Mickey's Standouts from the Northeast Top 50

Yesterday evening in Westford, Massachusetts at The Mill Works, the 2nd annual Northeast Top 50 showcase event took place, which was created and put together by Prep Hoops New York scout Aasim Sullivan. Around 25 basketball players from all over the East Coast showed up to compete in multiple five-on-five scrimmages in front of college, prep school, and media personnel to put their skills and effort to the test. I was in attendance for last night's festivities and here are my standouts from the Northeast Top 50!    [player_tooltip player_id='1578491' first='Amir' last='Panagiotis'] had his fingerprints on all facets of the scrimmages. His passing as the lead ball handler was on point, driving and kicking to open shooters and even showing some flare with jump and no-look passes in the lane. He was getting to his spots, knocking down some mid-range jumpers, and was effective in hitting three-pointers off the catch. His speed in transition was also notable, as he ran the floor to the rim for open layups or found teammates who were leaking down the court for even easier buckets. Lastly, his defensive intensity never wavered, constantly getting into anyone's face and forcing turnovers—a great all-around performance, which led to being my standout of the event.     [player_tooltip player_id='2568342' first='Keyshon' last='Joyner'] had a bunch of great offensive moments throughout the night. The shooting he showed very much impressed me. He was comfortable getting into the mid-range and hitting pull-up jumpers with touch, which even extended beyond the arch. He was running the floor well, getting to the rack and pulling off advanced finishes through traffic, and even pulled off a nifty reverse layup. He was also making quick decisions as a passer and finding open teammates in the half-court which solidified his solid outing.     [player_tooltip player_id='2569344' first='Bennett' last='Plosker'] impressed me with his IQ and effort, which benefited his team in positive ways when he was on the hardwood. His decision-making with the ball was very poised, and made the right passes to the right teammates at the right opportune times. He was fighting on the boards, grabbing down rebounds over bigger players, and giving his team second chances at scoring tries. He was making good cuts to the rim and even knocking down open threes with confidence, displaying off-ball know-how. To top it all off, he was doing all of this with two untied shoes during one of the scrimmages. A remarkable feat that shouldn't go unnoticed.     [player_tooltip player_id='2633506' first='Jimmy' last='Vahey'] looked the part as a scorer in multiple enticing ways. He was a flamethrower from behind the three-point line, getting hot and knocking down several shots with a quick twitch release. He creating for himself too, getting into the mid-range area and hitting jumpers off the bounce. Lastly, he was going strong at the cup and using the high glass for easy buckets on his drives.     [player_tooltip player_id='2633508' first='Logan' last='Crissey'] showed off his plus shooting skills and that made him unstoppable at times during the night. The mid-range was his friend, living in that area for self created off-the-bounce shots that flew through the net. His shooting mechanics were on point, and his touch stretched beyond the three-point line all around the perimeter. Additionally, he moved well on the court and his athleticism is very functional even if it does not stand out at first glance. A very solid first impression from the Pennsylvania native.

Yesterday evening in Westford, Massachusetts at The Mill Works, the 2nd annual Northeast Top 50 showcase event took place, which was created and put together by Prep Hoops New York scout Aasim Sullivan. Around 25 basketball players from all over the East Coast showed up to compete in multiple five-on-five scrimmages in front of college, prep school, and media personnel to put their skills and effort to the test. I was in attendance for last night's festivities and here are my standouts from the Northeast Top 50!