New Hampshire Boasts Strong Class in 2011

New England Recruiting Report | Monday, August 23rd, 2010

To most college coaches New Hampshire is best known for the talent of their prep school programs.  With the likes of Brewster Academy, New Hampton, Tilton, Phillips Exeter, Proctor, Holderness, and Kimball Union among others, the state’s borders have always held an incredibly high level of talent.  But often times it is the local talent that chooses to stay and compete at the local high school level that is overlooked. 

This year there is a terrific blend of the two as New Hampshire’s class of 2011 features both the traditional mid to high major division I prospects that annually come out of the prep school leagues in addition to a deep and talented group of local players competing in the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association. 

The top ranked player in the class of 2011 is Brewster Academy point guard Naadir Tharpe.  A veteran on both the prep and grassroots scenes, the Worcester native is one of the most well known and proven point guards in the country with a long resume of both individual and team success.  Tharpe’s AAU teammate, Markus Kennedy, is reportedly making a move to Brewster Academy as well, making him the second ranked player in the state. 

Jordan Laguerre is the top ranked New Hampshire native on the list at number three as the Manchester resident returns to New Hampton for his second season in the NEPSAC fresh off his commitment to UMass earlier this summer.  Two big men round out the top five in Holderness’ Imoh Silas and Tilton’s Ryan Canty. 

Scott King and Gabas Maldunas join Silas along the Holderness frontline and both members of this duo were two of the biggest winners of the summer as their recruiting stock took significant leaps. 

Trinity High School’s David Madol is the NHIAA’s top ranked player as the six-foot-five forward has accumulated a good amount of scholarship interest after a successful AAU season. 

Massachusetts native Ryan Kilcullen will be a post-graduate at Phillips Exeter and he comes in at number nine, just in front of Mike OLoughlin who couldn’t have been much better this summer, not just in local New England events but also in Orlando at the end of the month. 

Manchester Central’s John Wickey is next as we believe he has definite scholarship ability at the next level, followed by Connor Green who is a threat to rise up this list as he continues to improve and realize his full potential.  Pittsfield’s six-foot-nine center Ben Hill also finds his name on this list due to his potential thanks to his size, length, ability to run the court, and recent improvements.   

Bishop Guertin swingman Sean McClung may be the hardest player in the state to project.  The skilled six-foot-four swingman was terrific in the spring and projects as one of the NHIAA’s best players this year.  Milford’s Jamie Holder is a similar story as a proven commodity on the local circuit. 

Ultimately, while the specific order of this list is surely debatable, we believe that all 15 players have a chance of appealing to scholarship level schools.  Other players to keep an eye on are Bedford’s Jared Fahmy, Pelham’s Steve Spirou, Exeter’s Alex Levine, and the New Hampton trio of Carter Trent, Stephano Mancini, and Steve Topercer.