Prep Profile - New Hampton School

New England Recruiting Report | Thursday, October 6th, 2016

A strong core of veteran leadership includes the likes of Anthony Gaines and Kristers Zoriks, who have committed to Northwestern and St. Mary’s in recent weeks, along with Kimani Lawrence and Walker Miller.

There’s no denying that Lawrence is the primary talent on this team. The long hours spent developing his skill set last year at NHS were on full display during the recent EYBL season and that, in addition to his size and athleticism on the wing, solidified him as a top 100 national prospect as well as a priority recruit for numerous high-major programs. Arizona State, Florida, Pittsburgh, Texas and USC are the programs that remain in contention for his services.

While Lawrence may be the most talented player on the team, Anthony Gaines may very well be the one who sets the tone. Now in his third season at NHS, he too is coming off a breakout EYBL season of his own. Gaines’ motor and intangibles are both as good as they get and so he not only sets the tone on a daily basis, he also demands that his teammates keep up.

Zoriks has leadership tools as well. He may not be as noticeably vocal, but he leads by example every day with his consistency and diligence and also has the ball in his hands as the team’s second year starting point guard. In that role, the ball movement and balance that the Huskies pride themselves on really starts with Zoriks.

Miller is a walking advertisement to the program’s commitment to player development. Far from the player he was a year ago at this time, he’s added new muscle mass to his frame, extended his shooting range and developed newfound confidence as a result.

As for the newcomers, Khalea Turner-Morris provides the team with a physical low-post anchor and true back-to-the-basket scorer that most other teams in the league can’t duplicate. Peter Blust is another hard-working and high character forward from Illinois while Grant Robinson is cut from a similar cloth in the backcourt. Blust is a good perimeter shooter who will stretch opposing defenses while Robinson may quickly assert himself as one of the league’s premier perimeter defenders.

The most pleasant surprise this fall has been that of post-graduate forward Jimmy Boeheim, the eldest son of Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim. A summer teammate of Gaines, Zoriks and Miller with the Albany City Rocks, Boeheim appears to be playing the best basketball of his career right now and at six-foot-seven provides a skilled and heady option as a face-up four type of threat.

Local product Shandon Brown has followed in his father’s footsteps by transferring into New Hampton after two great seasons at Beaver Country Day. Brown is a pure point guard and the future leader of this team who will play valuable minutes this season before building a bridge to next year’s team.

Tyler McFarland and Nate Friend provide a pair of shooters to stretch opposing defenses and solidify both the team’s perimeter depth as well as their offensive spacing.

In short, Pete Hutchins may not be at the helm of the program but you can’t say he didn’t leave them in great shape. His successor is uniquely qualified for the job and has a roster that is both talented and experienced. All of which adds up to New Hampton School being among the top contenders in AAA this season.