New England Wings to Watch: Class of 2023

The class of 2023 is loaded with talent at the wing position. A group flooded with athletes who can score at a high level, shoot lights out from beyond the arc, play sound defense amongst possessing other valuable tools that attribute to their respective teams’ success.   [player_tooltip player_id="1081878" first="Will" last="Lobor"] - Tabor Academy/Mass Rivals - 6’7’’ - SG/SF - 2023 (pictured above) Lobor is a grown man on the basketball court. His combination of size and athleticism makes him an automatic mismatch on the perimeter. An endless motor, Lobor always is willing to outwork the opposition by crashing the offensive glass relentlessly and going back up strong for putbacks. He plays with fire and intensity on defense and uses his physical gifts as an advantage to smother opposing players on the perimeter. Always making his opponent work and cutting off angles to the hoop, Lobor makes it as difficult as possible for his assignment to score. In transition, Lobor is an excellent playmaker. He stays under control going coast-to-coast and displays his unselfishness by finding shooters spotting up on the outside. When not showcasing his accurate passes, Lobor can score easily in the open court using his speed and strength to power through any defender standing in his path. The 6’7’’ wing moves well without the ball, continually cutting and flashing to open areas of the court aggressively. Drawing ample attention from the defense, Lobor can open up offensive opportunities for his team without touching the ball. With his ability to score at all three levels while still developing his perimeter repertoire, Lobor is going to be a force as we enter the spring/summer season. He has offers from Missouri State, Tennessee State, Murray State, and the University of Buffalo.   [player_tooltip player_id="1081815" first="Matt" last="Devine"] - Minnechaug Regional High/NE6 - 6’4’’ - SG/PG - 2023 Devine can put on a show when he gets the ball in his hands on the wing. Never hesitant to shoot, Devine has the ultimate green light and can pull up from the parking lot. His accurate three-point shooting is so impressive that he can bury triples off the dribble like they are warm-up jump shots. Devine does a good job sizing up his defender with a little hesitation dribble and needs an inch of space before firing away. Guarding him one on one is almost impossible because if you give him too much space on the perimeter, he will destroy you from deep; yet, if you get in his air space, he displays a tight handle full of devastating dribble moves to create separation. Using an array of snatch-back crossovers along with step-backs, Devine can create whatever offense he wants when he is isolated on the wing. An explosive athlete, the 6’4 combo guard can finish above the rim, showing off his jaw-dropping vertical leap. Devine is a brilliant three-level scorer who will find a way to beat you no matter what kind of defense you throw at him.   Will Laplante - King Phillip High/Middlesex Magic - 6’0 - SG/PG - 2023 Not shy at all shooting the basketball, Laplante has the utmost confidence shooting contested threes up to 5 feet beyond the line. Coming off a sophomore season, finishing 5th in the Hockomock League averaging 16.4 points, Laplante showed he has the potential to be atop of the league leaderboard over the next two seasons. An athlete who keeps his poise and doesn’t get rattled when the defense pressures him. His handle is good enough to get to his scoring spots on the floor, and he has a deadly pull-up from mid-range if he gets run off the three-point line. A dangerous playmaker going to his left, Laplante transitions into the smoothest step-back jumper or will go all the way to the hoop showing the softest touch with his off-hand. Not just one-dimensional as a player, Laplante can impact the game in other ways besides scoring. He is a terrific rebounder at the guard position, never intimidated to battle amongst the trees inside to secure possessions for his team. Laplante also is valuable in pick and roll action. His decision-making and passing acumen off the screen makes him one of the most dangerous offensive weapons on the wing.   Jesse Doherty - Reading High/Middlesex Magic - 6’3’’ - SG/SF - 2023 Doherty is excellent at breaking down his man and creating space to get his shot off. Always having his defender on skates, Doherty has various step-back and stop-and-go moves at his disposal to lose the defense so he can elevate into a smooth long-range jump shot. His upper body strength and body control allow him to power to the hoop and finish with either hand. A valuable player off the ball, Doherty runs off screens hard, looking to be aggressive off the catch to pull up from three or make a move towards the rim. An underrated playmaker in the halfcourt, the combo wing is excellent at dump downs to the big after drawing the defense when he attacks the basket. A 20-point threat every time he steps on the court, Doherty’s outstanding efforts on the offensive end earned him a Middlesex League All-Star nod. As the sophomore continues to work and develop his game, there is no doubt that more accolades will be coming in his direction.   [player_tooltip player_id="1081859" first="Reid" last="Ducharme"] - Noble and Greenough/BABC - 6’6’’ - SG/SF - 2023 One of the deadliest snipers from the class of 2023, Ducharme, can get hot as a pistol from deep and fill up the scoring sheet quickly when he gets going. His 24 point, 6 three performance against Governor’s Academy was evidence of that. He was pulling up with ease from deep, hitting catch and shoot jumpers off screens, and showing the ability to break down his man and hit threes off the dribble. A lethal scorer at all three-levels; what is great about Ducharme is that he loves getting buckets in the mid-range. With basketball nowadays emphasizing three-point shooting and above the rim finishing, it is always refreshing seeing a dangerous scorer like Ducharme dominate from the 8ft-18ft range. He has the size, speed, and athleticism to score on bigger forwards making it hard to find a hole in Ducharme’s scoring arsenal. With offers from the University of Massachusetts, NJIT, and DePaul, the sophomore wing has not settled and isn’t satisfied. He continues to put in the work, develop and elevate his game to the next level, which is frightening for the opposition.