New England Junior Elite 75 Showcase
Tuesday, March 20th, 2012
Terrell Brown - 6'8 F - 2016 - Providence - RI Hawks - Length spilling out everywhere. Runs the floor well, good basketball instincts, soft-touch in the lane, nimble feet. Game changing length with big time shot-blocking potential. Still a pup physically and at the very beginning stages of his offensive development, but As he develops physically and gains a better understanding of the game, the sky is the limit for T-Brown on the hardwood. He'll roll with Jay Elliot's 2016 squad.
Adham Floyd - 6'3 G/F - 2016 - Worcester, MA - Shooting Stars - Athletic beast who runs the fast-break lanes like a freight train and specializes in transition finish-through-contact and-ones. Dangerous one-dribble drive attack game from the wing and will also go to work down on the block if he feels like bullying. Old-school Ron Artest type of physical defender. Floyd is a high-level athlete with a chance to be very good as he continues to grow and his guard skills/perimeter game continue to develop.
Luis Cartagena - 5'11 G - 2016 - NYC - CT Elite - Slicing left-handed scoring guard who attacks with an attitude off the bounce to get to the basket and finish. Also scores the rock off the mid-range, high-release pull up and the knock down trey ball. Loves to challenge the retreating defense on the secondary break by pushing the ball down the teeth of the floor in search of a crease to attack. Cartagena hails from New York City and will be running with a Connecticut Elite squad which enters the spring as one of the top contenders for the 2012 HoopRootz Class of 2016 Team of the Year.
Greg Fernando - 6'4 F - 2016 - New Bedford, MA - Expressions - Wiry combo-forward with gazelle-like speed and agility, coast to coast length and explosive athleticism. Big time shot-blocking ability from the forward spot; sky-scraper windex-man who gets his hands on an incredibly high percentage of rim caroms. Big-time defensive tools; has the potential to be able to guard 4 or even possibly all 5 positions out on the floor. Fernando finishes around the basket and does a nice job of passing on the interior. Potential to be a guy who plays above the rim. As he continues to grow & his offensive game continues to develop, Fernando's yet another Elite 75 participant with a chance to mature into a coveted recruit. Greg will roll with Sean Floyd's 2016 Expressions Elite Squad this spring.
Jonathan Rodriguez - 6'4 F - 2016 - Andover, MA - Rivals - Long athletic forward who runs the lanes and looks for opportunities to attack the rim in transition. A post player throughout most his youth, J-Rod is progressing nicely as he makes the transition to the wing. Shoots the ball well from the mid-range and will look to extend his range out past the arc in the coming cycle. Defensively, with his length, athleticism, and agility, Rodriguez has the potential to be a guy who not only can guard multiple positions, but also a guy who blocks shots from the 3-spot. Gonna be a treat to monitor his maturation as a ballplayer. J-Rod will be rockin with Mark Coleman's 8th Grade Rivals Squad this Spring.
Justin Leip - 5'5 G - 2016 - Rivers School - Shooting Stars - Hasn't hit his growth spurt yet, but boy, J-Leip can really play. Has a little Teddy Dupay Flavor to his game. Pure shooting stroke with range several feet out past the three point line. Handles well with good court vision. High-IQ, looks to play mistake free ball. Feisty competitor who will battle you tooth n' nail all over the court. As he grows & continues to develop his game, there's no telling where Justin will take his game. He'll play for his old man's powerful 2016 Shooting Stars Club this spring.
Milan Lester - 5'10 G - 2016 - East Hartford, CT - CT Elite - Dazzling lead guard with buttery-smooth body-movement and a swagged-out, well-rounded, 5-Star Chef dribble-drive game in which his speed is tossed in first as the lettuce, then his explosive change-of-direction ability is added for some protein meat, then he mixes in some change of pace croutons, before finally he adds the stop-and-go Caesar dressing that gets defenders thinking velcro. Lester scores the rock consistently, dishes out dimes, and is a knock-down three-point shooter. Anxious to watch Lester this spring and get a look at where his pull-up and floater game is at. Serious potential; running with CT Elite 2016 this spring.
Chris Merullo - 5'9 G - 2016 - Reading, MA - NE Storm -- Skate-shop combo guard with quickness who attacks at hard angles to get to the basket and finish. Knock-down three-point-shooter who looks to make the extra pass. Good ball handling ability and uses his quickness and instincts to do a good job of guarding the ball on the defensive end. As Merullo grows and further sharpens his skills, he'll develop into a nice back-court player. Chris will run with the NE Storm 2016 Squad this spring.
Kaheem Campbell - 6'4 PF - 2016 - Amherst, MA - Expressions Elite - Bruising power-forward who forcefully makes his presence known in the lane. Greedily rebounds and eats lane-space at both ends. Sets Redwood Tree Screens and is a strong post defender. As his offensive post and face-up games develop, KC is a player who should keep eating well as time goes forward. He'll anchor the Expressions Elite 2016 squad this spring.
Jake Coleman - 5'6 G - 2016 - Londonberry, NH - Rivals - Gun-slinging long-range bomber with a sweet shooting stroke and no conscience. Capable of getting red-hot and putting trey balls in the score-book in a hurry. Although still diminutive in height, Coleman already possesses nice length which leads us to believe that some substantial inches are in the cards going forward. As he catches up physically and adds a dribble-drive game to compliment his stroke, JC should develop into an interesting back-court prospect. He'll run with his father's 2016 Rivals Squad this spring.