Massachusetts 2011 Rankings Announced
No state in New England has a more talented junior class than Massachusetts. With a couple of legitimate stars and a number of players quickly making a name for themselves, the Bay State is quickly becoming as deep as they are strong at the top in 2011.
Shabazz Napier and Angel Nunez were the two obvious choices to earn the state’s top ranked player award. And while Nunez is typically ranked higher by most of the national scouting publications, the New York native has a long way to go before realizing his obviously tremendous potential.
Napier on the other hand has broken out of his shell in the last year, established himself as one of the top guards in the country, and has Lawrence sitting atop the Class C standings with a perfect undefeated record.
After deciding on Napier at 1 and Nunez at 2 for the time being, we come to the Northfield Mount Hermon duo of Aaron Cosby and Vince Van Nes. We absolutely loved Cosby when we saw him this fall but are still waiting for him to put it all together and become the dominant playmaker on a nightly basis that we think he is capable of being. Van Nes earns the fourth ranking because of his tool set and long term potential, as he is just beginning to get accustomed to the speed and physicality of the American game.
Patrick Ackerman currently sits at number five after a breakout performance at the National Prep Showcase. The local big man was hearing primarily from Ivy and Patriot League schools until holding his own in his match-up against Mo Walker and consequently earning himself a spot on high-major radars.
Another guy on the high-major watch list is Zach Auguste. Not unlike Ackerman, Auguste had a breakout performance of his own at a recent NERR event when he blew up at the New England Elite 75 Showcase this summer. He’s shown more improvement than maybe any other player in 2011 since the spring and if he keeps evolving at a steady rate we expect he will continue to climb the rankings.
Cushing Academy’s James Kennedy comes in at number seven. The Massachusetts native is already committed to Boston University where he promises to be an immediate impact player for first year head coach Pat Chambers.
Rounding out the top ten are Milton Academy’s Dennis Clifford, Wareham’s Jules Tavares, and Brimmer & May’s Chris Sherwood.
Looking strictly at players competing in the MIAA: Auguste is tops at 5; Tavares second at 9; Pat Connaughton third at 16; Cedric Kuakumensah fourth at 17; Jimmy Zenevitch fifth at 18; and Demitry Coronell sixth at 19.
15 of the top 20 ranked players in the state are Massachusetts natives.
Massachusetts Class of 2011
1. Shabazz Napier, Lawrence Academy
2. Angel Nunez, Winchendon
3. Aaron Cosby, Northfield Mount Hermon
4. Vince Van Nes, Northfield Mount Hermon
5. Patrick Ackerman, Worcester Academy
6. Zach Auguste, Marlborough High School
7. James Kennedy, Cushing Academy
8. Dennis Clifford, Milton Academy
9. Jules Tavares, Wareham High School
10. Chris Sherwood, Brimmer & May
11. Andrej Pajovic, Wilbraham & Monson
12. Joe Sharkey, Northfield Mount Hermon
13. Kyle Kager, Deerfield Academy
14. Tyler Strange, Notre Dame Prep
15. Marcus Grant, Lawrence Academy
16. Pat Connaughton, St. John’s Prep
17. Cedric Kuakumensah, North High School
18. Jimmy Zenevitch, Central Catholic High School
19. Demitry Coronell, East Boston High School
20. Kyle Umemba, Buckingham Browne & Nichols
Angel Nunez
Jimmy Zenevitch
Joe Sharkey
Aaron Cosby
Dennis Clifford
Shabazz Napier
Vince Van Nes
Pat Connaughton
Kyle Umemba
Chris Sherwood
Cedric Kuakumensah
Marcus Grant
Kyle Kager
Zach Auguste
Patrick Ackerman
James Kennedy
Andrej Pajovic
Jules Tavares
Tyler Strange