6 Standouts from Phillips Exeter's 76-70 Win Over Tilton

Yesterday (Wednesday, Feb. 18th), I attended a matchup between Phillips Exeter Academy and the Tilton School at Phillips Exeter's beautiful campus in Exeter, New Hampshire.   PE won their ninth in a row in a close one against a talented Tilton squad. Exeter's offensive movement and little things mentality was too much for Tilton to handle.   Here are 6 standouts from the game.    McClure is developing into one of my favorite players in the entire 2028 class. Even though the 6-foot-3 guard didn't shoot the ball that well from three last night, he showcased a number of incredibly impressive takes to the rim, most notably a few one-handed lefty finishes with long contests from TIlton's big men. He has phenomenal touch with both hands, and he has a super lethal first-step when you play too close to him on the perimeter. Though he isn't the strongest right now, he's still able to succeed as a driver, which is an amazing sign for his future. He's a division 1 prospect, and I can't wait to see how he plays with the Middlesex Magic this spring.     While McClure wasn't feeling it from deep, Chartier picked up the slack for Phillips Exeter. The 6-foot-6 wing is a total flamethrower and somehow keeps getting better as a shooter every time I see him. For his size, he does a phenomenal job getting his feet set and is a true movement-shooter when it comes to flying off screens and stopping short in transition while still getting his shot off quickly. He has a beautiful release, and he's tall with long arms. Oh, and he's continuing to grow as a closeout attacker and rim finisher, though some added weight and strength would be huge for him there. I'm very high on Chartier and think he'll turn heads for NE Storm this spring.     Belcher is a little thing KING! The 6-foot-1 guard is one of the more instinctive offensive rebounders I've seen at his size; he does an amazing job tracking the ball off the rim and simply operates as if he wants the ball more than his opponent. He has excellent hands, jumping ability and quickness, and he pairs those tools with phenomenal toughness and effort. The shooting is still coming along, but he can do enough offensively in terms of getting to the basket and making plays for his teammates to warrant him being on the floor with everything else he brings. He'll be a fun piece for Bowdoin next year and will probably play some spot minutes for them if I had to guess.     Duverne started the game relatively slowly, but he erupted in the second half to bring home a win for Phillips Exeter. The 6-foot-6 forward was a menace on the offensive boards and had numerous and-ones in the last few minutes of the game. He also had a beautiful closeout drive and finish with his left hand that I didn't know he had in his bag. Duverne hit some outside shots, too, and his shot looks like it's fairly compact and consistent from the perimeter. He has a very bright future ahead and should be an even more integral part of Phillips Exeter's offensive attack next season.     Owusu-Aduomi was easily Tilton's best player last night, and I was honestly shocked by how he's improved over the last 6 months. When I first saw him play in AAU, the 6-foot-5 wing was basically just a scorer who was able to finish athletically at the rim and with contact. He still did lots of that yesterday, but I was incredibly impressed with his ability to make reads in the paint and excel as a passer; he has really good passing vision and the ability to make spray out and back-door passes consistently. He also made a bunch of outside shots and looks far more confident from out there. Owusu-Aduomi should be garnering scholarship looks and is SUPER intriguing.     For a sophomore, Dak has some pretty special physical tools. The 6-foot-4 wing has good size for his position, but his ridiculous wingspan makes him seem a lot bigger, and his athleticism allows him to compete with larger and older forwards. The Bedford, NH native made a couple outside shots from three—and his shot looks improved from there—but he also had some and-ones and showcased solid toughness on the defensive end and the boards. He's still a bit raw offensively, but the foundation is there for him to be a scholarship guy.

Yesterday (Wednesday, Feb. 18th), I attended a matchup between Phillips Exeter Academy and the Tilton School at Phillips Exeter's beautiful campus in Exeter, New Hampshire.