Brooks School open gym: new faces ready to thrive

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Monday, September 15th, I attended the Brooks School's first open gym of the basketball season. All of the usual suspects were present - [player_tooltip player_id='2341336' first='Trokon' last='Harris'], [player_tooltip player_id='2762124' first='Harryns' last='Cantave'], [player_tooltip player_id='2465127' first='Noah' last='Walker'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2341403' first='Riley' last='Clarke'] - and they should each have significant roles on the squad this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below are five more guys who will certainly make their names known by the end of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2878624"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68c9c2c81d327"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Olasode comes from Richmond, Texas where he was a standout big man. The 6-foot-8 forward is incredibly gifted physically, and he shows some ball handling and shooting flashes that should really intrigue coaches at all levels. He looks like he's ready to play college basketball right now in terms of his upper body, and he's only a junior, so he has a lot of time to continue developing his skills. Regardless, he should man the paint for Brooks this season and will affect virtually every shot taken at the rim. Definitely keep an eye on how Olasode grows this year, both physically and skill wise.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2571867"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68c9c2c81d389"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Gibson is only a sophomore but you can't tell by how physically gifted he is. He's so strong with the ball in his hands and totally displaces guards who try to wall him up. He made multiple really nice moves into the paint and used slow, strong footwork to finish in the lane - being 6-foot-3 helps, too. The outside shot is still coming along, but his handle is very solid and he knows how to get his teammates involved. It'll be interesting to see how Gibson continues to develop physically, because he has such a strong foundation of strength and athleticism.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='2634189' first='Daniel' last='Cassamajor'] Jr.","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77246","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Brooks School","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68c9c2c81d43b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Cassamajor Jr. is electric on the basketball floor. The 6-foot guard is obviously undersized, but he makes up for it with supreme quickness and strength. He has phenomenal athleticism in all regards, and that allows him to compete with anyone physically; nobody can back him down or pressure him for steals on defense. He needs major work on his outside shot, but the junior should be a key player for Brooks this year and will be one of their more effective downhill creators and facilitators. I could definitely imagine lots of D3 schools being interested in Cassamajor Jr., especially after a bounce back season after an injury last year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2868673"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68c9c2c81d48d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Walford comes from Foxborough High School, where he was a standout player last year and earned himself a Hockomock League All Star spot. The 5-foot-11 guard will probably be one of Brooks' best shooters this season; he's always ready to shoot on the catch and consistently knocks down shots from the three point line. He can get to some pull up threes and mid ranges, too, but he does his best work off the ball. Walford won't over dribble, and he'll always make the simple decision that's best for his team. Defensively, he competes incredibly hard and guards for 94 feet. Probably a D3 player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2878933"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68c9c2c81d4d9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Castaneda is a fascinating player. He's only 5-foot-10, but he's super quick and incredibly skilled with the ball; it all comes naturally to him. He has a beautiful hang dribble-based off the dribble game and can shoot it from three and in the mid range – he gets great elevation on his jumper. The junior also does a good job reading the defense and making kick out passes once he gets into the paint. Castaneda needs to get stronger defensively, but he's good enough to play college hoops and could potentially surprise people with his role this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->