NEHF - 9th Grade Sunday Recap

NERR Staff | Wednesday, April 16th, 2014

Not to be outdone by the sophomore division, the freshmen bracket saw a trio of teams go undefeated as well with Expressions Elite, Expressions Red, and Team Scan all finishing with perfect records this weekend.  

Expressions Elite’s undefeated record came even when their top two freshmen, Jermaine Samuels and Kimani Lawrence, both played up in the 10th grade division.  That gave Jordan Hardwick a chance to play a starring role and let his undeniable upside take center stage while Rivers’ guard Azar Swain also played a starring role at various points throughout the weekend.

Expressions Red capped the weekend with a thrilling victory of their own, utilizing great collective team speed, quickness, and athleticism to make plays on the defensive end that led to an unselfish and attacking offensive style.  Marcus Zegarowski orchestrated the action more often than not, and earned himself a spot on the NERR prospect list as a result.  

Team Scan also went unbeaten, matching the record of both their 11th and 10th grade teams, albeit with their best freshman, Jordan Tucker, playing up in the 10th grade division.  The Commonwealth Academy inside-out tandem of Hassan French and Jordan Vidal paced the group while Patrick Strzala stood out with his size and skill on the wing.  Mohammad Bamb is another prospect to keep an eye on with tremendous long-term upside.

Here’s a look at some of the other players that stood out on Sunday:

Martin Mann (BABC) – Ran the floor well and consistently finished in transition. He is showing more and more skill every time he takes the floor.

Geo Baker (BABC) – The smooth point guard’s game has developed a lot in the past year and it looks to only be getting better each weekend. He is a very confident player who doesn’t seem afraid of the spotlight or crunch time.

AJ Reeves (Mass Rivals) - We talked about him on Saturday, and Sunday confirmed our first impressions - this is a highly talented young player with a uniquely high ceiling if he's willing to put in the work to maximize his talents.  

Chris Dicenzo (Skills Academy) – The freshman point guard from Pingree has a crafty floor game and frequently utilized an effective floater in the lane on Sunday.

Craig Preston (Evolution) – A quick point guard who made a lot of plays for himself and his teammates on Sunday. Though he may be small in stature, he plays with a lot of heart and passion.

Jonathan Mola (Evolution) – A big with a strong base who used it to carve out space underneath to finish around the rim. He also rebounded at a high volume throughout Sunday.

Jalyn Hinton (BABC) – A long and rangy 6-foot-1 guard with a lightening quick first step, Hinton was a menace on defense creating a number of deflections that helped his team to easy transition buckets. He will be an instant contributor for these reasons wherever he decides to prep next year.