and facilitates for teammates effectively off the bounce while he also has the ability to call his own number and score the ball when his squad needs a bucket. His on-the-ball defense was particularly impressive as this is an area of his game which has drastically improved over the course of the past year.

Tamar Williams - CT Select - Shot-making guard plays with tremendous energy and aggressiveness. He's very effective on both sides of the ball when driving the speed-limit.

Travis Evee - Metro Boston - Southpaw combo-guard handles the ball well and has a smooth shooting-stroke with range extending out past the arc along with a nice mid-range pull-up game off the bounce.

Jayden Depina - Metro Boston - Technically-sound high-IQ guard has a beautiful shooting-stroke and knocks down shots both off the catch and bounce. Gets good elevation on his jumper and capable of playing both on and off the ball.

Andrew Ficklin - Boston Spartans - Hard-nosed point guard engineered the Spartans on a weekend-run which didn't end until the championship game. Takes good care of the ball, gets into the lane off the fesity dribble-drive-attack, and challenges the opposiing ball-handler all over the floor.

AJ Jarillimo - BOS - Pass-first point guard with quickness and a tight-handle controlled the pace for BOS all weekend. Set up his teammates consistently after breaking down the defense with the flashy dribble-drive.

Caleb Prevelus - BOS - Lightning-quick off-guard with the ability to create his own shots and put points up on the board in a hurry. Erupted for 27 Points against MB nation, including six treys. Potential 1000-point scorer at Brockton High School.

Jose 'Junior' Monteiro - BOS - Skilled combo guard with athleticism was terrific finishing at the basket craftily at high-altitude in transition. Also a quarterback with a chance to take varsity snaps next fall for the Brockton Boxers.

Will McDonnell - BOS - High-IQ playmaking guard impressed on the weekend with his long range shooting stroke and ability to distribute the basketball in a variety of situations. Goes to Catholic Memorial High School, where he also plays baseball.

Tauheed Harris - BOS - Commonwealth Academy guard has really emerged as a dangerous long-range-threat; knocked down a half-dozen from beyond the arc in BOS's first game of the weekend and then went on to make four in each of the next two games.

Mario Rodriguez Acevedo - Wright Way Skills Academy- Breakout guard gets where he wants to go off the bounce and has the ability to put points on the board quickly.  Had a big game against Metro Boston with 22 points and is a guard on the rise heading into the summer.

Domenic Jette - Wright Way Skills Academy - Two-way player out of the back-court competes with passion and shot the ball well all weekend, putting the lights out versus Metro Boston as he made 5 out of 6 from beyond the 3 point line.

Noah Kamba - Wright Way Skills Academy - Class of 2019 point guard was impressive operating of the bounce at the NEHF; showcasing a strong-handle, court vision beyond his years, and the ability to score the ball in variety of ways. Averaged 19 points over the course of the tournament.

Ryan Chisholm - SNH Saints - Spark-plug combo-guard produced in-transition all-weekend as he finished at the basket and knocked down shots from long-range off the spot-up. Plays a vital on the team by gluing it all together.

Roderick Jenkins - CT Select - Strong-bodied tandem guard plays with relentlessness; defending with desperation and finishing strong at the rim off the aggressive drive.

Jamil Hornesby - CT Select - Speedy point guard is an excellent distributor off the bounce and has a nice-shooting stroke both off the catch and bounce with range extending out past the arc. Does a great job of keeping the opposing ball-handler in front and creating turnovers opportunistically.

Kevin Roman - CT Select - Aggressive guard gets to the rack and will finish strong in traffic or dish-off/kick-out to open teammates. Has a real nose for the ball and a pesky defender.

Arek Boynerian - Middlesex Magic - Knock-down shooter got into the lane off the bounce to score the ball or draw contact and get to the line. Hustled per usual and played touch back-court defense.