Spent about 21 hours this weekend watching & evaluating hoops at 3 different tournaments, balancing between boys & girls in one of the big final pushes to prepare for the 2nd annual Empire State Takeover summer showcase leagues. Saturday was dedicated to the North Country Rumble @ The Border, hosted at SUNY Canton. Sunday saw split action between the Albany Capitals Classic at RPI & Not Even Famous' Carolina Classic at Lansingburgh HS. A few quick thoughts:
Boys
- Got a chance to see The Dawgs - a now-senior version of a team that was on the AAU circuit in previous years as Mike's Dogs - at Lansingburgh Sunday. Mitchel Wayand (Stillwater 2016, RPI 2020) is becoming much more physically mature on the basketball court which allows him to diversify his game some more. As a junior/rising senior, the 6'2"-6'3" 2 guard and 2015 All-EST Honorable Mention pick was much more of a perimeter jump shooter with everything else in his game going through the capability of hitting the three. Sunday, Wayand showed he can now just take a defender on from the perimeter, get by them and finish at the rack. That will be big for him as he enters Liberty League play in a few months.
- The Dawgs also received big time play from 3 seniors & former ESTers in Ben Diamond (Shaker), Evan Pescetti (Saratoga Catholic), and Ian Schultz (Albany CBA). Ben plays like a coaching job is in his future; point guard whose mind is always a few steps ahead of everyone else's. Evan spent a lot of time at the wing today and looked more comfortable than I've ever seen him at that slot. He plans to play college basketball next year, and with his 6'4" stature, being a capable wing will help his cause in a major way. You always know what you're getting out of Ian, and he did more of the same on this day. He also has a mind that works steps ahead of others on the court; just as a 6'5" post instead. His ability to shoot from the perimeter and step out & get by slower defenders makes him a prototypical stretch 4.
- The best non-Dawgs player I saw this weekend was probably Brett Mosier (Ticonderoga 2017/Adirondack Mountainmen). Second time I've paid attention to him; pretty long & athletic 2 guard that can shoot it a bit and make a quick move to get to the rim. Had some trouble handling the ball against some physical in-your-face pressure, but makes for a capable secondary ballhandler - exactly what you'd expect and hope for out of your 2 guard. I'd like to see him in the backcourt sometime alongside a strong true point guard where he can play more heavily to his strengths.
Girls
- Sydney Brown (Shenendehowa 2017/I-90 Elite) is showing real improvement in her progression from the 4 spot to the 3. The athletic 6 footer saw plenty of minutes on Sunday at the wing and made good with those moments. She still looks more comfortable as more of a tweener 4, but the wing capabilities are coming out. She knocked down a couple perimeter jumpers, mid-range pull-ups, and got to the rim numerous times from the perimeter. Where she can make the most improvement still is handling the ball against pressure, but she did show full capability of doing that today, a marked improvement from the past. Even with a handful of Division I offers in the bag as of now, as she gets more comfortable in a perimeter role and becomes a more natural 3, look for her stock to rise even more by the end of July.
- Continuing on the I-90 Elite kick, Danielle Rauch (Bishop Ludden 2018) continues to show why she can make as good a case as anyone for being the top overall player in upstate NY. Really, Sunday was probably a day that she wants to have back. She's played better, and always a supreme competitor, you could see her frustration. That being said, today showed why she's worth the hype just as much as a day where she's firing on all cylinders. Even with her not at her best, you had the feeling of 'she needs to be on the court at all times', and when she did get a rest, 'she has to check back in ASAP'. The ability to lead, distribute, play defense, and the savvy to always keep the opposition uncomfortable makes a huge difference for her team at all times - and that motor doesn't go away whether she shoots 10/10 or 1/10.
- Nice win Sunday for the 9th grade Albany Capitals team over Hudson Valley Elite in a high level game for that age group to end the Capitals Classic. In their 4th game of the day, Kerry Flaherty (Saratoga Springs 2019) & Dolly Cairns (Saratoga Springs 2020) still did Kerry & Dolly things in the backcourt, impressive on spent legs. On top of them, Graceann Bennett (Lake George 2019) is quickly emerging as arguably the most underrated 2019 prospect in the Greater Capital Region. At a lanky 6'1" that doesn't mind physicality at all, she's continuing to go beyond proving her worth. Great defensive game for her; she's showing much better basketball instincts, which has made her a more than capable rim protector. Tons of blocks against a strong opponent.
- My vote for the 2018 prospect flying the furthest under the radar in upstate NY goes to Jenna Zimmerman (South Jefferson/Lake Effect Storm). Not the first time I've mentioned her; a 6'0" (maybe even 6'1"?) wing that can really shoot it. Despite a very thin frame, she's not afraid to slash to the rim, mix it up and finish through contact. She's got a grasp of basic post moves; enough to take a smaller matchup down low and punish them. With super long arms & good defensive instincts, she can guard multiple positions and pick off any lazy passes. She's received a little bit of early attention from Division I St. Francis (PA) and Division II Le Moyne, but besides that, it's been Division III interest. I personally think my radar is pretty solid - if I'm a Division II school, I'm inquiring about this kid NOW.
- Looking forward to seeing an All-EST 2nd Teamer from last year, Natalie DiSalvo, take the court for strong Division III program SUNY Geneseo next season. They're very happy to have her, and that's for good reason. Natalie's one of the most underrated 2016 prospects in upstate NY - perhaps part of being in the North Country, but a solid SUNYAC pickup. The 5'10" wing can put the ball in the basket against anyone - including being tied for 3rd in EST last summer, averaging an efficient 12.7 PPG against high level competition every time out. She wasn't trying to score too much on Saturday with her Canton Hoopsters school squad, but in that timeframe, she showed that she can do some creating opportunities for others. She challenged herself against Lake Effect Storm by playing a little out of position and defending their point guard, and she did a solid job of it. Natalie won't have to be a primary ballhandler where she's going for the next 4 years, but with a little improvement on her handle and a little more quickness at the wing, she'll be a matchup nightmare.
- Speaking of future SUNY system players, shoutout to my guy Nate Lull on winning my coach of the weekend award for going 4-0 at the Carolina Classic with his CNY Armadillos team! The Sports Director at 100.9 in Sidney got his Gregg Popovich on this weekend with a small-school standout squad of mainly seniors. Caught both of their games on Sunday; good performances from SUNY Morrisville bound Tori Rockefeller (South Kortright) & SUNY Cobleskill bound Addy Lawson (Milford). The former AAU teammates at Catskill Mountain (Oneonta based) and future NEAC foes fed well off of each other and made things happen, even on some tired legs with 6 able bodies. Good pickups for their respective schools, as they should each see success on the basketball court in the near future.
So, there's the weekend wrap-up. You know the drill. 6 weeks to EST; preliminary rosters going live in a couple weeks with a full game schedule. The strongest high school summer league you're finding in the region, where it doesn't matter what school or AAU program you play for. If you can hoop, if you can play at the next level, you're what I want. No politics, just high level hoops & high level exposure! Inquire via the website, social media, or contact info if you have it with any questions! FULL INFO: http://empirestatetakeover.blogspot.com/2016/04/2016-league-updates.html
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