Rumble in the Bronx – Event Recap

New England Recruiting Report | Saturday, June 11th, 2011

The annual Rumble in the Bronx is taking place this weekend and the field is bigger than ever spanning 27 different courts and two states in New York and New Jersey. 

The New England Recruiting Report has been on hand and anchored down at two of the prime spots, Manhattan College and Hooperstown.  Here is a look at those prospect who have stood out through Saturday night: 

Mike Mallory & Ethan ODay, CT Basketball Club:  With Kris Dunn & Andre Drummond at Adidas Nations this weekend, CBC found other players stepping up on Friday night.  Mallory was atop the list as he picked up his playmaking in the backcourt while O’Day finished everything inside, hammering home five consecutive dunks in the second half. 

Jacquil Taylor, LOX/Prodigy:  The lanky young big man showed the tools that make him such an intriguing prospect.  His length and timing allow him to block shots with timing on the defensive end while his offensive skill set was shown with a series of face-up short jumpers from the low post with impressive footwork and a soft touch. 

Gunner Bjornson, RI Hawks:  The Hawks scored a hard fought opening round win on Friday night as Bjornson was again the team’s high scorer.  A volume shooter and scorer, he is an aggressive offensive player who can connect with range on his jumper or put his head down and bull his way to the rim. 

Ricardo Ledo, Expressions: After a slow start to the day on Saturday, Ledo came alive down the stretch to lead Expressions to a come from behind win over Riverside Church.  The athletic guard went to work behind the three-point line, drilling a trio of shots to lead the late rally and claim victory for his club. 

Jeremy Miller, Expressions 15’s:  Expressions was one of the few lucky u15 teams to get a game at Manhattan College and Miller seized the opportunity to show his wealth of tools.  He ran the floor beautifully, finished with touch inside the paint, and even showed some face-up skills out to 15-18 feet. 

Schadrac Casimir, USAD: What the young Trinity Catholic (CT) guard (31 points, five assists vs. Gauchos) lacks in size at this point in his maturity he more than makes up for with explosive playmaking ability as an attacking lead ball-handler capable of dictating pace with his elite quickness and scoring the ball in high volume with a solid stroke from distance and an array of floaters in the lane.

Sem Kroom, USAD: The six-foot-eight, Greenwich, CT-native and Greenwich High-product possesses intriguing tangibles as a raw, developing young big with a solid frame, good mobility, and a soft touch out to 15 feet.  Look for his production level to vastly improve as he gains more quality game experience and continues to learn how to use his size to carve out space on the interior.

Samuel Dingba, Westchester Hawks: The Salisbury (CT)-product and rapidly-developing young big had his diverse arsenal of physical tools on full display on Friday evening, turning shots away at the rim with his supreme length and quick leaping ability as a vertical interior defender, running rim to rim for dunks in transition, and stretching the paint with a soft touch out to 15 feet.

Jared Butler, Mass Evolution: Despite not scoring a single point in Saturday morning’s contest against a talented Team Final squad, the six-foot-five O’Bryant-product impressed with a willingness to mix it up on the interior, pursue rebounds through traffic, and use of his length and wide-body frame to hold his ground on the low-block and protect the cup against a flurry of attacking guards.

Skyler White, Riverside Church: At six-foot-eight with a pure stroke from three and a variance of post-up and face-up moves on the low-block, White poses severe match-up problems for opposing bigs unable to match his skill-level and versatility on the perimeter.  On his way to Northfield Mount Hermon next year to play in the top tier of NEPSAC, he put up a game-high 20 points against South Jersey Select on Saturday with NMH head coach John Carroll in attendance to see his next super-skilled, hybrid forward prospect in action.

Jeff Amazon, LOX/Prodigy: With his team’s offense struggling to find energy early afternoon on Saturday, the six-foot-three combo-guard took it upon himself to use his power and raw strength to bully his way past defenders, absorb contact at the rim, and battle for his own misses if necessary to either convert a tough bucket or get to the line.

Roger Paul, LOX/Prodigy: The West Roxbury-native is a high-level athlete with explosive bounce off one-foot in transition, using a creative handle to maneuver his way through traffic in the open floor and get downhill in the seam to set himself up for positive plays in the paint.

Zach Gattereau, LOX/Prodigy: A long, lanky athlete on the perimeter with deceptive burst attacking the paint from the wing, Gattereau did most of his damage on Saturday defensively, using his length and ball-hawking instincts to chase opposing ball-handlers and transform turnovers near half-court into easy offense the other way.

Christian Federici, CT Elite: An impressive athlete in CT Elite’s 15u group with terrific size and length on the wing, the six-foot-two, St. Joseph’s (CT)-product defends multiple spots on the floor and rebounds the ball extremely well through traffic with toughness and quick-leaping ability in tight space.

Gary Dudley, CT Elite: Dudley showed that the ability to score the ball away from the basket can negate lack of size early in his team’s Saturday evening match-up at Hooperstown, connecting on multiple catch-and-shoot threes in transition with a smooth stroke from well beyond the arc.