BeantownHoops Blog

by beantownhoops.com (1/12/10)

I remember when I was playing organized basketball how much fun I had each time I took the court. The camaraderie of team and the sense that I was getting bettwer each year made each basketball season special.  But once the season was over, I wanted more and there was never an outlet for me to keep improving my skills.  Sure, I could go out in the backyard and shoot baskets or play against friends at the local playground, but was I really getting better?  Club teams were non-existent back then (mid-80’s to early 90’s) except for one team at the high school level for the whole state. Basketball has changed dramatically since that time and now there are many club teams and programs available for young players, but I ask the same question, are they really getting better?

One program that has made it their goal of improving the skills of players with clear results is Visionary Basketball. Commonly known as VBG (Visionary Basketball Group), they started their programs a few years back under the guidance of former college and professional player Anthony Taylor. Acting as Director of Basketball Operations for VBG, Taylor has taken his playing experiences and has set up a developmental schedule for players that focus on both the physical and mental aspects of the game.

“I was very fortunate to have a number of great coaching mentors when I played. Sean Miller (Arizona head coach) and Thad Matta (Ohio State head coach) were assistants when I was in college and Herb Sendek (Arizona State head coach) was the head coach. I then played for John Starks (former New York Knick) professionally. I have taken everything I have learned from them and put it into the VBG program,” said Taylor.

Besides Taylor, VBG has a group of experienced coaches and former players working for them, plus a board of directors with plenty of basketball pedigree to their name. The result has been a successful basketball developmental program that focuses on training players and not just playing AAU club basketball. Take a look at the players who are benefitting from VBG:

Grade school players:

• Juwan Gooding, 7th grade: regarded as one of the top 7th graders in the New England area
Current High School Players: all these players are considered premier players in their class and are impact players for their schools.

• Amber Dillon, junior at Brookline H.S.
• Jada Wynn, junior at Newton North H.S.
• Jonathon Perez, freshmen at Lowell H.S.
• Natalie Gomez-Martinez, senior at Andover H.S.
• Conor Macomber, junior at St. John’s Prep
• Morgan Lumb, freshman at North Andover
• Sam Dowden, freshman at Andover

Current College players:

• Jenny Shoemaker, New Haven University
• Ashley Rivera, URI
• Kyle Bond, Washington Lee

I have coached high school basketball for 15 years, six of those years as a head coach, and I can tell you from my experience that VBG is doing a great job. With the influx of club teams and player programs in the past twenty years, it is hard to tell which ones are beneficial to the players, but after meeting with them and watching their teaching methods, I know that VBG is one of the best. For more information on VBG’s year round training programs, visit their website at www.visionarybasketball.com.

Boys Champions and 4th-8th grade players to watch
by beantownhoops.com (youth correspondent) 1/5/10

9th Grade 15u Champions: Hollis Biddies
9th Grade 15u Runner-Up: VBC/Gold
8th Grade 14u Champions: VBC/Gold
8th Grade 14u Runner-Up: Boston Spartans
7th Grade 13u Champions: Hollis Biddies
7th Grade 13u Runner-Up: Lowell
6th Grade 12u Champions: Boston Spartans
6th Grade 12u Runner-Up: VBC
5th Grade 11u Champions:  VBC
5th Grade 11u Runner-Up:  Sacred Heart
4th Grade 10u Champions: All for One
4th Grade 10u Runner-Up: Needham

4^th grade 10u: All-Urban Suburban Xmas Team

Shandon Brown (All for One)- Shandon has great court vision and is a very unselfish player. His passing ability is something that you rarely see in a 9-year old player. He has good range on his jump shot and can knock down the 10-12 ft. shot with consistency. A very good coach on the floor, Shandon is also a stellar defensive player with the ability to ball hawk offensive players.
Donte Eldridge (All for One)- Donte is an explosive offensive player. His quickness and first step allows him to beat people off the dribble. Defensively he really puts pressure on the ball handler. His anticipation and quick hands produced many steals in the open court. Donte finished well in traffic and was strong going to the basket.

4th 10u: Honorable Mention All-Urban Suburban Xmas team

Brandon Monheimeir (Needham)

Michael Devalle (Needham)

5^th grade 11u: MVP – Most Valuable Urban Suburban Xmas tourney Player

Isaiah Holmes (VBC) Isaiah is a true point guard, who can get to basket and score at will. He has great court vision and is a very unselfish player. He has a killer crossover dribble that he used to blow by his defender and he’s always looking to pass first. Sometime he’s a little to unselfish. In the tournament, Isaiah put his team on his back and carried them to the championship.

5^th grade 11u: All-Urban Suburban Xmas Team

Wade Whipple(VBC) – Wade is tenacious on the defensive end of the floor. He shoots the ball pretty well from beyond the arc and he’s “only a 3^rd grader”. Wade is a very hard worker and eager to learn, he will only get better as he grows and gets stronger.

James Thurman(VBC) -This lefty was a scoring machine this week. He finished well in traffic and went strong to the basket all tournament long. He also did a decent job on the boards. Can’t wait to see him develop and become more comfortable going to his right. He will have a bright future with continued work.

Kyle Murphy(Sacred Heart) A true floor general, a coach on the floor, with a very high basketball IQ. Really understands the game at such a young age.

Will Phelan(Sacred Heart) He’s an all around player who can do everything: Dribble, Shoot, Rebound, Hustle, you name it Will does it.

5^th grade 11u: Honorable Mention All-Urban Suburban Xmas team

Cameron Ray (VBC)

Johnathan Mendes (Brockton Bulldogs)

Ghared Boyce (Brockton Bulldogs)

Jahari Boone (Brockton Bulldogs)

6^th grade 12u: MVP – Most Valuable Urban Suburban Xmas tourney Player

Ernie Depradine (Boston Spartan)

6^th grade 12u: All-Urban Suburban Xmas Team

Elijah Rue(Boston Spartan)

6^th grade 12u: Honorable Mention All-Urban Suburban Xmas team

Shyheim Hicks (Brockton Bulldogs)

Terrell Williams (Brockton Bulldogs)

7^th grade 13u: MVP – Most Valuable Urban Suburban Xmas tourney Player

Elijah Mcneely-Davey (Hollis Biddies)

7^th grade 13u: All-Urban Suburban Xmas Team

Rajien griffin (Hollis Biddies)

Ethan Talkov (Swampscott)

7^th grade 13u: Honorable Mention All-Urban Suburban Xmas team

Ryan January (Swampscott)

8th grade 14:U MVP – Most Valuable Urban Suburban Xmas tourney Player

Juwan Gooding (5’ 11” PG) “7^th grader” VBC/Gold: Clearly stood out as the best player in the tournament. He has a lightning quick first step and great handles making him extremely difficult to defend. He keeps the defense honest with his range from the 3-point line and his ability to hit the mid-range jumper. He is at his best in the open court, but he is not afraid to get after it with the big men down low. He has the confidence and ability to make plays when the game is on the line. Must stay consistent on the defensive end, continue to work hard, and stay focused. Right now his future looks very bright but it all comes down to how much he really wants to be a great player. He should continue to thrive under VBC and get better every year.  Keep an eye on him because the future looks promising for Juwan.

8th grade 14:U All-Urban Suburban Xmas Team

Max Butterbrodt (6’ 2” SF) VBC/Gold: “Mad Max” playing as an undersized big man,he came up big for his team all week with his work on the interior. He consistently caught the ball around the foul line area and then utilized his skills to score at the rim. Max was a dominant force on the interior making baby hook shoots powering up for “And 1’s” or shooting the mid range jumper. He was very active on the glass, keeping possessions alive and cleaning up misses for buckets. Max is still young and developing and I would like to see him develop a perimeter game. VBC offers drills and skills for everyone seven days a week so I look forward to seeing Max development playing on the perimeter in the future as well.

Chancellor Ellis (6’ 5” SF) Hollis Biddies, NY: Chancellor showed a good skill set from the perimeter during the tournament. He is a combo forward who can put it on the deck and score in a variety of ways. He runs the floor extremely well when he wants to and is capable of going coast to coast off of a defensive rebound. He also showed he can shoot the long ball or the pull up from mid range. Would like to see him play a little tougher on the low block, but he’s still young and has time to develop. The future looks pretty good for Chancellor right now.

Aaron Falzone (6’ 5” F/C) VBC/Gold:A sub-par game by his standards but was still enough to make him one of the best players on the floor.  He did the majority of his damage from the foul line down and around the rim, both by going to the offensive glass and attacking with his dribble. He also showed great footwork on the low post. He was very active on the glass during the tourney, keeping possessions alive and cleaning up misses. He showed some perimeter skills and you could tell he had a good feel for the game.  He was very effective against the full court pressure with his ability to pass the ball which led to several lay-ups. At times, Aaron showed the willingness to get under the boards and bang for rebounds, but he must do it every time he steps on the floor. I do believe that Aaron can play that wing position but its all depends on how much and how hard he works. He must also work on his speed and conditioning so he will be able to run the floor consistently.He will only get better as he continues to grow into his body he does wear a size 15 shoe..

Carmen Giampatruzzi (6’0” SG) Manchester Y: This lefty has a fundamentally sound skill set, in fact his whole team showed great fundamentals all tournament (a sign of a well coached team). He can dribble, pass, and can really shoot it. Carmen was consistently knocking down shots from mid range and from beyond the arc. Teams better have defensive awareness of him at all times because if you leave him open, it is money in the bank.

Marcus Neal (6’ 0” SG) Boston Spartans: Marcus had a great outing during the Urban/Suburban. He attacked the rim in both the half court and in transition and was able to finish or get to the foul line. He rebounds extremely well for his size. He also made a lot of hustle plays, at one point he was a one man wrecking crew on the offensive and defensive ends. Would like to see him use his pull up mid range jumper a little more and tighten up his ball handling skills. Players like Marcus are essential to all winning teams.

Mike Rodriguez (5’ 7” PG) Boston Spartans: Mike is a point guard with a score first mind set who can flat out shoot it. He created havoc for defenders in the tournament shooting the ball and dropping dimes. For his size, I would like to see him develop more at becoming a true point with a penetrate and pass mind set. Coach Chapman does a great job with his guys so I look forward to seeing Mike’s development in near future.

8th grade 14:U Honorable Mention All-Urban Suburban Xmas team

Akwasi Appiah (6’ 2” SF) VBC/Gold
Jameer Henderson (5’ 6” PG) Boston Spartan
Patrick Keefe (5’ 6” PG) Manchester Y
Dawson Dickson (5’ 6” PG) Manchester Y
Mike Silverthorn (6’ 1” SG) Hollis Biddies, N.Y.
Tenie Johnson (6’ 1” F)Hollis Biddies, N.Y.
Phillip Rodgers (5’ 5”) Mass. Thundercats
Fred Hogan (5’ 7”) Mass. Thundercats
Josh Terechin (Danvers)

Girls Tournament Champions

8th grade champions - Due to injuries, co-champions were declared between VBC 8th grade girls and the Boston Showstoppers 7th grade team that played up.

6th grade champions - Boston Showstoppers Runner-up - Scituate

5th grade champions - Ipswich Runner-up - Sacred Heart