Hoopville Elite 8 - Friday Recap

Lucas Shapiro | Friday, June 25th, 2010

The first ever Hoopville Elite 8 tipped off on Friday night as Phil Kasiecki welcomed some top local talent to the Reggie Lewis Center. 

Top Performances

Jaylen Brantley, BABC, 2012 - For a guy who is only 5’9”, Brantley plays as if he were five inches taller. His blinding speed was too much for the Greater Boston Lions. He had to have scored or assisted at least 20 points in transition off of multiple steals. For the entire game Brantley had 23 points. It’s great to see that he will have two more years left in high school since he’s already a great leader on the court. After this summer, Brantley might be one of the best floor generals in Massachusetts.

Rene Castro, BABC, 2013 - Castro simply makes everything look easy. The Blackstone Valley Chaos had no answer for his versatile game. At one moment, Castro would be crashing the offensive boards and at another he would be hitting three-pointers. The 22-point performance pulled BABC through at the end, despite some struggles early on.

Kenny Reed, All For One, 2012 - Reed and All For One had to face their rival, the Bomb Squad. He is an intriguing guy to watch since he drives to the basket with authority. He had a little trouble scoring as many points as he usually does but he managed to win the game single-handedly. Reed hit a three-pointer with seconds left to put All For One up by four and to seal the deal at 44-40.

Other Notable Performances

Wayne Selden, BABC, 2013 - The 18 points in which Selden scored were all on drives to the basket. He knows how to use his big frame, which leads to many finishes despite being fouled.

Egi Gjikondi, BABC, 2012 - There might not be another player in Massachusetts who can score as quietly as Gjikondi. His feel for the low and mid-post is great. He managed to score 16 points off of lay-ups and put-backs.

Rising Freshmen To Watch Out For

Domingo Peters, Brockton Mavericks, 2014 - If there is any player that people want to look out for this winter, it’s Peters. He was slashing through the lanes and scoring in literally every way possible, whether it was a pull-up three-pointer or a transition lay-up. There were times when Peters would score on 6’6” Jared Reuter and 6’7” Jeremy Miller. His patience is rare for a player his age. He also sees the court well, setting his teammates up for numerous baskets from drive-and-kick plays. Watch out for him at Cambridge, Rindge, and Latin next year.

Jeremy Miller, Xpressions, 2014 - Not many 13-year olds stand 6’7”. Miller showed flashes of his great potential. He has a nice touch in the post. On the defensive end, Miller blocked many shots. It will be interesting to see how he fares when he goes up against players his own size. During the game against the Brockton Mavericks, Miller showed great composure despite an opposing player wanting to fight him.

Jared Reuter, Xpressions, 2014 - This 6’6” skilled big man represents a basketball coaches dream. Reuter is an unbelievable passer. He throws great outlet passes that set his team up for automatic baskets. St. Marks will bea great fit for him since they love skilled big men like Reuter.