Local Products Crack National Rankings

Local Products Crack National Rankings

Posted Sunday, June 14th, 2020

ESPN announced expanded national rankings earlier this week.  The class of 2021 took over the ESPN 100, added 40 new prospects to their post-season list. Suffield Academy big man Mac Etienne is the first local product to make the cut at 64th overall while incoming Putnam Science Academy point guard Bensley Joseph is close behind at 68th. Milton Academy wing Casey Simmons also made his debut in the 95th spot.  With national rankings now announced, updated New England rankings will… READ MORE >

Pitt & Marquette head coach join The Upside Podcast

Pitt & Marquette head coach join The Upside Podcast

Posted Saturday, June 13th, 2020

In the third installment of our series 'Race in Sports,' The Upside Podcast hosted Pittsburgh head coach Jeff Capel and Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski, two close friends who previously both played and coached together at Duke.  While their careers have run side-by-side at many points, they have experienced the world through different lenses. In this episode, we get their unique perspective on racial injustice, how it's impacted their history together, and how they approach leading their current teams.  Topics… READ MORE >

Rising Senior Spotlight - Michael Iuzzolino

Rising Senior Spotlight - Michael Iuzzolino

Posted Friday, June 12th, 2020

Mike Iuzzolino's recruitment is tricky.  His dad is an assistant coach at Robert Morris and so most coaches probably assume he's automatically going there.  That isn't the case though and so RMU didn't immediately offer the younger Iuzzolino a scholarship, which could be misconstrued that they didn't think he was good enough.  So here's the plain simple truth - Canterbury's rising senior guard is a clear division I player and while he has a spot at Robert Morris if he… READ MORE >

Rising Senior Spotlight - Griffin Walbridge

Rising Senior Spotlight - Griffin Walbridge

Posted Thursday, June 11th, 2020

True big men like Griffin Walbridge are typically late to develop. It takes them longer to grow into their body, develop their coordination and balance, and then define their game.  A year ago, Walbridge was finishing up his junior year at Longmeadow High School where his size had differentiated him in Western Mass, but beyond that he was still a virtual unknown. He ended up transferring to Tabor Academy for the 2019-20 academic year and reclassifying upon his arrival. Since then, things… READ MORE >

Rising Senior Spotlight - Sam Stevens

Rising Senior Spotlight - Sam Stevens

Posted Wednesday, June 10th, 2020

Mansfield High School senior Sam Stevens was both one of the most improved players in the MIAA and one of the most impactful.  He put up big numbers, came away with a collection of post-season accolades in the process, and led Mansfield to the D1 South Sectional championship.  Now, he's headed to Williston Northampton for a post-graduate year just as his steady diet of high D3 recruitment is starting to stretch to higher levels.  A high academic prospect, Stevens' goal is to… READ MORE >

Rising Senior Spotlight - Charlie Weisberg

Rising Senior Spotlight - Charlie Weisberg

Posted Tuesday, June 9th, 2020

In high school, the most notable players are the ones who can make plays with the ball in their hands. But in college, when you’re facing more sophisticated and disciplined defenses, not everyone can be a primary playmaker.   More than that, playmakers need room to operate and that spacing is reliant on other players who stretch-out opposing defenses with their ability to shoot the ball. Consequently, shooting is perhaps the most coveted skill at the next level, and not… READ MORE >

Rising Senior Spotlight - Clifton Goode

Clifton Goode 2021

Posted Monday, June 8th, 2020

St. Paul's School forward Clifton Goode is a Virginia native who just finished his first season in the New England prep ranks.  He is currently hearing from the likes of Union, Carnegie Mellon, Hamilton, RPI, and WPI with the goal of playing at the highest level possible while receiving a good education and majoring in engineering.  It's very possible that he may just be scratching the surface of his potential though as both his rookie season in the NEPSAC and… READ MORE >

Deerfield’s Pitcher Picks Harvard

Deerfield’s Pitcher Picks Harvard

Posted Sunday, June 7th, 2020

Deerfield Academy and NE6 big man Bennett Pitcher announced his verbal commitment to Harvard University, pending admission, in the class of 2021 on Sunday.  Pitcher has been a two-sport star throughout his high school career, starring on both the gridiron and the hardwood. An offensive tackle on the football field, he was reportedly being recruited by several high-major programs, but saw his basketball stock increase steadily this spring as well, despite the pandemic.  His announcement began by calling basketball his… READ MORE >

Missour head coach Cuonzo Martin joins The Upside Podcast

Missour head coach Cuonzo Martin joins The Upside Podcast

Posted Sunday, June 7th, 2020

During this period of intense racial discord in America, The Upside has looked at some of the black leaders in the community of sports to give us their perspective on these historic events effecting every corner of our nation and the systematic issues behind them.  Missouri head men's basketball coach Cuonzo Martin was the second such guest. Martin was born in Saint Louis and returned to Missouri three years ago at a team when both the university and the surrounding… READ MORE >

Re-Ranking the Class of 2016

Bruce Brown 2016

Posted Saturday, June 6th, 2020

In recent weeks, we’ve gone back to “re-rank” the classes of 2017 and 2018. The exercises have proven to be both popular among our readers and useful internally as it helps to pinpoint commonalities among players that were either over or under-rated. The vast majority of the time, rankings tend to reflect a prospect’s market value in an effort to illuminate the viewpoint of college coaches. Prospects with wide-ranging high-major recruitment are ahead of prospects with mid-major recruitment and so on. The fixation… READ MORE >

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