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HOOPSCOOP OnlineThe junior class in Massachusetts and Connecticut is as good any two states per capital in the nation. Don't believe? The are already talking about 6'7 Jr Scott Hazelton from Lawrence (Central Catholic) MA being the next great player to come of Massachusetts, as well as a likely McDonald's All American. This athletic power forward is an aggressive rebounder, but it's his quickness to the basket and ability to finish in traffic that makes his offensive game so lethal. Massachusetts also features more than its fair share of quality size with 6'8 Jr Modibo Diarra from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA and 7'4 Jr Neil Fingleton from Worcester (Holy Name) MA.
Diarra runs the court like a gazzelle and is a force at the defensive end, where he blocks shots and rebounds. If Diarra's offensive game ever catches with his defense, the sky is the limit.. However, for now, his top 35 national ranking is more than fair. Fingleton is still raw, but like they say, you can't teach somebody to be 7'4. So he gets ranked among the top 100 nationally in the junior class based on potential. And apparenty not too many colleges are in disagreement, because his early list includes North Carolina, Duke, Connecticut, Massaschusetts, Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Georgia. The state also has several other players who deserve top 100 consideration. The versatile and athletic 6'6 Jr Raheim Lamb from Boston (English) MA is excellent both inside and outside, although he projects as a wing forward at the next level. Anthony Anderson, the 5'11 junior point guard from Boston (English) MA, handles, shoots and defends.
Connecticut doesn't have the size that Massachusetts does, but the state has five players - 6'4 Jr Nolan McBride from Hartford (Weaver) CT, 6'6 Jr Jason Benton from New Haven (Hillhouse) CT, 6'9 Jr Marcus Douthit from New Britain (St. Thomas Aquinas) CT, 6'1 Jr Kendall Williams from Hartford (Weaver) CT, and 6'1 Jr Kevin Jeffries from Bridgeport (Kolbe Cathedral) CT, who rank among our top 100 or higher nationally. McBride needs to work on his outside shooting, but this athletic wing guard is an acrobatic high-flyer who is often unstoppable going to the hole. Benton, who along with McBride has already been invited to play at the prestigious NIKE All-American Camp this summer, is a strong left-handed athletic power forward who finishes everything. He also seems to get almost every rebound around the basket. Douthit, who was reclassified as junior this year, but will move to our prep school list next, is a defensive specialist, as well as one of the best shot blockers in nation. Williams is best known for taking it to the hole, but this combo guard also is big in the clutch, as was especially evident when he hit the game winning 28-footer at the buzzer in the state tournament to beat Naugatuck (H.S.) CT. Jeffries is a long lanky athlete and great defender who routinely catches alley-oop passes from Connecticut signee Marcus Cox.
The junior class in Connecticut is also deeper than it is in Massachusetts, as 6'5 Jr Louis Bosley from New Haven (Wilbur Cross) CT, 6'5 Jr Ryan Gomes from Waterbury (Wilby) CT, 5'10 Jr Dimitri Heath from Waterbury (Wilby) CT, and 6'2 Jr Alex Jensen from Stonington (H.S.) CT all are on the rise and, as a result, deserve to be mentioned. Bosley has the complete package - excellent athleticism, a good medium range jumper, and excellent defensive skills. Gomes is a skinny athlete, but has magnets for hands, which is why he catches everything and is probably the best rebounder in the state. Heath is a quick, athletic, pure point guard, but he needs to work on jumpshot. However, he has few peers when penetrating and dishing to the open man. Jensen is the best pure shooter in the state and is expected to become one of the all-time leading scorers in the history of state when he goes over 2000 points for his career next year.
The junior class in New England is terrific, but the sophomore class is even better and that's even without 6'3 Soph Chey Christie, who transferred to Las Vegas (Durango) NV in the fall. The best sophomore in New England is 6'3 Soph Jermaine Watson from Braintree (Thayer Academy) MA, who ranks among the top 15 players in his class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP. Both a shooter and a scorer, Watson is a versatile athletic combination guard who is very experienced for his age - he repeated his freshman year and has been playing against the tough New England Prep School competititon. Right on Watson's heels is 6'1 Soph Mark Jones from Norwich (Thayer Academy) CT, who has a shot at becoming the first player to be named to the McDonald's All-American Game from Connecticut since Travis Best. He ranks among the top 20 sophomores nationally and is a very smart combination guard who defends , scores, and handles.
Torin Francis is unpolished, but this 6'7 sophomore power forward has a lot of potential. He's big and strong inside, but he'll have to become more aggressive as he gets older. Another player who is mature well beyond his age is the 6'5 Soph Tom McLoughlin from Andover (H.S.) MA. McLoughlin plays like a coach's son, which he is. McLoughlin is only a decent athlete, but he's versatle, smart, and can score both inside and outside.The newcomer to the list is 6'2 Soph Ricardo Freeman from Hartford (Weaver) CT. This big lead guard rarely turns it over. Plus, he's heady, good defensively, and he can more than keep you honest outside. Almost impossible to stop inside is 6'8 Soph Mark Konecny from Waterbury (Holy Cross) CT. He has worked hard to develop his jump hook, which is very difficult to defend, but Konecny still needs to get bigger and stronger. Last summer 6'1 Soph Dan Oglesby from Manchester (H.S.) CT was one of the top underclassmen at Eastern Invitational. This should come as no surprise, because this athletic scoring point guard, who is both quick to the hole and excellent on defense, led his to the Class D State Championship as both freshman and sophomore.
Also ranked among our top 100 sophomores nationally are 5'9 Soph Chaz Carr from Manchester (H.S.) CT, 6'6 Soph Todd Middleton from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI and 6'8 Soph Keith Butler from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA. Carr is another quick athletic point guard who reminds us of Bobby Moore with his ability to penetrate and contain you defensively. Middleton needs to get bigger and stronger, but he's got quick hands, long arms, and does most of the dirty work for his team inside. Butler's agility needs to catch up to his size and, as a result, he tends to be awkward at times. However, he's a legit post man with a nice feel for the game and good skills around the basket.
New England also features some outstanding young freshmen, including 6'2 Frosh Marshall Strickland from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'4 Frosh Carl Elliott from Canann (Cardigan Mountain) NH, and 6'3 Alex Stephen from Topsfield (Masconomet Regional) MA, and there is also an 8th grader who has the potential to be one of the best players to ever come out of Connecticut. His name is 6'4 Roosevelt Lee from New Britian (Middle School) CT. However, it's early to be talking about freshman and 8th graders, so we'll leave that for a future issue.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Wayne Simone, who publishes Connecticut High School Hoops and is the New England Editor for the HOOP SCOOP, is one of the foremost authorities on high school basketball in New England, as well as the nation. He also is very knowledgeable about recruiting, so obviously we highly recommed his publication to anybody who is interested in high school basketball in the Northeast. You can subscribe by calling (203)-596-9264 or you can use the subscription form below.
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