Zero Gravity Rumble for the Ring Standouts: Part 1

On Sunday, April 27th, I attended the Zero Gravity Rumble for the Ring at Dana Barros Basketball Club. I caught some games from each of the high school divisions, though it's impossible to see everybody play. Here are some of the standouts I came across.    White was pretty easily the best athlete on the court for Take Charge in Sunday morning's matchup. The 6-foot combo-guard has good length and was able to get by his initial defender with ease; once he got into the paint, he showed off the ability to finish with both hands and off both feet. He got a little bit shot-happy once his layups started to fall — and I would've liked him to continue attacking the paint — but his shot looks workable and should continue to improve. The junior guard will be one of Medway's best players next season and a captain.     Keaney was a game wrecker for Take Charge. He didn't start the game, but the entire flow changed as soon as he entered. He was living in the passing lanes for steals and was able to get a bunch of fastbreak layups as a result of his athleticism and hands. He has a solid knack for finishing at the rim; he uses his long arms and good upper body strength to craft his way to the hoop. He's also a willing and able passer who does a good job reversing the ball for easy shots. Keaney will be a co-captain at Medway this season and should be a good all-around athlete for them.     Reardon is only a sophomore but played up in the varsity division this weekend. On Sunday, the 5-foot-9 guard took over a game late in the second half by hitting three straight threes on consecutive possessions. He's very undersized and pretty skinny, but the shooting stroke is there and I could definitely see him growing into his body in the coming years. One thing is for sure: Reardon will have a great chance to develop on a Franklin squad that has a knack for getting the most out of their players.     Ivy was manning the paint for ASAP all Sunday morning. The 6-foot-2 big man is severely undersized, but he was able to corral all the boards on both ends as a result of his athleticism and hustle. He has a great second jump and was able to retrieve a ton of his misses, which he put back for finishes. He's definitely still learning how to handle the ball and finish in a variety of ways (he mostly looks to go right), but I could see Ivy being a solid piece on his New Bedford High School team next season.     Rodriguez ran the show for ASAP. He was consistently getting into the paint and used a variety of hesitation dribble moves to freeze defenders on the perimeter and blow by them for easy rim attempts. He handles the ball well under pressure and won't get it taken from him easily, and he has solid passing vision once the defense collapses on him in the paint. Some added strength and size would do wonders for him in terms of his college hopes, but he should have a really nice senior season for New Bedford High.

On Sunday, April 27th, I attended the Zero Gravity Rumble for the Ring at Dana Barros Basketball Club. I caught some games from each of the high school divisions, though it's impossible to see everybody play. Here are some of the standouts I came across.