Yags’ Point Forward - Impressions from Indy

by Mike Yagmin | Thursday, May 4th, 2017

Both the Under Armour and Nike grassroots circuits took their second sessions to Indianapolis last weekend. Local teams and prospects put themselves on display in front of scores of high-major college coaches during the NCAA Live Period and proved, once again, that New England currently has some of the toughest and most talented young men in the nation.

Expressions Makes a Statement, Still Far From Satisfied

After finishing 3-1 in the EYBL’s opening session, Expressions players and coaches couldn’t help but lament the fact that they let their opening game slip away. While their performance in Indy provided more proof that they could compete with any team on the circuit, their 2-2 record only reinforced the need for 32 minutes of consistent basketball and increased the size of the chip on their shoulders heading into the Atlanta Session.

Expressions took care of business in their first game, building a 19-point halftime lead over Oregon’s Portland Basketball Club and cruising to a 73-60 win. As predicted, Marcus Zegarowksi set the stage for his big weekend with a 13-point, 7-rebound, 5-assist performance while Dana Tate efficiently dropped 16 points (7-8 FG/2-2 FT) and grabbed 5 boards.

In their first game on Saturday, Expressions was matched up against a talent-laden Team Florida squad that features three unanimous top-15 players in the national class of 2019 in 6’10” Vernon Carey Jr, 6’8” Trendon Watford and 7’ Balsa Koprivica. Florida attempted to exploit their perceived height advantage by going inside early on but Tate’s toughness combined with the quick and violent hands of Joe Kasperzyk eventually drove the talented big men to the perimeter. Make no mistake, Carey Jr. is more than capable from the outside and flashed every bit of his skillset by drilling 3-5 from beyond the arch. But the further the trio drifted away from the basket, the larger Expressions lead became.

Marcus Zegarowski led the charge with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists while 7 Expressions players scored 9-or-more points in an 87-74 victory. Noah Fernandes was Expressions’ catalyst in an early second half run that put the game out of reach, finishing with 12 points, 10 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals.

Marcus Zegarowski (@MZegarowski1) Dana Tate (@DanaTate16) & Joey Kasperzyk (@ihoop_joseph) lead @XEliteBasketbal to 5-1 going into Sat Night pic.twitter.com/maZwtpdqz8
— Mike Yagmin (@MikeYagmiNERR) April 30, 2017

In Saturday’s nightcap, Expressions faced Bradley Beal Elite, another one of the EYBL’s most star-studded squads led by 2018’s top-ranked point guard Darius Garland. Marcus Zegarowski went toe-to-toe with the jet-quick 6’2” floor general but it wasn’t enough to get past BBE. The story of the game was told at the foul line, with BBE taking twice as many foul shots as Expressions (36-to-18) and burying 75% (27-36) from the stripe en route to a 77-68 win. Garland finished with 19 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds but was also forced into 6 turnovers by Zegarowski, who finished with 20 points (6-12 FG/4-7 3pt/4-5 FT) 4 assists and 3 steals.

In their weekend finale, Expressions jumped out to an early lead against a talented Team Takeover outfit but ran out of gas down the stretch and losing 58-54. Expressions heads into the EYBL’s Atlanta Session with an overall record of 5-3 which will give every remaining game on their schedule added importance for a spot at Peach Jam.

After watching Zegarowski raise his game to match Garland on Saturday night, high-major college offers came pouring in for the 6’1” point guard from Tilton. After new UMass head coach Matt McCall reaffirmed his program’s desire to attain Zegarowski, Penn State, Minnesota, Rutgers and Pittsburgh also came to the table with offers.

Jahbril Price-Noel, a 6’6” wing from Gould Academy, continued to raise his stock this spring by averaging 7 points and 4 rebounds while shooting 66% (10-15) from the field and 55% (5-9) from beyond the arch over the weekend. Price-Noel earned an offers from Canisius and Vermont for his efforts.

Dana Tate continued his steady spring, averaging 14 points and 6 boards against a handful of blue chip frontcourt players, and is unexpectedly flying under the radar at this point. Tate added an offer from LaSalle, a program that has found a tremendous amount of value in the Northeast over the last few years.

The BABC Is Just Getting Started

For the second straight session, The BABC went 3-1 with an infectious brand of up-tempo pressure basketball that suffocates opponents defensively and plays directly into their players strengths on the offensive end.

The BABC opened their weekend with an 83-73 win over Seattle Rotary on Friday night. The game film could also be labeled “The Evolution of Cole Swider: Volume III” as the 6’8” marksman went for 30 points despite only shooting 2-10 from the perimeter. Swider’s improved ability to score at all three levels allows him to remain a deadly weapon even when his jumper isn’t falling. It also creates a pick-your-poison scenario for defenders, which teams across the EYBL are learning the hard way.

After ripping off 24 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists in the opener, Jakigh Dottin continued his historic EYBL pace with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in a 79-52 drubbing of the Portland Basketball Club in The BABC’s first game on Saturday.

Jakigh Dottin (@That_Dottin_Kid) keeps playing like a man possessed, Cole Swider (@coleswider21) dropped 30 & @thebabc was relentless in a W pic.twitter.com/xKh72Plvmh
— Mike Yagmin (@MikeYagmiNERR) April 29, 2017

The BABC’s only loss of the session came on Saturday night, just as it did in Hampton, to a tough MEBO Elite Team Hood team out of Mississippi by a score of 73-72. Dottin was nothing short of sensational in the losing effort with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists.

In true BABC fashion, the savage backcourt trio of Dottin, Maurice Works and Shandon Brown used Sunday’s matchup against Garland’s BBE squad to make a name for themselves instead. Whether they were making Garland’s life miserable defensively or finishing through contact at the rack, the firm Brown, Works & Dottin impacted the game every step of the way and finished with a combined 43 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists in The BABC’s dominant 83-68 win.

Caden Dumas continued to perfect his role as do-it-all tough guy, averaging 9 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes of play, while shooting 66% (14-21) from the field over the weekend. Despite those uber-efficient numbers, the totality of Dumas’ impact will never truly be measured in any box score, as he allows elite shot blocker Dimon Carrigan to roam free as a rim protector on one end and spaces the floor enough to give all of his teammates the necessary room to operate offensively.

Carrigan continues to lead the Nike circuit in blocked shots, averaging 4 rejections per game through two sessions.

CBC’s Record Doesn’t Tell Whole Story

Despite leaving Indianapolis with a 1-3 record, the Connecticut Basketball Club has a ton of reasons to believe they can make a strong run on the Under Armour circuit going forward. The CBC lost their three games by a total of 12 points to We-R1 (7-1), Earl Watson Elite (7-1) and Philly Pride (6-2), teams with a combined record of 20-4.

Jaecee Martin continues to pace the Under Armour Association with over 7 assists per game while teammate Filip Petrusev continues to make his case as one of the circuit’s biggest breakout performers, averaging 13 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks through two sessions.

Northfield-Mt. Hermon’s Calvin Whipple hit 50% of his 3’s (7-14) over the final three games in Indy and gives the CBC the perfect complement to Martin’s explosive playmaking, Petrusev’s versatile game and Jared Simmons’ ability to score in both the open court and as a spot up shooter. While the CBC’s 17U squad continues to give opponents headaches, the 16U squad may be the most intriguing grassroots team in all of New England, regardless of sneaker affiliation.

Loomis Chaffee’s 6’8” wing Jaiden Delaire, playing with about 75% visions due to a heavily bandaged gash above his left eye that needed stitches during the circuit’s opening weekend, opened the eyes of high-major college coaches in Indy. Delaire’s 7-foot wingspan, improved handle, smooth stroke and heightened court awareness make him an impossible cover at the 16U level and allowed him to draw attention from UConn, Old Dominion, Houston, St. Louis and a handful of other high-major programs. At this point in his prep career, there is simply no telling how high Delaire’s ceiling could be and he’s surrounded by teammates that won’t allow teams to key on him now or in the future.

Byron Breland, a tough-as-nails 6’4” wing with a 6’8” wingspan, is averaging 11 points while grabbing nearly 4 boards a game on the other wing and also sees time as a primary ball-handler with the ability to slash and find open men on the perimeter.

Jaiden Delaire (@jdelaire11) Byron Breland & Mekhi Warren showed the Indy @UAassociation crowd why @CTBballClub's future is so bright pic.twitter.com/LiIeI0Os2T
— Mike Yagmin (@MikeYagmiNERR) April 29, 2017

6’3” point guard Isaiah Gaiter is starting to come into his own as a strong-bodied lefty with extraordinary vision who can also rise up and hammer over a defender in the open floor. Gaiter is averaging over 4 assists per game and will see his stock continue to rise over the next 12 months.

Mekhi Warren, a 6’6” wingspan big man, and Cairo McCrory, a 6’5” wing from Northwest Catholic who owns a 6’9” wingspan, also opened some eyes over the weekend. Throw Chol Marial into the mix next year and the CBC will have one of the strongest rosters in grassroots basketball.

New England News, Notes & Offers From Indy

Simi Shittu continued his white hot EYBL campaign and is averaging a rare double-double (18.8 points & 11 rebounds) through the first two sessions. Duke and Kentucky were just a few of the coaching staffs that kept tabs on the versatile 6’10” Vermont Academy product over the weekend…Expressions’ 6’7” wing Philmon Gebrewhit picked up an offer from Hofstra…..Ishmael Massoud has seen his stock rise as much as anyone on the EYBL’s 16U circuit. Massoud, a 6’7” wing with the vision of a point guard and wingspan of a big man (6’11”), was offered by Xavier, Rutgers, Wake Forest and St. Louis over the last 10 days…..Brewster and Team Melo 6’10” big Nate Roberts earned an offer from St. John’s after his Indy Session…..Eric Ayala had another solid weekend with We-R1 on the Under Armour circuit. Ayala, who is still contemplating reclassifying back to the Class of 2017, added an offer from LSU to his list of high major suitors…..Sidney Wilson, another prospect who may head back to 2017, is now playing with the Castle Knights in the Adidas circuit after starting the grassroots season with Under Amour’s New Heights program…..Cormac Ryan’s clutch trey while down 2 with under 3 seconds remaining gave his NY Rens a huge much-needed victory on Saturday night…..Jakigh Dottin is now averaging 17.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game for The BABC. No player in EYBL history has ever matchup those marks!

Cormac Ryan for the win......BUCKETS! Stone cold dagger gives @NYRhoops a HUGE WIN after two tough L's at @NikeEYB Indy Session pic.twitter.com/eADPblYTjo
— Mike Yagmin (@MikeYagmiNERR) April 30, 2017

NEW ENGLAND’S SNEAKER CIRCUIT STAT LEADERS

Points Per Game

1. Cole Swider, BABC (EYBL)……………………….............20.6

2. Simi Shittu, CIA Bounce (EYBL)……………….........18.8

3. Cormac Ryan, RENS (EYBL) ……………………...........18.0

4. Jakigh Dottin, BABC (EYBL) ……………………...........17.8

5. Sidney Wilson, Castle Heights (Adidas)…......16.5

6. Alex Rivera, Rivals (Adidas) …………………….............15.0

7. Dana Tate, Expressions (EYBL)……………….............14.4

8. AJ Reeves, Rivals (Adidas)………………………...............14.2

9. Marcus Zegarowski, Expressions (EYBL)…......13.9

10. Jared Simmons,CT Basketball Club (UAA)..13.3