NERR National Prep Showcase – New England Standouts (Part 1)

<p>This weekend I attended the Northeast Recruiting Report’s (NERR) National Prep Showcase at Albertus Magnus College in my own New Haven, Connecticut. While the games may have been muted in importance by the impending flock of Yale and Harvard alum attending The Game, the showcase brought together some of the nation’s best prep school talent. And as a fairly new New England scout, I couldn’t have been more excited to finally get to see some of the region’s best teams go at it.</p> <p>Now for the heavy hitters... the New Englanders! This is the first part of a 4-part examination of the best NE talent at the tournament, to be published throughout the week for your enjoyment. There was more than enough incredible Northeast kids in attendance, so with only 4 parts, I had to look hard and long at my notes to find the kids that really stood out to me. Here’s the first bunch:</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1315309" first="Arturo" last="Dean"], Putnam Science (CT), 6-0, 2022</strong></p> <p>Arguably the biggest stock riser of the weekend, Dean is a kid who I’ve been watching since he was at South Miami High School in Florida. And while he dazzled me his sophomore year, he is still impressing me time and time again. The point guard’s ability to finish downhill and shift defenders never gets old, and his incredible athleticism makes him an issue around the rim and in space. His defensive tenacity generates steals on the defensive end and he is just an immovable force across all rights. He’s a hooper, it’s as simple as that. He picked up interest from a ton of mid-major D1s following his impressive weekend.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1125334" first="Mouhamed" last="Dioubate"], Putnam Science (CT), 6-8, 2023</strong></p> <p>I am all about promoting the bench guys, especially on a team like Putnam Science that is incredibly deep. Dioubate is their 6th man and he came out firing in the game I watched against WRA. He can’t shoot, but he’s got a deep bag of tricks in the post and the athleticism to punish defenders at a high level. He’s a mobile big with the ability to be in the right spot every time, a skill which is highly under appreciated at this level. Putting himself in good positions generated offense for Dioubate and for Putnam Science whenever the big hitters were off the floor. I think Dioubate could play Division 1 basketball and be a high IQ contributor down the line. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1313023" first="Barry" last="Evans"], Putnam Science (CT), 6-8, 2022, St. Bonaventure commit</strong></p> <p>Evans was the star of the show on Friday and showed out even more on Saturday. The highly athletic big man was a force on the inside against defenders of all sizes. He put up a team-high 16 points against WRA on Friday and 19 points in a 20-point win over Hargrave Military Academy. Evans knows where he is under the basket and is incredibly efficient around the rim. Whenever he gets fouled, he’s a good FT shooter who adds points to the scoreboard. On defense, he serves as a solid secondary shot blocker (next to big man Mouhamadou Cisse) and a fantastic post defender. He’s a solid D1 talent who will make waves at St. Bonaventure next year. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1081793" first="Desmond" last="Claude"], Putnam Science (CT), 6-5, 2022</strong></p> <p>Claude is one of CT’s best prospects for a reason. He’s an elite shooter who was knocking down everything, even on the collegiate court at Albertus Magnus. He’s got a tight handle and good size for a guard, letting him bully defenders when going downhill and leaving other defenders in the dust. He fully committed to the defensive scheme and was generating steals for Putnam, creating some good looks where he could show off his athleticism. Claude very frequently was the best player on the floor throughout the weekend, and with his recent offers he’s picked up, he is being touted as one of the country’s best players.</p>