NPS New England Standouts (Part 3)

The annual National Prep Showcase took place at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut, and as always it was one of the most talented events in the country before most high school basketball even gets started. The three day event featured the best post graduate teams from all over the country, ranging from the New England perennial powerhouses to teams in VA, FL, OH, PA, NJ, MD, KS and more. With so many teams and so much high level talent, I have broken down the standouts into different regions and parts within the regions to make following easier. We take a look at part three of the standouts in New England, which featured tons of teams mostly from the NEPSAC. If you’d like to watch the entire event, you can stream the playback on the CBG Live Network <a href="https://cbglivenetwork.com/">here</a>. [player_tooltip player_id="1081793" first="Desmond" last="Claude"] | 6’5” CG | Putnam Science 2022 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Claude-Desmond.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1333851" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Claude-Desmond-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> PSA was the team to beat this weekend as they had two very impressive showings with blowout wins over Western Reserve and Hargrave, and Claude showed why he’s considered one of the top available guards on the east coast. The 6’5” combo is extremely smooth and versatile, as he can play on or off the basketball and is equally good as a distributor and a shot maker, he has great size and uses it on both ends and he made shots consistently from multiple levels. He didn’t put up exceptional numbers but he set the tone and was extremely efficient in both games. [player_tooltip player_id="1315309" first="Arturo" last="Dean"] | 6’0” PG | Putnam Science 2022 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Dean-Arturo.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1333853" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Dean-Arturo-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Dean may have been the breakout performer of the event, as he not only put up huge numbers and made plays on the offensive end but he was point of attack and the heartbeat of PSA’s full court pressure defense as he hounded ball handlers the length of the floor. He’s a lightning quick lead guard that is very difficult to stay in front of, he can make shots from different spots and was an excellent finisher with great hang time and he did pretty much whatever he wanted when he was on the floor. In their win over Hargrave with a number of talented guards, he finished with 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the field, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. [player_tooltip player_id="1313023" first="Barry" last="Evans"] | 6’6” PF | Putnam Science 2022 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Evans-Barry.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1333855" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Evans-Barry-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> The St. Bonaventure’s commit transferred to PSA from Poly in Baltimore this year, and he provided a huge benefit to them as a versatile forward with good length and athleticism and the ability to be a huge impact in their press and uptempo style. He was all over the place on the defensive end, he played above the rim and brought great energy to his team and he found his way to the line and found other ways to be productive as well. He finished their two wins averaging 17.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while being very efficient too. [player_tooltip player_id="1199656" first="Duane" last="Thompson"] | 6’7” F | Putnam Science 2024 While the senior starting five of Putnam could have all been mentioned as they all played extremely well, I thought Thompson deserved to be recognized as he’s going to be a very good prospect moving forward. The 6’7” forward is very strong and brings a mismatch element to his game as he can make shots from deep and bang in the post, he can rebound and he showed the ability to put it on the deck and create as well. He’ll be one to keep an eye on moving forward for sure. [player_tooltip player_id="1203898" first="Papa" last="Kante"] | 6’9” PF/C | South Kent 2023 Kante is one of the best 2023 bigs in the northeast and it’s easy to see why as he has a mix of athleticism and skill set that makes him very versatile and he still has tons of room to get better. Starting with his athleticism, Kante is an explosive and mobile big both when running the floor and laterally allowing him to guard multiple positions, he’s a big time finisher above the rim and he’s an excellent shot blocker and he has the ability to shoot the ball from deep and in the elbows. He plays with a very high motor and as he continues to polish he’ll have a chance to reach a whole new level. He averaged 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. [player_tooltip player_id="1203897" first="Michael" last="Rogan"] | 6’6” WF | South Kent 2022 The Fairfield commit showed why he’ll likely be a very good player in the MAAC in the next few years, as his size and shot making ability translates seamlessly to the next level. At 6’6” he’s able to take and make shots in the mid-post and the pull-up over defenders, he can really shoot it off the catch from deep and he can work off the ball to get open and is able to create shots late in the shot clock. He averaged 15.5 points per game and was 7-for-13 from deep in their two games. Nate Guerengomba | 6’5” WG | South Kent 2024 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Guerengomba-Nate.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1333868" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Guerengomba-Nate-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> A former rising prospect at St. John’s in DC, Guerengomba had a coming out party at the NPS as the 6’5” two guard showed he can flat out fill it up in bunches and showed takeover ability as he almost single handedly brought them back in their loss to Scotland. He’s really good as a slasher off the bounce with his ability to get downhill and find contact and finish, he’s a good athlete and is able to create space off the bounce and he finds his way to the free throw line often, He had 21 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field and 8-for-8 from the line against Scotland, and finished with 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting and 3-for-3 from the line against Willbraham & Monson.