Hoophall Classic: Life Christian vs Wilbraham & Monson (Part 1)

Hoophall Classic: Life Christian vs Wilbraham &#038; Monson (Part 1)

Joel Francisco

January 17, 2022 @ 01:35 PM

Hoophall Classic: Life Christian (FL) vs Wilbraham & Monson (MA) SPRINGFIELD, MA—Each and every season the Spalding Hoophall Classic is a dream for high school basketball enthusiasts, and this season was no different. In this matchup, Duke-bound [player_tooltip player_id="996913" first="Kyle" last="Filipowski"] exhibited his entire skill set before a national audience. He scored from all three levels, hammered down some thunderous dunks, and dropped off some nifty assists. A Scout’s Take: Standouts [player_tooltip player_id="996913" first="Kyle" last="Filipowski"] (Wilbraham & Monson, MA) 2022, PF, 6-foot-11, 230 pounds Joel’s Take: The Duke-bound and National Top 10 prospect Filipowski was center stage on ESPN and he didn’t disappoint. He impacted the game at both ends and showed off his array of skills while oozing a nice amount of moxie. He knocked in a 3-pointer, handled the ball like a point forward, and handed out some nifty assists. In transition, he had a number of above the rim finishes, finished through contact while on defense he put together some nice moments of rim protection. Breylin Garcia (Life Christian, FL) 2023, PF, 6-foot-7, 190 pounds Joel’s Take: Garcia was one of the few bright spots for Life Christian. He has a nice rangy frame with good length and a solid all-around skill set. He sets up well utilizing the triple threat on the perimeter and his 1st step is potent. He uses his length to score over defenders while attacking and his handle is tight. However, he can do most of his damage in the paint where he shows a relentless nature and an ability to finish through contact. [player_tooltip player_id="1081805" first="Deven" last="Austin"] (Wilbraham & Monson, MA) 2022, SG, 6-foot-5, 190 pounds Joel’s Take: The Princeton-bound wing showed flashes of what he’s going to bring to the IVY League next season. Austin has a lanky frame and he is quite slippery off the dribble. He shows a nice triple threat game where he can blow by his defender and finish at the rim. While finishing his body control is excellent and he can “hang” in the air as well. [player_tooltip player_id="1161404" first="Hansel" last="Emanuel"] Donato (Life Christian, FL) 2022, SF, 6-foot-6, 175 pounds Joel’s Take: One of the most remarkable sightings in my 35 years of scouting high school basketball has been the production of Emanuel-Donato. The magician had his fingertips all over this one in front of a national audience. He didn’t hit any outside shots as we’ve seen before, but he displayed his quick 1st step and bouncy nature—had a couple of awe-inspiring blocks (both of which were called for goal-tending, but exciting nonetheless). His touch in the paint is feathery and he has terrific vision as well.