New Hampton School vs. Vermont Academy Standouts

On Wednesday, December 3rd, Vermont Academy traveled to New Hampton for a NEPSAC AAA matchup. New Hampton squeaked out a 66-61 victory, but these teams are quite similarly matched.   Here are some of the players who impressed me.    Cook had a relatively quiet first half, but he ticked up his aggressiveness in the second half and was a big reason for New Hampton's victory. The 6-foot-8 forward can be passive at times, but when he has his mind set on attacking the rim and using his physicality to put defenders under the hoop, he's quite difficult to stop. He has strength, wiggle, and really nice finishing touch, so he's a tough cover for opposing bigs of any size. He can also play at the top of the key and operate as a dribble handoff and screening hub; his passing instincts are super useful here. Cook is committed to Richmond next season, and I could imagine him having a pretty significant impact in year one, especially if he continues the development he's made from last season to this one moving forward.     Sanderson didn't start in this game (he did during the NEBL games), but he operates with the same confidence and conviction no matter how many minutes he plays. The 6-foot-2 point guard has ridiculous end-to-end speed and keeps his dribble so close to the ground, so he's pretty difficult to take the ball from. He had a couple turnovers while getting aggressively pressed down the stretch, but he's typically incredibly reliable when it comes to handling a full-court press during the end of the game. He punctured the paint at will and made a slew of nice spray out passes to teammates, and his defensive pressure during yesterday's second half was a big reason New Hampton pulled it out. His recruitment will pick up.     Onwe came off the bench for New Hampton yesterday but really impressed me with his energy and versatility. The 6-foot-6 forward has phenomenal strength and athleticism, so he can defend guards on the perimeter and also big men in the paint. He fights for rebounds on both ends and does lots of little things. Offensively, the lefty gets to his spin move quite often and finds success finishing above the defense. Onwe projects as a plug-and-play scholarship player who can play in virtually any system because of his ability to defend multiple positions, run the floor, and play hard. If he improves his shot, I could imagine him getting some D1 looks.     Whyte is a relentless rim attacker who puts so much pressure on the defense for the entirety of the game. He gets downhill at will and can finish quite athletically with both hands at the rim. Even with multiple defenders contesting, the 6-foot-3 guard has wonderful touch and a knack for finding space to get his shot off. He also excelled in the mid range against New Hampton and still finds the energy and effort to compete on the defensive end despite his large offensive usage. Whyte should be getting looked at by D1 schools and continues to be one of the more underrated guys in the NEPSAC in my opinion.     Camara comes from Malden Catholic as a big time MIAA star, but he looks to have fit into the highest level of the NEPSAC pretty seamlessly. The 6-foot-1 combo-guard spent a lot of time with the ball in his hands against New Hampton and was able to showcase his incredible quickness and full-court speed. He made multiple nice moves to the rim and had a bunch of crafty finishes at the hoop. Defensively, he was extremely active in the passing lanes and gave opposing guards problems all day. Camara is only going to get more comfortable playing at this level, and he should probably be looked at by scholarship programs as a result.     This was my first time seeing Ambrozich play and despite him not being a massive part of what Vermont Academy does offensively, he still made his presence felt. He fights hard for offensive rebounds and can finish in the paint, but what's most impressive is his passing ability. The 6-foot-8 forward made multiple phenomenal dump down passes to players in the dunker spot, including one special look away pass to a cutter. It's rare to see a guy with his size have such advanced passing vision, and I could really see him and Vermont Academy as a whole leaning into these skills moving forward, especially with all the talented cutters around him.

On Wednesday, December 3rd, Vermont Academy traveled to New Hampton for a NEPSAC AAA matchup. New Hampton squeaked out a 66-61 victory, but these teams are quite similarly matched.