Providence Jam Fest – Saturday Recap

New England Recruiting Report | Saturday, April 24th, 2010

Connecticut Basketball Club, Expressions Elite, and Mass Rivals are all still alive in the seventeen-and-under bracket heading into Sunday’s quarterfinals, while Expressions, New England Storm, and Rhode Island Breakers remained alive in the sixteen-and-under. 

BABC looks like an early favorite in the fifteen-and-under bracket while ANU Generation and Expressions Elite are still alive as well. 

Notable Performances

John Henault, Bay State Magic – The Magic are Dennis Clifford’s team without question, but Henault stood out when we watched on Saturday with a very well balanced floor game and a potent three-point stroke. 

Dan Brooks, Boston Warriors Elite – A powerful and athletic swingman Brooks has taken his game to the next level recently because he is shooting the ball consistently and when you add that to his slashing ability and solid overall feel for the game, it makes for a deadly combination. 

Brandyn Benson, CBC Black – Benson dropped 29 points late on Saturday night, including 17 in the first half.  Playing both guard positions, Benson dropped a few three-pointers and also attacked consistently with his dribble. 

Andre Drummond, Connecticut Basketball Club – Normally Drummond stands out with a select number of incredible plays, but today he was efficient from start to finish inside the paint while also showing a rapidly improving skill set. 

Tavon Allen, Connecticut Basketball Club – This was as good as Allen has been in quite some time.  He scored the ball consistently, showed some explosive athleticism, and threw down the dunk of the day when he cocked the ball back and threw it through the rim while a defender crashed into him in mid-air. 

Jason Perrier, Connecticut Elite – Continues to show why division II schools should snatch him up as Pierre’s latest performance included 26 points including an offensive put-back to force overtime as time expired. 

Mike Anderson, Connecticut Knights – The Knights had another great run, winning their pool yet again, and Anderson was a big reason why as the long and athletic wing drove strong to the bucket and drilled the long ball. 

Ricardo Ledo, Expressions Elite – Explosively athletic and quick with the ball, Ledo was also sticking the jumper tonight, and when he’s doing that there is virtually no guarding him as he showed in Expressions first bracket play game. 

Khem Birch, Expressions Elite – He was a one man zone on Saturday night as he was flying around the paint blocking shots from every which direction.  Offensively he was all over the offensive glass, getting a ton of explosive finishes on second chance points. 

Donald Celestin, Greater Boston Lions – After the Lions claimed their pool, Celestin dropped 29 points in the opening round of bracket play including six three-pointers and several bouncy finishes as he got his head on the rim. 

Ben Ferris, Lone Wolf – He’s just a sheer competitor who steps up and makes plays whenever his team needs him.  Ferris was particularly impressive on Friday night vs. Granite State Jayhawks. 

Ryan Canty, Mass Rivals – He may have had double figure dunks in one game as he threw it down in every way imaginable: alley-oops; drop-steps from the post; and tip-ins on the offensive glass. 

Cam Shorey, MBR – Another local New England team who claimed victory in their pool, MBR got good production from Shorey today as he threw around his strong body inside the paint and also showed improved shooting range from the perimeter. 

Graham Safford, MBR – Despite falling to the Greater Boston Lions in the opening round of bracket play, Safford was a bright spot, dropping 22 points on some smooth drives and equally smooth jumpers when in rhythm. 

Trahson Burrell, Team Odom – Burrell led the way for Team Odom with his point forward ability, creating for himself and others consistently off the dribble and proving his ability to manufacture offense. 

Joe Bramanti, Granite State Jayhawks – The Jayhawks scored the upset of the day when they knocked off the top seeded New England Playaz.  Bramanti was the leading scorer with 21 points on a series of strong drives and mid-range pull-ups. 

Steve Spirou, Granite State Jayhawks – The unsung hero of the Jayhawks, Spirou may not lead the team in scoring, but he does a little bit of everything and has a huge overall impact on his team’s success. 

Sam Longwell, New England Storm – A strong bodied guard with a diverse and fundamentally sound game, Longwell made shots, drove to the basket, and made sound decisions with the ball. 

Wayne Selden, BABC – This BABC team is loaded and they absolutely pounded people on Saturday.  Selden was the horse from start to finish as he dominated inside but also showed off an improved shooting stroke. 

Goodluck Okonoboh, BABC – Okonoboh dominated the game on the defensive end against Select and finished with a double-double of 11 blocks and 12 rebounds.  He also showed an evolving ability to pass the ball from the high post on the offensive end.