HoopRootz Sophomore Series Part 6

Wednesday, February 25th, 2015

Darien High School (CT) 6'7" skilled forward Alex Preston has had a breakout season for an inexperienced Blue Wave squad which has struggled this year but whose youth bodes very well for the next couple of years. Preston has led the team in scoring at around 16 points per game while registering season-highs of 31 against Warde, 24 against Hamden, and 22 against WIlton & Ludlow. Winter Riser. Looking to forward to seeing Preston continue his development this spring.

Sophomore big man Theo Zidor had a good season as the anchor in the trenches for Everett High School, where he was steady on the boards, blocking & changing shots, and finishing around the basket. Big spring ahead as he continues to grow, fill-out and develop.

Sophomore big-man Jamari Johnson has had an impressive season for Classical HS in Providence, averaging 8 points and 10 rebounds and he led the team with 14 points last night in a huge-win over Hope HS in the 1st RD of the Rhode Island State Tournament. The Purples face Barrington High School tomorrow in the Quarterfinals.

Versatile long-athletic sophomore swingman Jayron Clifton has had a lot of good moments for East Providence High School this season, averaging near double-figures and affecting the game in a wide-variety of ways while coming through with multiple big games for the Townies.

Athletic sophomore southpaw wing  Ulyen Coleman has supplied scoring fire-power to a deck stacked with face-cards at Catholics Memorial. Coleman has a nice shooting stroke and can score the ball from long-range while he also has the ability to elevate off the drive and attack the rim with zeal. The Knight are the #3 Seed (D1 South) in the MIAA State Tournament and have their eyes on the prize heading in.

Sophomore guard Nate Mansour has had a tremendous season for a Nashoba Valley Regional High School Squad which is 13-7 and red-hot heading into the Massachusetts State Tournament. Mansour is averaging right around 14 points on the season and has come through with clutch-play again and again throughout the season for the Chieftains, as stated by Nashoba Head Coach Danny Ortiz in the Sentinel Enterprise after a recent blow-out win over a tough Bartlett Squad, "'He's a sophomore that plays big," Ortiz said of Mansour's performance. "He has a lot of heart, is very good on the defensive end, outstanding on the offensive end. He's playing big minutes, and when he plays that well, it puts us in a good spot.'" Winter Riser.

Michael Odiana is a strong-athletic guard who's has had a nice season for Dracut High School, scoring the ball in multiple ways for the Middies while also providing a strong wing-defender and presence on the glass. Looking forward to watching Odiana continue to develop his game this spring/summer.

Worcester Academy sophomore point guard Charlie Clay has had a good-season playing behind one of New England's top back-court outfits in Patrick Benzan, Jeff Spellman and Saul Phiri. Clay is a high-IQ guard who takes good-care of the ball, distributes off the dribble, and is becoming increasingly-dangerous shooting the ball from the perimeter. Hard-working player who is improving daily and has a bright future with the the Hilltopper back-court.

Hard-nosed sharp-shooting off-guard Tommy Rijo has been a big-part of a Lynn English Squad which finished the regular season with a record of 17-4. He has gone for double-digit points more often than not while coming through with clutch-play consistently for Bulldogs ball-club which has every intention of making a run in the Massachusetts D1 State Tournament.
 

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