Boston City League Standouts: Volume I

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Boston City League basketball returned to action Friday night, as the teams embark on an eight-game schedule leading up to the city playoffs and championship in late February. This is the first in a series of articles that will highlight the top prospects and performers in the city. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These are four of the best guards I have had a chance to see so far: </span></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="1081832" first="Mekhi" last="Dedrick"] | Boston English | 5’10” | Guard | 2022</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After an outstanding sophomore campaign, the shifty, explosive guard picked up right where he left off, pouring in 37 points Friday night in a 57-54 season-opening win over Brighton. When the two teams met again last night, Brighton did all they could defensively (box-and-one, traps, double teams, etc.) to slow him and pulled out a 58-51 victory, but he still carried English with 30 points. Mekhi was relentless in his attack, played and finished through a ton of contact, and lived at the foul line. I was also impressed with the elevation on his jumper, his easy bounce, the way he glides to the rim in transition, and his lateral quickness, with the ball and on defense. Expect great things from this young man in the years to come. </span></p> <p><b>D’khari Brown | Tech Boston | ~6’0” | Guard | 2022</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brown is one of the few key returners from last season’s Tech Boston team that won their third straight Boston City League crown and looks ready to carry the load. In a season-opening 58-51 loss at Latin Academy, he finished with a team-high 17 points and showed a versatile offensive skill set. The stocky guard was aggressive attacking the basket, used his quickness and strength to power his way to the cup, and finished through contact. He also hit a mid-range pull-up jumper and a catch-and-shoot three. His squad is extremely undersized, so he’s asked to defend bigger players and he holds up admirably. </span></p> <p><b>Jamel Shaheed | Brighton | 5’10” | Guard | 2021</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Shaheed was a big-time scorer for the Bengals last season, highlighted by a 43 point performance, and we should expect more of the same from him in his abbreviated senior year. He is a terrific shooter, who has deep range on his jumper and can hit threes off the dribble, but I was most impressed with the way he scores in the paint. He has a tight handle, is quick off the dribble, and fearlessly jumps into contact at the rim. He keeps the ball high, absorbs the contact, and routinely goes down hard after finishing. He led Brighton with 23 points in a 58-51 victory over Boston English that avenged their season-opening loss. </span></p> <p><b>Abdulahi Aden | Latin Academy | 5’11” | Guard | 2021</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aden is the best long-range sniper in the city and, in any game, it’s only a matter of time before he starts connecting from deep. He has a smooth, compact jumper, with a quick release, needs little space to get his shot off and flat out strokes it. His range extends well beyond the three-point line, he’s automatic on catch-and-shoot threes and shoots it off the dribble as well. He’s also patient and under control with the ball and makes plays off the bounce, especially in transition. Aden has yet to crack the 20 point mark this season but has had double-figure scoring efforts (12 &amp; 18 points) in a pair of victories over Tech Boston. </span></p>