Phillips Exeter Academy vs. Tilton School Standouts

Phillips Exeter traveled to Tilton School on Wednesday, February 19th for a battle of two historic New Hampshire prep programs. Tilton completed an awesome comeback in the second half and ended up winning the game 54-53.   Below are my standouts from the game.    This was my first time watching Boudouma play, and he impressed me more and more as the game went on. He's a 6-foot-9 big man who can step out to the perimeter and operate quite effectively as an offensive hub. He does a good job in the dribble hand-off game and has an incredibly nice-looking shot, especially for his size; he gets it off quickly and with beautiful form, which is a tough combination for a center. He also does a great job faking the hand off and darting to the rim for dunks or layups. Defensively, he was able to use his length to block a few shots in the paint and dissuade many others. He should be a D1 guy despite his lack of low post game. New age center.     Oliveira is like an energizer bunny out there on the basketball court. He looks out of place because of his size – he's only 5-foot-10 – but he makes up for it with supreme conditioning and toughness. He never gets tired – I'm not sure he stepped off the court for Tilton – and he was an absolute pest on the defensive end for the entirety of the game, getting his paws on everything and sliding his feet like crazy. He's also probably the best sub 6-foot rebounder I've seen this season. Offensively, he's quick as heck and runs the show well for Tilton. Really fun player who could play at the highest level D3 schools or maybe even some D2s.     It's incredible how Frost has transformed his body throughout his high school career. We've known about his skill set for awhile, but his size these days allows him to bang on the boards, post up smaller players, and even defend larger, standstill big men. Against Tilton, he had a second half outburst where he showcased his shooting ability off the dribble, which is his claim to fame. I continue to be so impressed with Frost's passing, though, which might make him the most college-ready player I've seen this season. He's the best over-the-head passer I've seen in New England this year – a very underrated skill - and he should step right into playing time at Notre Dame.     Blandburg is like a deer out on the basketball court. It takes the 6-foot-8 forward about 3 steps to get down the length of the court, and he rim runs more aggressively than basically any other big man I've seen this season. If he doesn't get the rebound on either end, he's in a dead sprint to the other rim; and if he does grab the rebound, he's agile enough to take a couple dribbles before finding an outlet. His offensive skills are still coming along – but they already look better than they did when I saw him at the NEPSAC showcase this summer.     I can't figure out why Soden doesn't have more scholarship offers. Whatever your offensive system is, he can probably fit into it quite nicely, because he does a little bit of everything offensively. He can score from literally everywhere on the floor – including far out past the three-point line – and he can also create with the dribble. But he can play off the ball, too, because of his quick release and ability to cut and decisively attack closeouts. D1 colleges should DEFINITELY be looking at Soden, and they're making a mistake if they aren't.

Phillips Exeter traveled to Tilton School on Wednesday, February 19th for a battle of two historic New Hampshire prep programs. Tilton completed an awesome comeback in the second half and ended up winning the game 54-53.