POTY Races: NEPSAC AA

Today, our Player of the Year race breakdowns continue with a look at Class AA of the NEPSAC.   As we mentioned yesterday, there are two important distinctions that need to be addressed with regard to these articles.   First, we will aim to keep the focus on prospects at schools based out of New England. In Class AA, that takes Albany Academy out of the equation. Second, we're focusing on prospects from teams at the top of the standings, as we believe team success often plays a factor in awards such as this.   With that being said, there are a handful of prospects that won't be covered in this article that have had terrific, all-league worthy seasons, for their respective teams; that list includes: [player_tooltip player_id='2470882' first='Theo' last='Edema'] out of Cushing Academy, [player_tooltip player_id='2341363' first='Alex' last='Egbuonu'] out of Lawrence Academy, [player_tooltip player_id='1384646' first='Brayden' last='Harris'] out of the MacDuffie School, and [player_tooltip player_id='2341286' first='Sam' last='Fleming'] out of Wilbraham & Monson Academy.   Below are five prospects that we believe should be in the mix for the honor of Class AA Player of the Year.    Moesch, a senior guard out of Cushing Academy in Massachusetts, has continued to show out on the biggest of stages this winter. Cushing Academy sits as the top of the AA standings, sporting a 10-0 record in league games behind the play of their talented lead guard. Moesch is arguably the best creator in New England, playing with elite floor vision and the ability to make any pass imaginable. He's a big time competitor and has the ability to score it in a variety of ways, at multiple levels. On top of all that, he continues to find ways to help his team win basketball games, something that is noticable every time he takes the floor. Moesch will continue his career in the fall at Siena College.     Chess, a senior guard out of St. George's in Rhode Island, has been a two-way standout this winter and continues to add small elements to his game on both ends of the floor. St. George's has a 10-3 record in AA games, good for second place in the standings, and has gotten a ton of leadership and scoring out of Chess this winter. Chess, once known as an athletic scorer around the rim, has really enhanced his game over the last two years. He's capable of scoring it at all three levels and now does a nice job of operating as an initiator and decision maker with the ball in his hands. He's a terrific rebounder from the guard position and does a nice job of defending both in space and in traffic on the defensive end of the floor. Chess will continue his career in the fall at Marist College.     Gibson, a senior wing out of Winchendon in Massachusetts, has taken New England by storm and proven to be one of the top transfers into the region this season. One of the surprises this winter in AA has been the success of Winchendon, who is in 3rd place in the standings at 13-4 and has taken on the identity of Gibson. A plus athlete, Gibson has the ability to operate both on and off the ball, making high IQ plays both in transition and in the half-court. He does a nice job of knocking down shots in catch and shoot situations and uses his frame his his advantage as a finisher aorund the rim. Defensively, he can guard up and down a position and is capable of rebounding in space and in traffic. Gibson will continue his career in the fall at Cornell University.     Caldarella, a senior guard out of Cheshire Academy in Connecticut, has taken full advantage of his year in the NEPSAC and proven to be one of the most efficient offensive performers around. Few teams have played better as a collective unit this winter than Cheshire Academy, who sits in 4th place in the league at 10-4 and has gotten terrific play on both ends of the floor from Caldarella. A high IQ decision maker, Caldarella is as solid as it gets on the offensive end of the floor. He can play on or off the ball, directs offensive in the half-court, and does a nice job of moving in space without the ball in his hands. He's a high level shooter from the perimeter, finishes with touch over size in the paint, and does a good job of playing within a team's scheme on the defensive end of the floor. Caldarella will continue his career in the fall at the United States Air Force Academy.     Scroggins, a senior forward out of Kimball Union in New Hampshire, has operated as a mismatch forward all winter long with his ability to make plays in the paint and from the perimeter. Kimball Union currently sits in 5th place in the AA standings at 8-6; they've gotten terrific play out of not only Scroggins, but also his teammates [player_tooltip player_id='2325783' first='Merrick' last='Smith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2452977' first='Brandon' last='Arnold']. Scroggins, a 6'8" lefty, does a great job of playing to his strengths on the offensive end of the floor. He takes advantage of mismatches to finish with his back to the basket around the rim, can knock down shots from the perimeter in catch and shoot situations, and is an instinctive cutter off the ball. Defensively, he plays with a nice combination of size, length, and feel, all of which allows him to guard a variety of positions on the floor. Scroggins will continue his career in the fall at Valparaiso University.    Tomorrow, we'll unveil our list of prospects in the Player of the Year race in Class A!

Today, our Player of the Year race breakdowns continue with a look at Class AA of the NEPSAC.