Mass Has Top Class in 2013

New England Recruiting Report | Friday, October 22nd, 2010

The Massachusetts class of 2013 is by far the deepest in New England.  Not only did we rank 15 players in the state but we found it difficult to cut the list there as the state has 20+ prospects who would be ranked in any other state in the region.   

A consequence of youth and depth is a class that was tremendously hard to rank.  Still so early in their careers, trying to balance current ability with future potential is inexact to say the least.  Ultimately, we tried to find the best blend possible, taking into account both players’ current ability as well as their upside. 

The first choice wasn’t a difficult one as Noah Vonleh undoubtedly has the highest upside in the class and may just be the best player right now as well.  A six-foot-seven swingman who continues to grow and add skills to his game, by the time the Haverhill native is done growing, filling out his frame, and brushing up on his skills, the sky could be the limit. 

Ranked second in the state is Beaver Country Day’s Rene Castro.  Arguably the best guard in the class right now, Castro is a high volume scorer who proved his worth at the highest level this summer at AAU Nationals and already owns a high-major offer from Boston College.

Northfield Mount Hermon’s DeKeeba Battee makes his debut in the third spot.  While the Australian native is still pretty raw, he has undeniable physical potential for the highest levels, standing at 6’8” with a naturally strong and athletic frame and a skill set that is gradually showing its face. 

A trio of guards comes up next led by Jaylen Brantley in the fourth spot.  The Springfield native couldn’t have been much more efficient on this summer’s AAU circuit, not only proving himself to be especially dependable with the ball in his hands but also a lethal shot maker. 

Right behind Brantley is Jared Terrell from Weymouth and Ramon Gibbons from Charlestown.  Gibbons is a powerful scoring guard who has put up big numbers since arriving on the circuit as a freshman but Terrell has been making a big name for himself as of late, showing a terrific upside thanks to his explosive athleticism, terrific motor, and productivity on both ends of the floor. 

This class has a group of talented young frontcourt players in Andrew Chrabascz, Nate Anderson, Ikemefuna Ngwudo, and Jacquil Taylor, who are particularly difficult to compare because they are all so unique.  A mobile and agile 6’8” leftyTaylor may have the highest potential but Chrabascz is the best of the four right now.  Anderson and Ngwudo are just starting to realize their potential, both from a physical and skill perspective, and have both shown glimpses of stardom. 

Cornelius Tyson and Jake Fay both break the top ten as Tyson is as pure of a point guard that is on this list and Fay a very nice prospect moving forward with good size, bounce, and a streaky good long ball from the perimeter. 

Two other guards make their debut late on the list and are both capable of rising up the rankings moving forward.  Dennis Green was phenomenal at the recent New England Elite 75 – Frosh/Soph Edition and if he can perform like that with any type of consistency this year we may be talking about a top five players.  Kamali Bey has been out of action for the last few months but has lots of people eagerly anticipating his return in time for his first season at Wilbraham & Monson. 

Rounding out the top fifteen was the breakout performer at the recent Elite 75 as Thomas Rivard showed signs of great potential.  He definitely has a long way to go before he can match the consistent productivity of other players on this list but the tools he showed as a long step-out four-man were undeniable and helped him beat out guys like Brockton’s Jaylen Blakely, Stoughton’s Aaron Calixte, North Andover’s Derek Collins, Worcester’s Ausar Madison, Milton’s Timmance McKinney, Brimmer & May’s Adrian Oliveira, and John Powell for the final spot on the rankings.