POTY Races: NEPSAC A

Next up in our NEPSAC Player of the Year race breakdowns is Class A.   One of the region's most competitive leagues, Class A is deep in both competition and talent. Right now, 13 of the league's 24 teams have winning records in league games, and ultimately, only 8 will make the postseason tournament.   As we've indicated in our previous articles, we'll keep the focus here on prospects playing for New England based programs, which means we won't include Trinity-Pawling here. Beyond that, the prospects covered will all come from the top teams in the standings as of today, which excludes plenty of talented and deserving candidates, including: [player_tooltip player_id='2829417' first='Cole' last='McClure'] out of Phillips Exeter Academy, Nick Hailey out of Phillips Academy Andover, [player_tooltip player_id='2341366' first='Sage' last='Baptiste'] out of Tabor Academy, [player_tooltip player_id='1484016' first='Brady' last='Wooley'] out of Choate Rosemary Hall, [player_tooltip player_id='2418200' first='Mekhi' last='Simmons'] out of the St. Paul's School, [player_tooltip player_id='2553690' first='Malik' last='Adamson'] out of the Dexter Southfield School, and [player_tooltip player_id='2486597' first='Luca' last='Balducci'] out of the Loomis Chaffee School.   With all that being said, here our five prospects we have in the mix for the Player of the Year race in Class A:    Baum, a senior forward out of the Noble & Greenough School in Massachusetts, has played a major role on both ends of the floor for his squad, particularly after the loss of [player_tooltip player_id='2568396' first='Jack' last='Charchaflian'] to a season ending injury. Nobles currently sits at the top of the A standings with a 13-2 record in league games and is paced by a balanced offensive attack. Baum operates as a mismatch for opposing defenses due to his ability to create for others with the ball in his hands on the periemter. He does a nice job of getting downhill off the bounce and can finish in a variety of ways around the rim. Where he's really stepped up this year is on the defensive end of the floor, where his ability to alter shots at the rim and to control the defensive glass is something his team can count on night in and night out. Baum will continue his playing career in the fall at Bowdoin.     Ocasio, a senior guard out of Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, looks to be all the way back from a knee injury he suffered last winter and is in complete control of the offense in the half-court. Deerfield is 9-2 in Class A games, good for the 2nd spot in the standings right now. Ocasio does a great job of playing at different speeds in the half-court, makes good decisions out of ball screens, and delivers the ball on time and on target as a passer, allowing his teammates to score more easily. He's a terrific shot creator late in the clock and shows the ability to score it in bunches in the mid-range and from behind the arc. He's a big time competitor that takes pride on guarding the opponents best perimeter scorer on the other end of the floor. Ocasio remains uncommitted at this point in time.     Williams, a senior guard out of Milton Academy in Massachusetts, has continued to establish himself as one of the top offensive players in the region with the ball in his hands. Milton is currently 3rd in Class A with an 8-2 record in league games and has relied heavily on their talented lead guard for production on both ends of the floor. Williams might have the quickest first step off the bounce in all of Class A, showing an elite ability to get into the paint, where he's able to score at the rim or set up his big men for easy baskets. He flies up the floor in transition and puts pressure on a defense off the bounce for all 32 minutes. Defensively, he has to be among the leaders in steals, showing the ability to keep opposing ball-handlers in front of him and away from their scoring spots. Williams remains uncommitted at this point in time.     Merrick, a senior wing out of the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, stands out as arguably, the top two-way wing in Class A. Hotchkiss has an 11-3 record in Class A games, good for 4th in the standings, and has been playing some of their best basketball in recent weeks. Merrick is a big time athlete that plays with versatility on both ends of the floor. He's too big and strong for most guards to cover around the rim and too mobile for most forwards to stay in front of him around the perimeter. He makes plays for himself and others in transition and is an elite finisher around the rim. Defensively, he is able to guard four positions on the floor and has the ability to go rebound the basketball above the rim in traffic. Merrick will continue his playing career in the fall at Harvard.     Maxwell-Grimes, a senior guard out of Suffield Academy in Connecticut, is one of the top decision makers in New England and continues to impress with his feel for the game with the ball in his hands. Suffield holds the 5th spot in Class A with a 12-6 record in lead games and can rely on Maxwell-Grimes to come up big in clutch moments. The lead guard is as confident with the ball in his hands as any guard in the league, showing a great understanding of how to play at different speeds and to get to his spots off the bounce. He finishes around the rim with creativity, is able to get into his mid-range game late in the clock, and has the ability to knock down jumpers in bunches from behind the arc. Maxwell-Grimes remains uncommitted at this point in time.    Keep an eye out tomorrow as we unveil our Player of the Year race in Class B!

Next up in our NEPSAC Player of the Year race breakdowns is Class A.