Alright, so now that everyone - including myself - had a couple days of a cooldown period after what was the craziest night EST has seen thus far, time to mention some things noticed by myself and others on opening night.
Boys
- Hameir Wright. Mike Wynn. Joseph Girard III. Will Bennett. Mike Wine. Tommy Kelly. Beau Smith. Tyler Bertram. Tyler Lamport. Isaiah Moll. Jake Cook. Mike Ortale. Just a few names of the best of the present & the future who were on the court Wednesday. If you passed up on playing in EST... why?
- 518's not leaving from the top anytime soon. Last year's undefeated champion, led by players such as Andrew Sischo (Daemen 2020), Zac O'Dell (Swarthmore 2020), and Alex Skaine (St. John Fisher 2020), came into Union with only 2 returning faces in 2015 All-EST 2nd Team Tyler Lamport (South Kortright 2017) and 2015 All-EST Honorable Mention Adam Anderson (Saratoga Springs 2017). That didn't matter. A host of talented new players, led on opening night by Tommy Kelly (Bridgton Academy 2017) and Beau Smith (Trinity Pawling 2018), picked up right where the old squad left off, winning 2 games by a combined 47 points by playing defense and running the floor. Another strong squad that is taking pride on winning games over individual wealth (6 players averaging over 5 PPG). Look out, rest of league.
- Other teams won't roll over and play dead to them this summer, though. The Growth put forth a strong effort, despite being a bit undermanned on opening night. They trailed by 5 at halftime and kept it close until 518 was able to slowly separate and get a 16 point win. The Growth did this without the services of Capital District standout Ty'Jon Gilmore (St. Thomas More 2017), who was en route to an unofficial visit at Cleveland State. They picked up great contributions from EST returner Kevin Townes Jr. (Our Lady of Lourdes 2017), who got into the open court time & time again and heads into Week 2 being the league's leading scorer at 21 PPG. The team from opening night, plus Ty'Jon and fellow teammates Jack Spencer & Logan O'Donnell... they could be knocking on the door.
- At full strength - or close to full strength - Young Guns have the talent to run with anyone. They won a close game at 6:30 over a Hameir Wright led All Day squad, and you could see their offense starting to come together in the 2nd game against Bellevue. They have players that are no secret to anyone in the gym; Joseph Girard III (Glens Falls 2019) and Mike Wynn (Cushing Academy 2018), both with Division I offers on the table, spearheaded their backcourt effort. It was far from the Girard & Wynn show though, as they picked up solid guard contributions from Danny Reidell (Northville 2017) and strong play from Brendan Mulson (Colonie 2017) and Dylan Trombley (Moriah 2018). Add a great EST debut from their lone post player, athletic 6'6" lefty Darren Brown (Fair Haven (VT) 2017), who averaged 16 PPG over 2 games, and although heavy on the guards, they could cause issues for everyone.
- Post players - or at least people with good size and athleticism that are willing to play 15' & in and go for everything that comes off the rim - are a rare commodity nowadays. If you fit that niche, there's a spot for you to be successful in this league. The aforementioned Brown had a monster showing, including 22 points in the final game, by doing just that. He didn't have his number called lots of times, but he worked his way into good position and was a problem for the opposition on the boards. When he got the ball in the blocks, he made good with it, and he ran the floor and finished hard - way above the rim - in transition. Add Jarrett Benjamin (Laurens 2017) and Jake Cook (Shaker 2019) to that list. Cook also has the ability to step outside, handle it, and shoot it, but the 6'8" local rising standout made a living attacking the weak-side glass on opening night. He also cut to the basket at the right time and was on the dunking end of a couple lobs in the nightcap. Benjamin, a 6'6" bull with a strong build, was a terror on the boards when in the game. In Bellevue's first game, he worked his way to 17 points. Be willing to do the work that many don't want to do, and you instantly make yourself noticed at Union on Wednesdays.
- The ultimate individual matchup nightmare in the boys' league could be Isaiah Moll. A 6'6", well over 200 pound rising junior at Colonie, has the body of a college junior. He can handle it, has quickness getting to the rim, and will knock it down from the perimeter if given a little time. If you throw a big on him, he blows by them. If you throw a smaller guard on him, it can be as easy as taking candy from a baby in the low blocks. After a 9 point opener where he received plenty of Team 518's defensive attention, he picked it up in Game 2, dropping a night high 28. After digging a large hole for themselves in the first half, Isaiah dropped 21 in the 2nd half to help make it a tight game late. In an 0-2 week for Next Big Thing, his performance as the night went on was certainly a silver lining.
Girls
- Saeeda Abdul-Aziz. CeCe Mayo. Sydney Brown. Nina Fedullo. Lucy Tougas. Sophie Tougas. Julia Kelner. Shyla Sanford. Chloe Chaffin. Lauraine Joensen. Grace Heeps. Cameron Tooley. Julie Ford. Alex Tudor. Dolly Cairns. Kerry Flaherty. Bruh, I'm just name dropping people who were hooping at Union on Wednesday night right now. I never do this, but I feel the need to now. If you could've played in EST this summer and passed up on it... not to sound mean... but what were you thinking?
- A couple players that I didn't mention above certainly made their cases to be brought up amongst the elite of the elite, and perhaps no one made a stronger case than Brianna Rozzi. The standout rising sophomore at Highland - just the latest installment in a family that produces really good girls basketball players like Dunkin Donuts produces coffee, might as well call her Rozzi 5.0 - turned more heads than any other new face. After her two strong performances for an already strong Outwork team, I've received a dozen inquiries on her in two days. Rozzi is a strong guard who doesn't have a noticeable on-court weakness - can handle it, shoot it, create for others, plays defense, not afraid of any matchup - and is mentally maturing from someone that had a 'hothead' tag from people into someone that just has a killer competitive edge. Look out. Rozzi 5.0 came to put some people on notice.
- At full strength, the Lockdown squad will be really tough. The combination of skill and length across the board made for a formidable opponent on Wednesday. Shenendehowa teammates Sydney Brown and Alexandra Tudor led them in scoring on opening night - Brown, a 6 footer who can play the 4 and also give valuable wing minutes, averaged 12 PPG, and 5'11" wing Tudor added 11 PPG. They added significant contributions from 6'2" post Julie Ford (Cooperstown 2018) and a pair of point guards, Cameron Tooley (Shenendehowa 2018) and Logan Bruce (Delaware Academy 2018). If there wasn't enough length from Brown, Tudor, and Ford, add the contributions they got from 5'11" PF Kelly Pine (Hoosick Falls 2017) and 5'10" twins Anna VanRoy & Grace VanRoy (Saugerties 2019). Scary. And if THAT wasn't enough, Abi Selfridge (Bainbridge-Guilford 2019) showed flashes of what you can get from her with her 11 points in the first game. The 5'7" wing can play like she's a few inches taller due to explosive athleticism. Their overall athleticism meant they could run the floor, finish in transition, get second chances, and disrupt the play on defense. They really flexed Wednesday, especially in an eye-opening 52-43 W over Outwork.
- Speaking of Outwork... they may have lost their nightcap game, but they'll be fine. The Outwork squad, with 6 players returning from 2015's Outwork squad, picked up right where they left off last August in what was perhaps the most dominant stretch of play ever seen in an EST game to start the season. In what on paper looked to be the marquee game of the night, they took all the suspense out of their 6:30 game against Show Stoppers by dropping an incredible 39 points in the first 12 minutes of the game. When I initially saw the score and asked someone (in so many words) what was going on, they said 'this team hasn't missed yet'. Seconds after, someone else watching followed with 'no, seriously, they really haven't missed'. Three of the returning players - Chloe Chaffin (Kingston 2018), Lauraine Joensen (Northampton (MA) 2017, Canisius commit), and Rebecca Townes (Our Lady of Lourdes 2018) - along with the aforementioned Brianna Rozzi pumped in 38 points combined in the first half. Two more returners, Lyndsey McCoy (Middleburgh 2017) and Rebekkah Dean (Mekeel Christian Academy 2018), added 8 and 7 for the game. This team has built a sort of camaraderie not seen in typical summer league or even AAU play. It may be safe to say that any team beating them is a mild upset.
- Grace Heeps (Columbia 2019), in case you didn't know, is a killer. The 5'11" combo guard who usually plays point for the teams she's on, after months of becoming much more of a distributor, decided at some point opening night to put her scoring hat back on for a little while. Red Velvet had double digits in a pair of close games and was the spoken and unspoken leader of a talented, but young team with all new EST faces except for her. She already has an offer and is receiving attention from a couple dozen Division I programs, including a few high majors, and that's no fluke. Grace produces, no matter where you put her, who you put her with, who you put her against, and that's the mark of a player.
- The contributions of Stephanie Jankovic (Averill Park 2018) didn't go unnoticed. Her Rising Stars team went 0-2 Wednesday, falling just short against Show Stoppers and being the victim of a staunch 2nd half defensive effort against Lockdown, but she proved her worth and made a case for being perhaps the most underrated rising player in the area. The strong 5'7" lefty guard is quick enough to get by defenders, strong enough to draw contact and finish through bigger players at the rim, and is also a knockdown shooter from the perimeter. She scored in double digits in both games, 1 of just 5 girls to do that on opening night, and did so in a variety of ways. Look for Steph to continue to expand as the summer goes on, and even more so into the upcoming winter season.
- Finally, about Julia Kelner. There may not be anyone in upstate NY that has improved as much as she has over the last year (ok, Cat Almeida has a case there too, but we'll save that for another week). Still a relative neophyte in the basketball world, only having played for a few years as a rising senior and deciding to make it #1 over the last couple years, the 6'2" post from NYSPHSAA Class A state champion Jamesville-Dewitt has come into her own over the last few months. She runs the floor faster than almost any post she encounters, catches & finishes well around the rim, and has a quickly blossoming post game with her back to the basket and facing up. She can also knock down a mid-range jumper now and has always shown prowess in finishing with either hand. Kelner certainly made an impact at Union for her Show Stoppers squad on Wednesday, and look for her to take it to even further levels in upcoming weeks.
- Putting out an APB to the offense! Perhaps it was a bit of opening night blues, as players were trying to figure their teammates out and get to know each other. That could be a big reason why Outwork, and all their crew who had chemistry from last year and some from this AAU season coming in, dropped 39 in 12 minutes. But outside of Outwork's 68 point blastoff, there was only one other team who scored 50 points in a game in Week 1. That was 2-0 Lockdown, who went for 62 and 52 in back-to-back games. Court 2 was a defensive battle for 4 hours, where the highest combined game score was 93 (a 47-46 Next Level victory over Dynasty). Look for teams to break out of the offensive doldrums in Week 2, with scoring numbers taking a spike upward.
So, there's a few thoughts. I didn't get to see everything - in fact, I didn't get to see a lot. That will change in future weeks though, starting with the boys who are back in action on Wednesday, 7/6 at Union College. The girls follow the next day, 7/7, also at Union. Boys tip at 6:30, girls at 5:30. What are you waiting for?
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