Top of the Class in Mass

New England Recruiting Report | Thursday, September 12th, 2013

The state of Massachusetts rivals only Connecticut when it comes to producing scholarship level basketball players in the New England region, and this year’s senior class has prospects for all levels of division I and II basketball.  

It begins at the top where Goodluck Okonoboh and Kaleb Joseph aren’t just teammates during the spring and summer months, but they’re also the top ranked prospects in the state.  Okonoboh, widely considered to be one of the top shot-blockers in the country, is still considering five schools – Duke, Florida, Ohio State, UNLV, and Indiana – while Joseph is already off the board to Syracuse.  

Notre Dame Prep point guard Jarvis Garrett has quietly returned for his senior year with a steady diet of mid to high-major suitors that is only likely to grow as he establishes himself as one of the best available point guards left on the board.  

Fourth ranked Jacquil Taylor has missed the last eight months with injury, and yet has still seen his recruitment pick up with schools like Purdue, Marquette, Kansas State, and others all eagerly monitoring his progress.  

New England’s top two skilled bigs are up next in Alec Brennan and Matt Cimino, both of whom are only scratching the surface of their long term potential while intriguing coaches from the top walks of academia and college basketball alike.  

A trio of summer stock risers is up next beginning with NMH center Sem Kroon, who is coming off a great summer and continuing to play high-level basketball during the first week of the fall open gym season.  

Tyler Nelson’s rise up recruiting boards began in the spring as he put up incredible shooting numbers during the EYBL regular season, picking up numerous scholarship offers in the process before committing to Fairfield.    

Idris Taqqee was another guy who helped himself this summer, showing an evolving offensive game to match his well known prowess on the defensive end of the floor, and playing his way into the Atlantic 10 Conference as a result.  

MacDuffie School’s latest addition, Dimitri Floras, rounds out the top ten as a tough scoring guard who is likely to have a big season in the prep ranks as MacDuffie will rely on him to be their primary offensive catalyst.  

Brimmer & May guard Sammy Mojica is another player that helped himself immensely this summer, which ultimately led to a pair of division I scholarship offers and subsequent commitment to Drexel.  

Tabor Academy swingman Miles Wright missed the July evaluation period, and could still opt for the gridiron at the next level, but is nonetheless a division I prospect in both sports.  

Beaver Country Day’s Jeff Spellman made a successful return this summer, specifically in the final week of the month, when he reminded college coaches of his unique combination of skill and athleticism that had him burying jumpers and throwing down dunks alike.  

Former Brighton star Malik James is yet another player who earned division I recruitment this summer, showing off a silky smooth floor game which he hopes to utilize this season at Notre Dame Prep.  

Lawrence Academy senior and Merrimack bound guard Kyles Howes takes the final spot on the list.  He came into the spring AAU season flying fairly under the radar, but proved himself to be a scholarship level player with a series of impressive performance all the way through the month of July.  

To view the Massachusetts 2014 rankings in their entirety, click here.