New England Jam Fest: Best 7 Players I Saw

This weekend, I attended the Hoop Group's New England Jam Fest at Dana Barros Basketball Club in Stoughton, MA. I mostly took in games from the 17u and 16u divisions, but I watched a ton of teams and players.   As always, it's impossible to see everyone, and I was only at one facility each day. There are LOTS of good basketball players out there!   With that being said, below are the 8 best players I saw.    Prince is a big time player. The 6-foot-6 guard reminds me SO MUCH of Lucas Morillo in terms of his ability to combine size and length with physicality, strength, and supreme skill. He's a point-forward on the floor and really impresses with his passing vision and feel—whether it be from the post, as a driver, or in transition—but he can also score for himself from all three levels. He's more athletic than you think, and he has an edge to him on the court that allows him to consistently compete. Prince doesn't really have an offensive weakness and has everything D1 coaches are looking for, so I would be surprised if he doesn't find a fit at that level. Prince will reclass to 2027 and head to Cushing, and I can't wait to watch him there.     Brigham was electric for an SECC Allstars HGSL team that might've been the best squad I saw all weekend. The 6-foot-3 guard looks like he was meant to have the rock in his hands—it's like he's dancing, rather than playing, when he has the ball—and he has excellent offensive skill. His pull-up game is phenomenal, but he also has really solid athleticism and can finish effectively at the rim. Most impressive in Brigham's game was his defensive instincts and hands; in SECC's 2-1-2 press, the Cushing-bound guard had TONS of steals by getting in passing lanes and sneaking up on ball-handlers. He's a scholarship player.     Grudzien doesn't jump off the page as much as some of his Middlesex Magic HGSL teammates, but I think he might be the most valuable player to that team. The 6-foot-1 guard is the best defender on his squad and seems to always be around the ball, whether he's defending the ball-handler or being active on the help-side. Offensively, he's an above-the-rim athlete who has incredibly good quickness and passing ability but is also getting more confident from three-point range. Grudzien is just a winner, and I think there are probably some scholarship schools he could make an impact at. Don't sleep on him.     Brown was arguably Set The Pace HGSL's most impressive player this weekend, and they were one of the best teams I saw. The 6-foot-5 guard can do everything on the floor, whether it's scoring at the rim, getting his teammates involved, or hitting shots from the perimeter. He has excellent strength on drives to the hoop, but he also has good body control and toughness, so he can finish with the best of them. Brown relentlessly puts pressure on the rim and has a bag of tricks once he gets there. He should be one of Frederick Gunn's best players next year and will certainly be looked at by some scholarship programs.     Nicol is ridiculously intriguing. The 6-foot-6 wing can shoot it from three (he has beautiful rotation on his shot and gets it off quickly), but he also has above-the-rim athleticism and dunked on some guys when I saw him Saturday. With the ball in his hands, he looks comfortable and skilled, so he can get to the spots he wants on the court despite being skinny and lanky. Nicol makes simple reads and can play a nice role, but he also seems to have some untapped potential if he can continue to put on muscle and get the ball in his hands a bit more. If you told me he would be the best player to come out of this tournament in 5 years, I wouldn't be shocked.     Valente Rocks HGSL had an awesome win against BABC this weekend (among a couple other good performances), and Osinski was the biggest reason why. The 6-foot-5 wing is a three-level scorer who has great athleticism, skill, and motor. He can finish above-the-rim in transition and keeps a great line to the rim on drives, but he's also a good passer and can play off the ball as a shooter or cutter. Defensively, his strength and size allows him to guard a wide variety of players, and he's an excellent rebounder for his position as a result. Osinksi is a high-academic kid, and I wouldn't be surprised if some Ivy's get involved.     White really impressed me for a GB Blue Devils team out of New Jersey that had about as good of a showing as you can have for a 1-2 weekend. The 6-foot guard is a bulldog with the ball in his hands and is lethal in transition with a head of steam. The lefty gets downhill effortlessly and can finish with contact at the rim, and he relentlessly attacks the rim all game. He's also phenomenal defensively and will compete on every possession by sliding his feet and having active hands. White was one of the better conditioned athletes I saw this weekend, and he's already picking up some scholarship interest.

This weekend, I attended the Hoop Group's New England Jam Fest at Dana Barros Basketball Club in Stoughton, MA. I mostly took in games from the 17u and 16u divisions, but I watched a ton of teams and players.