NEHF Varsity Division Blog

NERR Staff | Friday, April 11th, 2014

The New England Recruiting Report staff will be out in full fource throughout the weekend, providing continuous coverage of all three high school aged divisions.  This blog will focus exclusively on the varsity division.  Please be sure to check back throughout the course of the day for new information:

•Jackson Donahue hit 9 three pointers to lead his Middlesex Magic squad to a round of 16 bracket play win. Donahue, as is the case with everyone in his family, can flat out shoot the ball. He did so all prep school season with his NMH team, and he continued to make his case as one of the best shooters in New England on Saturday night.

•Rohan Shukla and Phil Leotsakos are two prospects who might go unnoticed by many when watching the Middlesex Magic, but nonetheless are great hustle guys who seem to more often than not be in the right place at the right time.

•The New England Playaz backcourt of Ian Sistare and Daquon Ervin is as talented as any in the field, and they showed it on Saturday night in their last game. Sistare is as tough as nails, and is relentless at attacking the hoop with body-to-body takes, while Ervin is extremely quick and uses a very tight handle to get into the paint and make plays almost at will.  

•Maine MAC’s Nicholas Mayo is a player flying way under the radar right now. The 6’7” forward hit a number of three’s, was extremely active in the paint, has good athleticism, and dominated the glass in the two games we saw him today. Look for Mayo to make some serious noise this spring and summer on the AAU circuit.

•Isiah Lamb of Mid Atlantic Select was put on one of the best all-around days on Saturday. A well built 6’4” wing, Lamb does a little bit of everything to keep his defenders uncomfortable.

•Kai Mitchell and Rickey McGill were once again awesome for House of Sports (NY) as they were able to capture a win in the Round of 16 of bracket play late Saturday night. Mitchell is a physical, big bodied forward who is very mobile and active for a player of his build, while McGill is the type of player that is just flat out fun to watch when he has the ball. He is a true playmaker who knocks down shots and makes play with a high degree of difficulty on a regular basis. 

•Troy McLaughlin of the NY Falcons controlled the game well from the guard position and made a number of big plays for himself and his teammates throughout the day. He has a good handle, and a great feel for the game.

•Isaac Vann and Malik Petteway were a great duo throughout pool play and now have their USAD team in the Round of 8 on Sunday. Both knocked down a number of shots, and made some high level plays around the rim in their game against the New England Playaz.

•Metro Boston’s James Foye was very good throughout his team’s three games. A long and versatile lefty, Foye is a combo-guard who has a great feel and demeanor about him that with his skill set make him a very good prospect.

•Also impressive for Metro Boston was 6’10” big man Mike Hogervorst. With his huge frame, Hogervorst was over powering many of the defenders that opposing teams through at him all day.

• The Bay State Jaguars kept it close with a very talented Expressions team for the majority of the game before it got away from them at the end. Tim Riley paced the way for the BS Jaguars with a barrage of three’s and nifty takes to the basket. For Expressions it was the normal cast of characters that is Aaron Falzon, Jared Wilson-Frame, and Arkel Ager that led the way.

• The Middlesex Magic rolled to their second win of the day with an 83-41 victory. The Vermont product James Wells was impressive with his activity level, while Lawrence Academy’s Tim Preston had some very aggressive takes to the rim that often ended in the basket plus the foul.

• Phyllip Thomas and Max Hummel both played very well in a tough loss to a talented Mass Rivals u17 team. Thomas hit a few shots while also mixing it up around the rim, while Hummel found ways to get a number of clean up points and also played tough defense on some of the Rivals best players for the majority of the game.  

• MB Nation was able to capture two strong victories on the day, and while they have a number of talented players the guy who is drawing the most attention is Jayvon Pitts-Young. The senior who is looking to Post-Grad does a ton of things really well on the court and is the leader of this MB Nation team. Zach Gilpin and Shyheim Ulrickson were good too, but Pitts-Young stole the show for the Nation today.

• The New England Playaz were able to capture the win vs MABC behind an impressive team effort. Ian Sistare was able to score a number of times by attacking the rim fearlessly, while Daquon Ervin was creating for teammates left and right.

• The best individual performance of the day had to go to Colin Sawyer of the CT Playmakers. In a game earlier this afternoon, Sawyer went off against the BV Chaos for 37 points on 10 three pointers. He simply could not miss. It was a true breakout performance for Sawyer, and will likely warrant some interest by college coaches for the rest of the weekend.

• The dynamic tandem of long, lean and athletic Sean Shelton and playmaking lefty combo guard Jamir Esdaile led East Coast Elite to a 69-49 victory against VBC Cast. Shelton was dynamic in transition as he finished a number of fastbreaks with impressive dunks; Esdaile drew visions of Jalen Rose with his smooth shooting stroke, herky jerky attacking style and exceptional court vision.

• Maine MAC had a good opening game win over a gritty Boston Spartans group. They were led by Kyle Bouchard, Nick Mayo, Chris Hudson, and Jack Simmonds. While Bouchard and Mayo may be the better known prospects on this team, don’t sleep on Hudson or Simonds both of whom played very well on Saturday.  

• The Middlesex Magic secured a good team win vs. CT Elite, 56-43, by playing sound team defense, and sharing the ball exceptionally well on the offensive end. Jeff Spellman stood out with his athleticism and ability to make hard plays look easy, while the NMH duo of AJ Brodeur and Jackson Donahue continued to show well by hitting an array of shots and by playing great team basketball.  

• New Heights came out on top in a big win over The Albany City Rocks, 62-51. In a very competitive game, New Heights was able to pull away behind the stellar play of Dupree McBrayer. At 6’3”, McBrayer is a big guard who is a match-up problem for most as he uses his size and skill very well to keep his defenders off balance. 

• Jamir Henderson & Jon Perez were both had strong performances in 75-49 win for LOX. Henderson is a push the tempo point guard who is a playmaker in transition and also did a good job setting up his teammates, while Perez is an elite shooter who is in range once he walks into the gym. Both will be doing post-graduate years at Bridgton Academy and Elev-8 Prep, respectively.

• The Boston Warriors scored a convincing win over Drive 4 Stardum behind the stellar play of 6’4” Jim Campbell and 6’8” big man Charlie Crockett. Campbell is a cerebral wing player who can do a little bit of everything, while Crockett is a physical big who isn’t afraid to do the dirty work inside. 

• Mass Elite dominated the Wolfpack Tighe in the Varsity matchup. Mike Hagopian 3 point range was on full display throughout while forwards Colby Anders and Connor MacIsaac controlled the paint with their size and athleticism.• Behind some clutch late-game shooting from Graham Lynch, the Middlesex Magic Kelly defeated East Coast Elite u17, 90-83. Lynch, whose dad played at Brown University, connected on big free throws over the final few minutes to secure the win. He also displayed a smooth outside stroke in draining a handful of 3-pointers throughout the game.

• Bristol Ballers escaped with a 1 point victory over Mass Elite in the Varsity Division. Manny Severino of BB was one of the more impressive players of the day. He has a great combination of athleticism and range on his jump shot.

• The Academy came away with a narrow victory over City Rocks Mooseman. The Academy's Desi Deloe played a great game as he displayed tremendous court vision and ability to get into the paint. 10th Grade Division.

• Drive 4 Stardum’s Christian Porydzy is a quick guard who has a bit of an unorthodox game, but is nonetheless effective. He thrives in an up-tempo game and makes good decisions while playing at a fast pace.

• Wenyen Gabriel of the NH Rivals is a player who has a high ceiling due to his size and shooting ability, and impressed us even in a tough loss to USAD. At 6’9”, Gabriel can mix it up inside and out, and can pose match-up problems for his opposition. With added strength he could turn into a very good prospect. 

• Niles Cohen showed some glimpses of potential while running the point for the Greater Boston Lions. A 10th grader who was playing up in the Varsity division, Cohen is a good shooter and is an improving ball handler.

• Worcester West pulled away from the Bay State Jaguars in the second half behind strong play from guards Jake Wisniewski and Griffin Bennett (19 and 11 points), who both were effective getting to the basket.

• Darrick Boyd, Blue Jays Elite 17u, is a lightning quick guard who has the ability to hit shots in bunches as well. He was very efficient offensively, and found ways to get his teammates involved often.   

• The duo of Tyshon Rogers and Chan Williams-Bey was extremely effective for CT Select in their 67-55 win over the Boston Spartans. Rogers is a strong guard who got where he wanted with ease by simply bullying his way, while Williams-Bay brings more of a quick, finesse game that is equally as effective

• Boston Bobcats’ point guard Corey Green, who scored 14 points, showcased a strong, dynamic handle and accurate midrange jumper, oftentimes contorting his body in mid-air to square himself to the rim, to help lead his team to a 57-53 win over the Bristol Ballers. In defeat, Manny Severino had 25 points, scoring from everywhere on the court, including a number of contested shots in the final minutes to keep the outcome in doubt.

• Tyler Dion is a crafty point guard who did a very good job controlling the game for the BV Chaos today. While he may be unassuming, Dion showed a lot of skill and intangibles that make him a very important piece of his Chaos team.

• Kevin Durkin was dynamite for the BV Chaos in their afternoon win over the CT Playmakers. A 6’8” big who plays very hard, Durkin did a lot of little things that helped his team win.

• The Central Mass Thunder had a close 61-55 win over the CT Northstars, and a big reason for that was the outstanding play of Antonio Becerril. While Becerril was effective offensively in transition and around the rim, he really stood out on the defensive end where he is an elite perimeter wing defender.   

• Brendan OShea had another big performance for Middlesex Magic while Hugh O’Neil also played well in a 58-38 win over the CT North Stars. O’Shea shot it well and controlled the pace of the game well, while O’Neil was extremely active on the interior.

• House of Sport point guard Ryan Bernstein was spectacular in the team’s win over NC Blaze. A true floor general, Bernstein knows how to get his teammates involved while also being a terrific game manager.

• Marques Henry was impressive for Team Frenji in their victory over the Mass Savages. Big time athlete with a good motor.

• Wright Way scored an impressive win over MABC after the frontcourt tandem of Joseph Carty and Ronwell Blanc came alive late in the first half. Carty was extremely impressive with a tough inside/out game. Isiah Fontaine impressive inside for MABC with some nice finishes and blocked shots inside.  

• Lone Wolf’s Joey Shehadi had a complete game with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists as the pure point guard facilitated and ran the show as the boys from Vermont won convincingly in their Saturday morning opener.

• Brendan OShea looked good to start the day on Saturday.  The Middlesex Magic (Giordano) point guard was making shots from long-range, being strong with the ball, and showing increased quickness off the dribble.

• Dillon Holland and Jesse Machado penetrated effectively and found each other on the perimeter for open looks, hit a high percentage of these shots, and played strong pressure defense to lead the Boston Bobcats to a convincing, 63-30, win over the South Shore Wolfpack in Varsity National action. Johnny Cuomo kept things close early for the Wolfpack with some strong 3-point shooting, but the full court defensive effort of Holland and Machado proved too much as the game wore on.

• Sean Shelton is a long and athletic wing who stood out for East Coast Elite who made a name for himself by scoring in transition and attacked the glass well in a dominating win to open the day.

• Not Even Famous is the team name but Mike Pierre was making a name for himself, making a number of pull-ups and threes and attracting the attention of a number of division II coaches in attendance in the process.