Prep Profile – Hotchkiss School

New England Recruiting Report | Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

It was little more than five years ago that Hotchkiss and basketball were two words that were rarely used together in the same sentence. 

That all changed when head coach Fred Benjamin arrived on the scene, intent to build a basketball program at one of New England’s most prestigious academic schools. 

The last five years have seen the status of the Hotchkiss program continued to rise with the likes of Jason Morris, Derrick Wilson, and others coming through the school. 

Ironically, it is the 2011-2012 squad, the first Hotchkiss team in the last six years to feature neither Morris or Wilson, that appears to be the most talented in school history. 

Even as Morris begins his sophomore season at Georgia Tech and Wilson gets started at Marquette, Benjamin welcomes another group of heralded talent while simultaneously returning some of the pillars of last season. 

Clyde Smith returns for his third and final season at the Hotchkiss School.  Fresh off his commitment to TCU, the team’s leading scorer from a year ago now enters his senior season with the burden of his recruitment off his shoulders and poised to once again put big numbers on the board throughout the season. 

His running mate in the backcourt will be Makai Mason, who made a big impact of his own last season, cracking the starting line-up as just a freshman.  Mason continued to perform at a high level this summer, starring at the Duke Elite Camp and picking up a steady dose of high-major recruitment along the way. 

The biggest of Hotchkiss’ new players, both literally and figuratively, is Minnesota native Kyle Washington.  A six-foot-ten southpaw, Washington is a high level athlete with an obvious passion for the game and developing skill set.  Look for him to exert his personality on the team right away and emerge as the emotional leader of the team this season. 

Joining Washington along the frontline, is another ESPNU Super 60 prospect in Austin Colbert, the six-foot-ten junior who transfers into Hotchkiss from St. Patrick’s in New Jersey.  Colbert arrives with a laundry list of recruiting schools already in tow and ability practically oozing out of his pores. 

Next up are two newcomers making the move south from Canada.  Patrick Steeves is a skilled six-foot-seven forward who does his best damage with his long range jumper.  Another junior, Steeves reportedly landed scholarship offers from Penn State and Xavier recently while picking up additional interest from a variety of different levels. 

Steeves’ Canadian counterpart is sophomore big man Noah Daoust.  A six-foot-eight power post man from Montreal, Daoust figures to get plenty of on the job training this year going up against the likes of Washington and Colbert, while being the first big man off the bench. 

Adding even more depth up front is Christopher Campbell, who returns for his junior season.  A skilled six-foot-six forward with an advanced feel for the game, Campbell is likely to play a variety of different positions for this year’s squad. 

Other players hoping to crack a spot in the rotation include senior Mac Sutphin, juniors Ray Mennin and Jordan Leary, and sophomore Donovan Wright. 

Put the pieces together and this team has the look and feel of the best ever to come through the Hotchkiss School.  With no less than five high-major recruits, ample size, and depth, they certainly have all the pieces to be a major player in class AA of the NEPSAC this season.