BeantownHoops Blog

After a solid junior season for Lincoln-Sudbury, Mitch Perez (2011) is ready to make 2010-11 even better.  The 6′2″ combo guard has great touch from the perimeter and has the tools to become a defensive stopper for the Warriors.  Mitch had a good showing at the S.E.S. showcase in May and is looking to diversify his game this off-season.  Along with big man John Swords, L-S has a nice inside/outside duo to make them a contender in the DCL.  Mitch projects to play an off-guard at the next level and will be a good fit for a school looking for a perimeter scoring threat and a coachable player.

Led by the play of 2011 star Marco Coppola, the Watertown Red Raiders captured the 2010 Medford Summer Tournament defeating a tough North Andover team 57-55 in the final.  Watertown defeated Andover to reach the final while North Andover beat Methuen.  Coppola was the star of the tourney, but Sam Longwell from Acton-Boxborough, Zach Karalias of North Andover, and Raudy Minya and Mike Gorman of Methuen stood out as well.  Congratulations to Medford Head Coach Anthony Faradie and his staff for another well ran tournament.

The Newton North Tigers have not been short of a talent the last few years and that trend is not going to end soon with the addition of Aaron Falzon (2014) this season.  Aaron will join his brother Tevin (2011) in the program, who is considered one of the top big men in the state.  Tevin, 6′7″,  has a unique blend of guard and post up skills and will be the focal point of the Tigers after the graduation of Greg Kelley.  Aaron, 6′6″, looks like a carbon copy of his brother combining a smooth perimeter jumper with post moves in the paint.  While Tevin looks to be a pre-season candidate for a spot on the All-Beantownhoops.com Team, it is not clear whether Aaron will be on the varsity his freshman year, giving the brothers the chance to play together.  One thing is for sure, the Falzon name will be heard of the next four years at the collegiate level (Tevin) and with Newton North (Aaron).

East Boston was absolutely loaded last season and finished the year with a #13 ranking in the final Beantownhoops.com Top 25 poll.  The 2010-11 version of the Jets will be no different with the likes of Jeff Amazon (2011), Dimitry Coronel (2012), and combo guard Walter Lewis (2011).  Walter was impressive during the S.E.S. showcase and the lefty guard showed off his ability to get to the basket and knock down jump shots.  He projects to play the point at the collegiate level, but it is clear that Walter is a scorer.  With superb upper body strength, he is able to attack the basket, take a hit, and still get his shot off.  Plus, the style of play that Head Coach Malcolm Smith has installed, allows for his players to get up and down the court which suits Walter just fine.  Look for Lewis to lead the talented Jets as one of the elite teams in the City this coming year.

The Bay State Magic held their college showcase Wednesday night at Brandeis University.  Many coaches from the Division II and III ranks were in attendance and players from AAU programs across the state (Bay State Magic, Prodigy, Mass Premier, Mass Evolution, BABC, Boston Warriors, and the Middlesex Magic) put their skills on display.  As many readers of Beantownhoops know, our focus has always been on the players whose teams participate at the MIAA level and here are some of the players I took note of:

Dan Powers (2012) of Catholic Memorial put on a shooting display and drained a variety of shots off the dribble and from the arc.  Dan has a very quick release and good size for a two guard.  He looks to be a key component of a CM team that tied for the league title last year…..Don’t know what’s in the water in Attleboro, but three players showed great improvement since I saw them last.  Mahlik Johnson (2011) is a strong guard who can play both the point and shooting positions, but is more suited for the one position.  He was very unselfish during the showcase and should be a solid contributor for Attleboro H.S.  Justin Perron (2011) and Tim LeBlanc (2011) of North Attleboro showed that their performances at the S.E.S. showcase were no flukes and look to have North as a potential Beantownhoops.com Top 25 team this year…..New Mission’s Kachi Nzerem (2011) was impressive again.  After a strong showing at the BU Team Camp last weekend, Kachi was his same athletic self, draining threes and wowing the audience with his dunks and athleticism.  Any DI or DII’s not taking notice of the 6′4″ shooting guard better start taking notice…..Staying with New Mission, how is Osmel Odena (2010) still on the board!  He is a point guard who is athletic, can score, defend, and is coachable.  There were concerns that he was not a qualifier, but Head Coach Cory McCarthy confirmed with me that he is a qualifier and he is mulling a variety of options at this point.  Any DI or DII who needs a point guard needs to look at this prospect…..Jacquil Taylor (2013) of Cambridge looks like he has grown even more.  Already one of the best defenders in the state, Jacquil showed improved offensive skills at the showcase along with his strengths of running the floor and finishing at the rim……On a coaching note, congratulations to Paul Wholey, who was in attendance, on becoming the head coach at Framingham State.

Concord-Carlisle H.S. point guard Brima Rogers (2011) was very much under the radar last season.  The Patriots were in the midst rebuilding their program under Head Coach David Cohen and Rogers was the centerpiece.  Brima has tremendous quickness, can shoot the three, and is “Rondoesque” in his ability to jump into passing lanes and get steals.  He has excellent leadership skills and does a tremendous job of running the team in half court situations.  Keep a close eye on Brima this season and with the development of big man Dana Hines (2012) and off guard Edwin Delva (2011) C-C is ready to make huge strides in the Dual County League in ‘10-’11.

Led by the play of Samir McDaniels (2010) and Khachi Nzerem (2010), New Mission rolled to the BU Team Camp title, defeating Acton-Boxborough by fifteen points in the Gold final.  Even more impressive for the Titans was that they were without two key players, Charles Gunter and Nate Anderson.  In consolation play, Boston English won the Silver bracket final, and LaSalle won the Bronze final.  Although many teams did not have key players participating, it was a good preview of  some teams who look to be amongst the Beantownhoops.com Top 25 when the 2010-11 season starts (New Mission, A-B, Newton North, Weymouth, Watertown, and Eastie).  A great job by the BU Staff and players on putting on a well ran event.  For the full bracket from Sunday’s games click on the following link:  BU Team Camp Final

The BU Team Camp is set for this weekend June 12th and 13th on the BU Campus.  It’s only the Summer, but some teams with big aspirations for next season including defending D4 Champ New Mission (moving up to D2 next season), A-B and Newton North who were ranked  #11 and #9 respectively in Beantownhoops.com’s final Top 25 poll, and a very improved Weymouth team featuring 2013 top prospect Jared Terrell, 2012 prospect Damien Lugay, and 2011 prospects Jon Perez and Patrick Deegan.  As with any off-season events, you never know if everyone will have their full teams, but here are some other  players to watch if they do:

A-B’s Sam Longwell (2011) and Wes Schroll (2011)

New Mission’s Khachi Nzerem (2011) and  Samir McDaniels (2011)

Newton North’s Tevin Falzon (2011), Avi Adler-Cohen (2011), and Michael Thorpe (2012)

Watertown’s Marco Coppola (2011)

After being a key component of Belmont’s first Middlesex league title in fifteen years, Luka Ladan now inherits a target on his back.  Defenses will be focusing on the 6′4″ forward, but how will they guard him?  Last season, Luka showed that he could play down low against smaller defenders or pull bigger opponents out to the perimeter with his guard skills.  He had a solid showing at the S.E.S. showcase presented by Beantownhoops.com, displaying the inside and outside skills that make him a prospect to keep an eye on in the 2011 class.  He still has a lot of room for growth and skill improvement, but he will clearly be one of the top players in the league and will look to return Belmont back to the title.

The Newton North Tigers had another solid year under Coach Paul Connolly winning a Bay State title and finishing with a #9 Beantownhoops.com ranking.  It was clear watching North play that Yale-bound Greg Kelly was the team’s leader and focal point of opposing defenses.  However, no team can be successful with just one player, and a major reason for the Tigers success was the play of guard Avi Adler-Cohen (2011).  Avi is one of the best defenders  in the Bay State League and he showed off his defensive prowess along with his improved passing skills at the S.E.S. Showcase presented by Beantownhoops.com.

Always playing hard, Avi was able to break down defenses in transition and in the half court to set up his teammates for open shots all night.  When the defenses began to play the pass, Avi was able to get to the rim for a shot or get fouled.  Known mostly as a defensive role player last season, Avi showed that he is ready to help lead North on both ends of the court.  Along with 2012 guard Michael Thorpe and 2011 big man Tevin Falzon, look for Avi and the rest of the Tigers to have another great year in 2010-2011.