Hotchkiss Outlast Phillips Andover for NEPSAC Class A Title

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hotchkiss School played Phillips Andover Academy in the NEPSAC Class A championship game on Sunday at Worcester Academy in Worcester, MA.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A battle of big, athletic wings ensued, and Hotchkiss came out on top 66-54 to cap an awesome season. Below are 5 standouts from Sunday's championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1411408"],"_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-69b028b68d089"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Ghee was phenomenal in Sunday's championship game. The 6-foot-5 wing has a super versatile offensive skillset and can score from all three levels on the court. He has size and athleticism, so he can finish at the rim against contact from larger players, but he also has the wiggle and ball-handling necessary to get to the rim without a screen. Ghee can even make shots from the perimeter as well, and he makes a lot of really impressive reads with his ability to see over the defense and his fast processing speed.. Ghee is a division one prospect who absolutely dominated the championship game and rightfully walked away with the MVP trophy. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2207287"],"_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-69b028b68d135"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Archibald had a decent first half, but he completely erupted towards the end of the game and scored tons of points in the last five minutes to bring Hotchkiss home. He has nice passing vision—especially for his size—but he has athleticism and length for impressive finishes at the rim and is a good outside shooter. He can make shots off the bounce and on the move, and he has a good pace and patience to his attacks. Archibald had a phenomenal year but has even more room to grow, and I would be shocked if he doesn't end up racking up a good number of D1 offers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2407052"],"_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-69b028b68d1cd"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Merrick is a well-rounded, big and athletic wing who completes Hotchkiss' trio of physically-imposing wing/forwards. The 6-foot-6 wing does literally everything for his squad—he defends every position, he rebounds the basketball, he scores in transition, and he sets up his teammates for easy points. Some improved outside shooting and offensive pop would probably help him earn minutes immediately for Harvard next season, but he's still additive in almost every way despite those deficiencies. Merrick deserves a ton of credit for this win and the overall season for Hotchkiss. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1336430"],"_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-69b028b68d240"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I knew Hailey was athletic, but after seeing him in person again last week and watching Sunday's championship game, he might be the best vertical athlete in the NEPSAC. He absolutely skies for dunks and has his head at the rim—even when you think he's coming back down, it still seems like he's elevating. He takes contact well from opposing bigs, and he can also make outside shots with range. The lefty could use some increased playmaking chops, but he has SO much potential with his baseline skillset and athleticism. Will be curious where Hailey ends up next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2962602"],"_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-69b028b68d2aa"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Clanton is such a fascinating watch. He's undersized against almost every big man he faces, but he consistently bullies them under the rim and somehow gets floaters and touch shots off against guys who seem like they should be able to block and overwhelm him. He has really good touch around the rim and an awesome motor that allows him to play his best ball late in games, and he can even step out and make shots if he's going against a slow-footed big man. Clanton has heavy interest from the D3 level, but I wonder if any scholarship schools could get involved.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->