Scott Hazelton Elite Camp – Event Recap

New England Recruiting Report | Monday, July 6th, 2009

Carson Desrosiers was unquestionably the big draw of the Scott Hazelton Basketball School Elite Camp.  In fact, Syracuse head coach Jim Beiheim, Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt, Arizona State head coach Herb Sendek, Providence head coach Keno Davis, Marquette head coach Buzz Williams, and Wake Forest head coach Dino Gaudio all made it a priority to travel to New Hampshire to see the 6’10” big man on the first possible day. 

Desrosiers already owned offers from all six schools so these trips had much more to do with “recruiting” than they did “evaluating”. 

Nevertheless, the Central Catholic star did show the coaches glimpses of the skill package that has them all so intrigued.  His incredibly rare combination of size and skill have been well documented in recent months and on Monday night there were a few plays where it really stood out. 

First and foremost, he has perhaps the most effective jab step you’ll find on the perimeter from a 6’10” player.  He can use it to create space for his three-point shot or to create driving lanes to go to the rim, and he did both on Monday night. 

Two other plays that stood out where when Desrosiers caught the ball on the right wing, fed the post, quickly cut to the basket for the give & go, and then finished with a silky smooth finger roll.  The second took place on the opposite wing where he caught the ball behind the arc, used a shot fake to get his defender off balance, and then used his length to get to the rim in one long dribble before dropping in another finger roll.  Both demonstrated his tremendous agility, skill set, and feel for the game. 

And although these head coaches may have been here to get a look at the skilled big man, there were plenty of other players in the field who stood out. 

Dennis Clifford may have been the most notable performer.  He more than held his own in his head to head match-up with Desrosiers as he went blow for blow with the high major bound big man.  Clifford showed terrific use of his left hand both finishing around the rim and with his back to the basket using a jump hook.  He also showed an impressive skill package of his own as he pulled Desrosiers away from the basket with his shooting range.  Most importantly, he didn’t back down at all and went right at Desrosiers on both ends of the floor. 

Jordan Laguerre was the other notable performer.  Despite nursing a sore knee, Laguerre was still head and shoulders ahead of any other guard in the field as he was able to create his own shot at virtually anytime and score the ball in a variety of different ways. 

Best of the Rest

Will Bayliss – He shot the ball well for the second consecutive night, but more importantly played a well rounded floor game, pushing the tempo and yet still making good decisions. 

Jaymie Spears – It’s hard to imagine this guy is going to be in the class of 2012 next year as he has already improved by leaps and bounds.  The natural scorer has evolved into a pure point who made a series of nice finds and good decisions on Monday night. 

Zach Auguste – This could be the next in a long line of skilled Mass Rivals frontcourt players.  With his size, shooting touch, and handle he’s obviously got the tools, now he just needs the experience and physical strength. 

Cedric Kuakumensah – The young big man is improving rapidly.  He’s a big factor in transition, an already effective face-up player on the offensive end, and a potential game changer defensively. 

Alex Stoyle – His athleticism stands out right away as he covers a lot of ground on the court and is active bouncing around both rims.  He’s only been playing the game competitively for two years but he runs, dunks, rebounds, and blocks shots. 

David Madol – Another young big man with a clear upside, Madol gets up and down the court in a hurry, has terrific touch finishing plays around the rim, and an emerging face-up game.  His consistency was also impressive Monday as he produced results every time on the floor. 

Ryan Canty – His strength and athleticism really stood out in the first game, and never more than on his two handed tip-in dunk when trailing the break.  This is just the latest in a consistent line of impressive performances over the spring and summer. 

Ben Bartoldus – After a pedestrian start, he settled in for the second game and found a good rhythm knocking down his spot up threes, attacking the basket off the catch, and finishing strong against contact with good body control.   

Other All-Stars

Monday night’s action finished up with an all-star game.  Here’s a look at the other ten players who were selected to the game:

•  Anthony Barry showed his athleticism and ability to slash to the cup
•  Donald Celestin scored with bounce around the rim and with his mid-range jumper
•  Matt Daniels is a hard-nosed and scrappy player who does all the little things
•  Anthony Floras plays the game the right way and has a knockdown jumper
•  Jamie Holder turned some heads and showed he is a player to be reckoned with
•  Joe Mussachia has a knack for scoring with his unorthodox lefty attack
•  Elijah Okabari is a big man with a good frame and a nice variety of interior moves
•  Anderson Santana was aggressive scoring the ball, especially with his pull-up
•  Steve Spirou did the vast majority of his damage slicing to the rim

Catching Our Eye

A couple of other guys who did enough to stand out:

•  Kyle Umemba strided out to the rim and threw down one two handed dunk in traffic
•  Nicholas Lund is a big man who scores quickly while on the move on the interior
•  Benjamin Hill is a 6’9” big man from Pittsfield, NH who we expect to hear more from
•  D'Khair Johnson was very productive going to the rim all night long

Bright Future

We also got a quick glance at the future of Rivals basketball last night as rising sophomores Mike Thorpe and Javon Williams were on hand, in addition to rising frosh Noah Vonleh.  Thorpe is a pure shooter with a good feel for the game while Williams has the burst and explosiveness to be very good down the road.  Vonleh looks like the real deal as the future Georgetown HS (MA) product has length, talent, and an undeniable upside.