Elite 75 Frosh/Soph Showcase South Edition Standouts Part 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This weekend, New England Recruiting Report and its staff hosted their annual Freshman and Sophomore showcase for basketball players in the New England area. The North Edition was hosted on Friday at the Mansfield Fieldhouse in Mansfield, Massachusetts, while the South Edition was hosted today at Hamden Hall in Hamden, CT. Hundreds of players from across the region competed in drills and live games to show off their skills in front of many prep and college personnel and coaches. The prestigious event has been around for over a decade, as many current NBA players have participated in this event over the years. I attended today's South Edition and here is part 1 of my standouts from the showcase!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2461542' first='Syre' last='Gillespie'] (Capital Prep, 2027)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gillespie was impressive right out of the gate. His passing stood out as the quick decisions he made with the ball were very high level and definitely showed everyone he knew how to run an offense. The defensive intensity was also very lively and was bodying up opponents with good technique and energy. His good dribbling skills and confident outside shooting were also notable.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2234110' first='Talib' last='Martin'] (St. Peter's, 2027)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As someone who is very tuned into the New England stratosphere and not much else, Martin was not on my radar. But after today's performance, he has my attention and showed why he is a top-five rated prospect in his class in the state of New York. His athleticism popped and was getting to the basket with ease with bounce. He had a diverse repertoire of scoring tricks with leaning floaters, off-the-dribble fadeaway jumpers, and knocking down threes from long range. A huge block he had on the defensive end rounded out his stellar performance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2470853' first='Kamsi' last='Awaka'] (Cheshire, 2027)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Awaka continues to perform and outclass a lot of his peers while still remaining simple with his approach. Offensively, he was attacking the basket with easy dunks and cleaning up the glass for his teammates, earning points off putbacks in the process. He also made a sweet pass to a cutter in the low post which was intriguing. Defensively, he was protecting the rim well like usual but also displayed some interesting perimeter contests and mobility while looking very capable which I thought was even more impressive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2633500' first='Jonah' last='Zinoman'] (New York, 2028)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another New York prospect who stood out, Zinoman has a lot of speed and that sets his entire game up. He was attacking the rim all day long while being an undersized guard, combining that with jumpers from mid-range and deep. On defense, he was getting into the passing lanes and causing turnovers and chaos with his quick hands and great instincts. He also was helping grab rebounds and pick up the pace for his team throughout the day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2542820' first='Krish' last='Dodani'] (Greens Farms, 2028)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dodani's passing was the standout trait when he was on the hardwood. He was making reads in transition that simply wowed me with long chest passes and bounce passes to open teammates running the break, and constantly created easy points for the squad. His driving to the paint also stood out as the mid-range floater and finishing with contact, made him hard to stop at times on offense as a whole. He also competed defensively with a high-effort low post block.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2568344' first='Jack' last='Curtis'] (Ellington, 2027)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I came away positive from my first live look at Curtis. The offense looked very advanced with high-efficiency three-point shooting, combined with sneaky self-creation in the mid-range area. His floater was pure and his fadeaway was very effective too., in addition to his long-range acumen off the dribble. His body type was also surprisingly good and was more well-built than I had anticipated, a part of why he played well against very strong competition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->