Williston Northampton Over Phillip Exeter for NEPSAC Class A Chip

Williston Northampton School defeated Phillips Exeter Academy in the NEPSAC Class A championship game on Sunday, March 9th. They had the game in the bag from the start, showcasing a balanced attack offensively and some incredibly intense pressure defense. Would love to see them matchup with some class AA or AAA teams.   Here are my standouts from the championship game.    Edmead is so electric on the basketball court. He's undersized at the point guard position but has just about every offensive skill you could ask for. He shoots it from three so well – especially off the dribble – and that sets up the rest of his game. Remember prime Kemba stopping on a dime and elevating for long range shots right at the three-point line? That's Edmead. He can also get into the lane using amazing hesitation and crossover moves and he can finish at the rim with floaters and high touch off the glass. The Hofstra commit is such a special talent and I can't wait to see what he's able to do at the next level.     For a 6-foot-10 sophomore center, Seltzer has an incredibly nice-looking stroke. He has good, on-balance footwork and a really beautiful release from both the three-point line and the foul line. He also threw down a head-tapping dunk in the first half and skied for a good number of rebounds on both ends. I'm very impressed with Seltzer and am excited to see how he progresses in the coming years – I'm sure he'll be a bigger part of the offense next season and will get more post touches. The sky's the limit for such a young big-man with promising physical tools and a great shot.     Reynolds was the best athlete on the floor in the championship game and it was far from being close. I could genuinely watch him jump for days on end; he springs off the ground so quickly and can do so off of either one or two feet. The offensive skills are definitely still coming along – he doesn't have a consistent outside shot or a super confident handle – but there are still tons of things he can do on the basketball court. He's a good cutter and mover, he's excellent at finishing in transition at the rim, and he is fantastic on the defensive end. He'll end up somewhere on a college roster and he should succeed as a result of his ridiculous athleticism.     Nieves is a lockdown defender and was attached to [player_tooltip player_id='1239437' first='Ryder' last='Frost']'s hip for the entirety of Sunday's championship game. He fights around screens like they aren't there and uses his strength to get into the body of the offensive player and force them where he wants them to go. Offensively, Nieves can stroke it from three and gets so much elevation on his shot, making it quite difficult to contest. He wasn't able to get too much going to the hoop on Sunday, but I can tell that he has that ability to handle it well. He feels like a D1 prospect, but he'll go to Tufts next year, where I bet he'll have an unbelievable career.     Furse doesn't wow you with his athleticism or speed/quickness, but he's extremely solid at the guard position. He was stroking it from three in the championship game and also got into the lane for a nice mid-range shot. Other than that, he gets off the ball when he doesn't have an immediate play to make and he's always willing to make the hustle play on both ends, whether it be diving on the floor for a loose ball or sprinting back on defense. Good player who should find a great D3 fit somewhere.     Soden is a nice do-it-all offensive player with few weaknesses. He can shoot it from the mid-range and three but also has some surprising athleticism when getting into the lane. He showcased each of those skills in Sunday's championship game. I'm not sure where Soden will end up next year, but I think low D1 is certainly possible. If not, he'll have an unbelievable career at the D3 or D2 level.

Williston Northampton School defeated Phillips Exeter Academy in the NEPSAC Class A championship game on Sunday, March 9th. They had the game in the bag from the start, showcasing a balanced attack offensively and some incredibly intense pressure defense. Would love to see them matchup with some class AA or AAA teams.